My friend Joan and I eat lunch out at Bonefish in Paramus once a month. I used to look at the menu and pick out a few things I like and then choose the one that was the most reasonable but now I give myself a break and choose the one I like the best and the heck with the cost.

Since my pick is very expensive I ask for separate checks because why should Joan have to pay for my extravagance. Every time without exception I order twin lobster tails and Boy do I enjoy them! We always look at the dessert menu and plan what we will order but then we are too stuffed and have no room for dessert.

A couple of months ago we decided to go there the day of my birthday which was one that had two eights in it. This time when it came time for dessert, we were happily surprised to see our waiter coming to our table with a beautiful and delicious looking dessert with candles in it.

Joan is on a gluten free diet and we were told that the dessert was gluten free so we were happy to share it. But who ordered it? That was a mystery. Joan said she did tell them it was my birthday so maybe that’s how we got it.

But then our waiter told us that someone had ordered it over the phone. I had told my son, Michael about our plans so maybe it was him. After further investigation we found that it was someone named John and then a light bulb went off in my head.

My friend John Bale had called me earlier to wish me a happy birthday and I had told him about our plans. I did wonder why he wanted to know what time Joan was picking me up. What a wonderful surprise! But the best was yet to come. John told me later that they had trouble finding us.

Whoever answered the phone asked him for a description and when he told them my age, they said that the only table with two women seated at it was one that had two women but that couldn’t be us because those women were about in their high fifties in age. Joan is 72 so that was also a feather in her cap.

I am sure when you saw the title of this column - FROM 88 DOWN TO THE HIGH FIFTIES, most of you thought I was writing about the weather. Another thing, when John called, he asked if the waiter could sing Happy Birthday to me and he was told that the restaurant doesn’t offer that type of service but when our waiter arrived at our table with dessert and candles in hand, I asked him if he was going to sing to me and he replied that he could if I wished and, of course, I did wish.

Another nice thing happened that day. Besides picking me up and taking me there, Joan picked up the check.