I am discovering one of the many fun things about having a child fortunate enough to be in a private school is that there are fundraisers.  In the fall there is a carnival that is for the whole family and in the spring they have one that is just for the grown-ups.  This was our first time stepping out since our little one is in kindergarten.  The theme this year was Havana nights.  There were women wearing festive flowers in their hair and men sporting Fedoras.  I can say without bias my husband was the most handsome man there and he looked off the charts in his new blue tux jacket with the lapis cufflinks I’d given him some years ago.  We took a “party bus” to get there and it was fun that we both answered Cuban trivia correctly to win little prizes.  Each passenger would also leave with a set of colorful maracas before entering the venue.  Once we got off the elevator we were handed a mojito as we checked ourselves in for the live auction later that evening.  Then we browsed through tables of various packages up for bidding.  They had everything from VIP shopping trips to attending the world premier of the next “Mission Impossible” in London.  My husband and I chose to bid for our little one to have a chance to spend the night at her school with all the girls in her grade.  Our class didn’t win but I figure we have eight more tries before she leaves this school as a freshman.  Cuban music blared as tuxedoed servers passed hors d’oeuvres on silver trays.  There was a fun photo area set up where we got our pictures taken and printed instantly, which made a nice memory.  On the tables cigar boxes were artfully stacked as centerpieces and woven straw fans graced them as well.  There were real pineapples and fake palm trees; all of which contributed to the festive atmosphere.  A tower of churros was beautifully arranged near the bar for dessert.  My favorite spot was the hand rolled cigar station.  I chose both kinds offered; one was similar to a Montecristo and the other a Churchill.  The cigar bands read “Havana Nights” and I look forward to trying them.  The British writer and traveler Evelyn Waugh once said:

“The most futile and disastrous day seems well spent when it is reviewed through the blue, fragrant smoke of a Havana Cigar.”

Neither one of us have been to Cuba but on this evening, with the lights of the Dallas skyline behind us, we managed to experience a taste of Havana nights.