Cupid’s Arrow Hit Me in the Heart

It was a great Valentine’s Day dinner and dance on February 13.
Photo: RICH SCHMITT

By HANK WRIGHT

I received a Valentine’s party invitation “Do you want to join us Friday night?”

It sounded good, but then they said it was for the elderly. I don’t like thinking of myself as an elder. . .I’m sixty-eight. The river of de Nile isn’t deep enough to keep me thirty. My wife Ann and I went anyway. The American Legion. The Sunset Club. Valentine’s Day celebration. Jimmy Dunne hosting.

Drinks were included with the dinner/dance Valentine Day’s party package.
Photo: RICH SCHMITT

The hall was decked out. Balloons and candles everywhere. Deloris, our American Legion goddess, and the rest of the AL crew had done their magic. We had cocktails first. Elders don’t need to show ID at the bar. Then the lights dimmed. My eyes are tired. They needed time to adjust. But it helps keep the dream alive.

The room was full of people talking. Catching up. They talked about the rebuild. There were the grounders. The ones who lost their homes. They were deciding whether to rebuild or move on. There were the smokers. Their homes survived but needed repair. They were living in insurance hell. Two states I never wanted to learn about. Not in 2025. Not ever.

The food was outstanding. There was so much. My eyes were bigger than my mouth. Chicken. Salmon. Pasta. Beef. It was all there. Straight to the hips after a moment on the lips.

Brandon Wattz sang beautifully. He took us back to songs from our youth. Motown. He belted out Barry White. The memories came back. X-rated memories. Maybe triple-X. My ship ran aground on the river de Nile.

Brandon Wattz sang.
Photo: RICH SCHMITT

Jimmy Dunne was the MC. He had his usual antics. He got us up to sing. A herd of us. “L is for the Way You Look at Me.”

“Just keep going,” he said. “Don’t worry about the words. Belt it out!”

We were shy even with the microphone. But, we finished with a flourish. We laughed at how seriously we took his instructions.

Then Jimmy read his latest love poem to the Palisades. Par for the course, he teared up. He read his sappy poem to a loving audience. I felt happy to be part of this. An adventure nobody imagined. Our community coming together. Getting each other through hell. Jimmy is our Cupid. His arrow hit my heart. He has the heart of the Palisades.

Party host Jimmy Dunne with partygoer Bentleigh Borgeson.
Photo: RICH SCHMITT

I can’t tell you how blessed I felt. To be there. At this time. In this place. Pacific Palisades. The American Legion. The Sunset Club for one lovely evening.

Photo: RICH SCHMITT