It was my friend Teresa’s 30th birthday and I found myself at a dinner party in her honor.
It was one of those pea-soup nights in which San Francisco specializes, the air thick with a mixture of fog and drizzle. I saw her from across the restaurant, waving me over to the table, which was surrounded by women. There were 12 chairs in a space that could comfortably seat 10, and one seat was empty.