Searching for Friends!

Once we were settled in our apartment in Condado, on the ocean, ( in Puerto Rico, condominiums are referred to as apartments), we wanted to become more familiar with our new environment. How better to be learn about our surroundings than through friends.

Our neighbor in Solemar, Pat, made some suggestions.

“Since you know no one here, why not join a Church?”

“Nope.”

“Ok, how about joining the Newcomers Club?”

“Great idea, Pat. How do we join?”

“Well, I am a member. Our next meeting is next week at a restaurant in Guaynabo. Let’s go together. I know where it is.”

I thought this was strange. Pat has lived in Puerto Rico for over forty years. Why would she still be in the Newcomers Club?

The following week we went with Pat to a Sizzler Restaurant. She couldn’t find the restaurant therefore, when arriving, we were late. We were greeted and seated at a table with no one else, just Russ, Pat and myself. Only the President of the club came to introduce herself. I was glad Russ was with me, because if he wasn’t I am not sure he would have believed me when I recounted the story to him.

So, the Newcomers was not our group. Plus, it disbanded soon afterwards, basically because no one in the club was a new comer.

We next joined AAUW (American Association of University Women). Once again, this group had been together for a long time. The women were nice, but no one really included us. I invited the girls to dinner at our home. They were all cordial, but no one invited us back. We joined the gourmet club, the book club, and we donated our time to events. I even became the secretary, however, we left this group after four years of trying.

Next we joined The Rotary Club. This club meets for one and a half hours every Tuesday at noon. Pat, was the secretary, yet she never told us about the group. We learned about it through one of the women in AAUW.

This group was on the decline. It once boasted over three hundred members, but now they were down to ninety. The concept of the club was networking and learning. Lunch was served at twelve thirty, then a speaker would talk until one.

For me the lunch served was uneatable, and the speakers for the most part were super dull. This was a long established club and people who attended the meetings always sat with their friends. There were a bunch of clicks. Once again, few took notice of us.

We tried to fit into this group. Russ, became the secretary, and he took on a major project. Yet, we still did not fit in.

Perhaps we should have joined the Church as Pat had suggested.

“Ok, Russ, I don’t feel joining clubs will be our link to finding friends. Except for Pat, and Lucas, no one even talks to us in this building!”

So, we started frequenting Old San Juan. We both loved the art of Puerto Rico, and wanted to purchase paintings for the apartment. This is where we met Tony.

Tony, just opened an art gallery. In the window there was a painting by Rafael Trelles. I wanted it! We entered the gallery and met Cristobal, Tony’s partner. We discussed the price and Tony drove us home with the painting and a drill. To hang anything on the walls, hammer drill guns are a must, because the walls are all made of cement.

From then on the gallery was our favorite stop. And we made friends through the gallery!