It's December 12. Today Grandpa Wager would have been 95. It is his 11th birthday in Heaven. I usually try to have some red carnations handy, because those were his favorite flower. Unfortunately, in all of the stress I've encountered in the past week, I have completely lost track of the date on the calendar. I was elated to find out it was not quite Mid-December, and that Christmas is two weeks away, not one. I was worried about shipping the box to NY to my sister, and didn't think it would get there in time. Until I realized I still had two weeks, and I have no doubt the big brown truck will deliver it in time. So by the time I remembered I wanted red carnations, it was yesterday. And for some reason- there were none to be found. No decent ones anyway. I found one puny bunch of 6 carnations for $8, and each flower was about half an inch wide. I decided it wasn't worth it.
Grandpa and I belonged to a special club. The Double Digit Birthday Club. Ok, it's a club I made up. Grandpa's birthday was 12/12, Grandpa Primeau's birthday is 1/1, my Dad's is 3/3, and mine is 6/6. I was the only girl in the club, and the only one who's special number actually extended all the way into the birth year (Dad missed it by one year). We didn't have meetings or anything, it was just something I thought was neat. Now we have a new member, my BIL Andy who shares my birthday (but not the year, as he will quickly tell you).
There was something else that was neat about Grandpa Wager's birthday. It was the same day as Frank Sinatra's. They were born on the very same day, 12/12/1915. My Grandfather once found out they were born hours apart too. Grandpa always liked Frank Sinatra, and for some reason, I have too. I have no idea when I first heard Sinatra. I know I've liked him since at least my teen years. On one of his last tours, my Grandma Primeau went to see him in concert. I was a teenager, and I remember being jealous that she was going to see Sinatra. I had tapes of his albums, and played them all the time in my car.
Sinatra sang a version of 'Once in Love with Amy'. I know he didn't do the original version, but he did sing it. I have Sinatra's version on my MP3 player. One of my Grandma & Grandpa Primeau's good friends, Al Thayer, used to sing this song to me every time he saw me. It could be at Grandpa's Labor Day Party, or a birthday or anniversary party for my Grandparents. When I was young, it embarrassed me slightly, because people would turn to look. But it quickly grew on me, and I cherished Al's serenades. At my wedding reception, we told the DJ if someone clinked the glasses to get us to kiss, they first had to sing a song about love. The thought was this would deter the clinking tradition, because the Primeau's are notoriously bad singers (truly- we were all in church for a special Mass with my Grandfather, and in the middle of Mass the Priest asked the Primeaus to stop singing). This did not deter the reception guests, it may have in actually fueled them. Al and his wife Helen were at the wedding, they were more like family than family friends. So when the glasses clinked and the DJ went over to Al, I burst into tears. Al stood up and did perhaps the most beautiful rendition of 'Once in Love With Amy' that he had ever done. He had a terrific voice. When he finished, the groom's side was left wondering why everyone in my family was in tears. Al passed away in 2000, shortly after Grandpa Wager. It is still my favorite memory of him.
There is one last connection to Ol' Blue Eyes. His death. I always thought he died on May 15, 1998- Grandma & Grandpa Wager's 60th wedding anniversary. Yet, I just found out he died on May 14; very late at night in California. Which would have been early on the morning of the 15th on the East Coast- so he kind of did die on Grandma & Grandpa's anniversary. I was finishing up my last semester of college, and when I called my Grandparents to wish them a Happy Anniversary, we talked about Sinatra's passing. It really felt like part of the family had died.
I close with lyrics from 'Once in Love With Amy'. I know it by heart.
"Once in love with Amy, always in love with Amy
Ever and ever fascinated by her, sets your heart on fire to stay.
Once you're kissed by Amy, tear up your list it's Amy
Ply her with bonbons, poetry, and flowers, moon a million hours away.
You might be quite the fickle-hearted rover so carefree and bold
Who loves a girl and later thinks it over and just quits cold.
But once in love with Amy, always in love with Amy
Ever and ever sweetly you'll romance her, trouble is the answer will be
That Amy'd rather stay in love with me"
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