A Fitting Farewell

The firm held a goodbye luncheon for me today. It was slightly... nontraditional. Just like everything else about this firm. I learned a lot about immigration law this summer, but I don't think I learned anything at all about what it's like to really be a lawyer. Many (most? all?) firms take their summer associates out for a goodbye fete of some sort, I think. Or maybe I've read too many John Grisham novels. Not my firm. Oh, no.

My goodbye luncheon was catered by an Ethiopian woman Felix met at a flea market on Saturday.

No, really. Please, if you don't believe me, re-read that sentence again:

My goodbye luncheon was catered by an Ethiopian woman Felix met at a flea market on Saturday.

Now, don't get me wrong. I didn't expect to be taken to the most exlusive restaurant in Washington or anything. I wasn't insulted or upset. I was, however, wildly amused. The meal was served in our annex office-- extra space we've recently rented on another floor of the same office in an attempt to alleviate the overcrowding in our current office until a larger suite or some continguous space comes available-- four days before my actual departure. Felix made sure to tell me at least forty times that he brought the tablecloths in especially for me, to make my lunch nice. Oscar rolled his eyes at me behind Felix's back several times. I solemly avoided giggling.

The food was wonderful. I'd never had Ethiopian food before, so I was excited to have this opportunity. I would love to find a recipe for the chicken and eggs in some sort of spicy red sauce. Felix opened a bottle of sparkling Ukrainian wine (semi-dry my foot, it was like carbonated Welch's) and made a strange toast, then we all sat around and ate, little conversation going because frankly, the main topic of conversation in our office the past couple of weeks has been how crazy Felix has been acting. So Felix held forth at length about numerous topics, including why old men marry young women.

It was just so very typical of everything that has happened this summer. Strange, but tasty.