A Mojito and a Cockroach

If you follow fashion, or even just the headlines, you may have seen the story last week about an uninvited guest at the Met Gala - fashion's biggest and most glamorous annual event.

Yes, a cockroach found its way onto the red carpet, spawning jokes, memes and knowing glances among New Yorkers - it was quintessentially New York.

This, and the fact that it's Mother's Day this weekend, brought a smile to my face. Mothers and New York cockroaches? Let me explain.

In 2002 I was working in Manhattan. I had been there for a while and had become about as "New York" as I could for a born-and-bred Midwesterner. I knew the subway like the back of my hand, I walked the streets confidently, I had my favorite food cart vendor and a neighborhood bodega - I was a wannabe city girl and I loved every minute of it.

At some point I had the opportunity to bring my parents to visit. They had traveled a fair amount around the U.S. but they had never been to New York City.

Like a good host, I put together a great weekend for them. We saw a Broadway show, toured Ellis Island, visited the twin towers site, rode a horse and carriage in Central Park, and took in all that is Times Square.

After a busy day sightseeing I had planned to take them out to dinner. When it came time to go my Dad was not interested. Now, in hindsight, I should have known this was likely going to be the case. My Dad is not one for big, fancy restaurant meals. He likes to snack, which we had done a fair amount of throughout the day. So he was very content to sit back and relax in the hotel room for the evening. My mom, on the other hand, was ready to go out and explore NYC. So we agreed to let Dad be and Mom and I headed out.

The restaurant I chose was 10 - 12 blocks from the hotel. My mom was up for walking, which I was relieved, because no self-respecting wannabe New Yorker is going to ask a NYC cabbie to take them such a short distance. Plus, it's really how you experience the city - up close and personal with the people, the smells, the congested traffic, the energy.

We got to the restaurant and decided to have a drink at the bar. It was a Cuban place, and the bartender suggested we have a Mojito. We looked at each other and said, sure, why not? Not the drink either of us would have thought to order, but we were game. It all felt very fancy as the bartender muddled the fresh mint leaves in our glasses and we gazed out the floor to ceiling windows. The night felt extra special - just the two of us out in the big city - and we sat talking and laughing and enjoying our delicious Mojitos.

After dinner we started walking back to the hotel. The restaurants and bodegas had their cellar hatches open putting their trash out on the curb for the overnight collection. It is quite a sight the first time you see it, then over time you realize it is part of the ritual of life in New York City. As are cockroaches.

About halfway through our walk a giant cockroach crossed right in front of us on the sidewalk. I wouldn't say I was used to it, but I had seen them enough times to accept it and know they were not coming after me. My mom, not so much.

Now, the thing you need to know about my mom is she hated bugs. HATED them. Growing up in Minnesota we were certainly no stranger to bugs. Moths, spiders, crickets, mosquitos. But in Minnesota the annual freeze kills off everything before they get a chance to grow very big. Even so, my mom had a Spring ritual that involved many cans of Raid and Off and citronella candles. Basically we were not going to have a bug anywhere near us if she could help it.

So you can imagine her reaction to a giant, New York City cockroach in her walking path. Have you seen these things? They are more like creatures than bugs. She screeched and we both jumped. We laughed uncontrollably (see above: Mojitos) and proceeded to walk arm-in-arm giggling all the way back to the hotel, eyes trained on the sidewalk in case we were accosted again.

We got back to the hotel and Dad was there, happily relaxing as we had left him. We were still laughing as we regaled him with the story of our little city adventure, but you probably had to be there.

And so this Mother’s Day weekend, as I'm missing my late mom, I'll smile and giggle just a little as I remember our girls night out, our Mojitos, and the quintessential New York City cockroach.