White Elephant in the Room

As Alberto’s deathiversary approached this year, I decided to spend it outside my comfort zone. I accepted an invitation to the 30^th birthday party of a NYC reader who was born on March 15. Last weekend, I toasted Cesar alongside his partner and relatives, a mariachi band and several of my girlfriends.

Seeing Cesar’s face when he unwrapped the Ferragamo tie I had chosen for him from Alberto’s collection was like witnessing a kid on Christmas morning. Seeing how fiercely Cesar wore the tie for his first day of work at a magazine was like seeing a layer of Alberto re-animated.