The Itchy Palm Shake

I had one of those moments that transport you back to who you were and how you felt years and , crap now i can say this...decades before.  WOW I was feeling great about writing this and then I said DECADES and the reverb in my head was on high...DECADES DECADES... uff.  Well anyway... I had one of "those" moments last night, as I shook an old friends hand.

Let's set the scene... 3 gentlemen sitting around a table in a storage area, boxes, canned goods, and 3 buckets of eggplant being pickled.  The smell was of olive oil, salt and hot peppers.  Jalapenos permeated the air mostly, but the faint vinegary smell of peppernchini's was wafting through the air too.

I greeted them, buona nota, good evening in Italian.  I am greeted back que' catso fi'!  I won't bother on the translation, it's not that nice of a greeting, more antagonistic than anything.  I apologize for my Italian spelling too, I can barely speak full sentences, let alone, write it.
The conversation floats back and forth between Italian and English some of the pickled eggplant is eaten, some spilled on the floor.

It was as two the the gentlemen left that I was transported.  The big guy, Tony, comes up to shake my hand goodbye.  He is probably 6'4" and has the torso similar to a barrel.  You know the type, that are collecting rainwater in old westerns.
His hand and arms match his body.  I placed my hand into his and he grabs my hand as you would for a normal handshake however, he slides his finger into my palm as we are shaking hands.  Now, if anyone has ever done this to you, you know it is one of the creepiest feelings in the world.  The first time he did this to me was 20 years ago.  I was 14 years old and being held onto by some creepy Italian guy who was fingering my palm.  It tickled and was an uncomfortable feeling.  Last night he did it again... I just laugh now, I almost expect from him. 
It took me back to when my hand felt smaller in his grip and my body looked like he could have squeezed the crap out of me with two hands, almost like a tube of toothpaste.  I oddly admired that man who spoke two languages, who forged a life in two countries, two continents, and who slid his index finger into my palm as we shook hands.  Funny, I never really thought that I would have a friendship with this guy and that he could still make me feel like a 14 yr old boy who's hand wasn't big enough to grip his hand.  Here I was last night getting the itchy palm shake, remembering who I was, who I am, and where I have been.  The last 20 years have shaped me in unexpected ways and at unexpected times.  I never really know when I might get perspective on life.  I just hope that I have the breath in my body, some clarity in my mind and, enough love in my heart to get it.  Whatever it may be!