Sometimes, out of the blue, some memories are triggered to come to the surface of consciousness. Come to think of it, today, thanks to decades of being away from where nightmarish events had taken place during childhood, I am rarely bothered by bad memories. Kudos to my love for having given me a peaceful married life of over half a century. At this stage, my brain appears to have little room left for negative thoughts. Although self-discipline should take care of most of life’s problems, it does help to have someone who loves you unconditionally and for over a long period of time. In my case, I attribute this to the fact that I’ve been married to the most loving human being I have ever encountered in my life. He is a bundle of love and joy, sent to me from heaven.
So, on the topic of San Francisco. David tells me that this event took place in 1987, which means it was 38 years ago; thank goodness for his good memory! As a member of IEEE (Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers), he was attending one of its annual meetings. Having had to fly out there, naturally, we took advantage of being in the City of San Francisco. Leisurely walking around the nearby hills on a gorgeous, sunny day was such a treat. Experiencing the drive down the Telegraph Hill – which David made sure that we did – was memorable. We had lunch at the oldest Chinese restaurant; the name escapes us and we think it may have gone out of business since then. I also remember stopping by at a Chinese bakery shop and getting a couple of mooncakes. My strongest memories always seem to be associated with food. LOL.
Something quite memorable happened during that visit. It was a gorgeous, sunny day. Coincidentally, President and Mrs. Gorbachev of then Soviet Union were visiting San Francisco. President Gorbachev was meeting with President Ronald Reagan and Vice President George H.W. Brush. Somehow, we learned that the motorcade for President and Mrs. Gorbachev was to pass by the road where we happened to be strolling. This was a pure coincidence, and the sidewalk was hardly crowded. Pretty soon, we saw Mrs. Raisa Gorbacheva, waving to us. There weren’t that many people around us. So, it felt like she was waving to just David and me!? She was a beautiful lady. And she had the most beautiful smile, too. We presume that, in the motorcade, President Gorbachev was seated facing the other side. Regardless, that was one of the coolest, unscheduled events that we have ever encountered in our lives together.
