As we sat, Rachel and Katy pounced on me, peppering me with questions about what had made me so late, and what Jack was doing, etc.

I stole a quick glance at Aerin, who was standing in the middle of a loose half-circle of guys, some of whom were friends from college, and some were boyfriends or husbands of friends. Finally, one of the women near where Aerin and the guys were standing around urged Aerin to take a seat. She flashed me a quick smile as she sat, and turned to answer a question from Annie, who insisted that Aerin sit next to her.

A few minutes after we’d each taken a seat on opposite sides of the table, a waiter came over, and started to pass laminated sheets of paper around. The other waiters were doing the same in other tables all over the restaurant.

I mouth to Aerin, when she got her copy, and looked at me confusedly, that we were all about to sing a traditional Italian song. “Wha-a-a-tt?” she mouth back.

I shrugged, and mouthed, “go with it. It’ll be fun!” She laughed lightly in response. Annie and the men around her looked at her in surprise — a few of them looked smitten already, I saw. Annie was looking at her with interest.

I turned to answer a question from Rachel, shaking my head bemusedly.

Soon, the introductory chords of the Italian song drowned out restaurant chatter, and waiters were circling around the tables, pouring Chianti into everyone’s glasses.   It looked like my friends had started drinking already during the dinner we’d been extremely late for, so were more than buzzed, for sure.   They sang out loudly as the maître d’ prompted everyone,

“When the moon hits your eye like a big pizza pie ….”

Everyone in the restaurant was singing out and swaying in their seats, holding their glasses up, and clinking them against one another in friendship. Even the waiters and the maître d’ were singing out loud, clinking glasses with guests, as they circulated, exchanging well-wishes with everyone.

The fun, joyous, fellow-feeling that settled over the crowd was palpable, and I guess we all imagined we were all in a restaurant in Naples somewhere, picturing ourselves in a restaurant by the sea, all singing out lustily about love.