Although I have subscriptions to The New York Times and The Wall Street Journal (thanks to Black), it's primarily for their arts sections, as I love their coverage on movies, theater, and TV. I try to quickly leaf through the other sections (I feel guilty just sending it straight to recycling) in case there's anything that might be remotely interesting or relevant to Red & Black. But I never expected memories of my high school senior prom to come flooding back … thanks to the business section of The Wall Street Journal.

It brought me back to the spring of 1980 (yes, I'm that old), and as my high school graduation rapidly approached, so did the senior prom. I wasn't dating anyone, and even though it was "back in the day" when girls didn't ask boys out on a date, I decided to invite Carlo, a boy I was good friends with, although I definitely "like liked" him. All girls reading this will know exactly what I mean. For boys, well, you can probably figure it out.

Anyway, I summoned up the courage and asked, and much to my surprise, no make that shock, he accepted. So, you may be thinking, ok, well, this all sounds pretty normal and uneventful, even if it was decades ago. What's the big deal? And what could this possibly have to do with a newspaper article?

Well, at the time, I was living in Massapequa, on Long Island. And although Carlo and I had been classmates at Plainedge High School, he had moved to Switzerland the prior year when his dad, who worked for Alitalia, had been transferred. We had kept in touch writing "old-fashioned" letters (keep in mind, in those days there were no internet or cell phones, and international phone calls were very expensive) and I hadn't seen him in almost a year. So, I never expected he'd respond to my invitation with a letter saying that he'd love to take me to the prom and that he'd be flying in for prom weekend.

Which is why, when I saw the WSJ article stating, "Alitalia, Once a Carrier of the Jet Set, Flies for the Last Time," it brought back special memories from years long gone. Of course, I mentioned it to Black, and although I didn't expect a warm and fuzzy reaction, I was a bit taken back by her response, as she totally missed the point,

Alitalia was a unique airline that never seemed to be run as a business but more as a brand that represented the glamour and romance of "La Dolce Vita" (the good life). Just the mention of the name makes me think of Hollywood stars jetting off to a Roman holiday. And, is totally in keeping with your date flying across the Atlantic to go to your prom, although I am guessing that his flight was free.

I started to explain how for us "mere mortals" getting on an international flight (whether free or full price) might not be as glamorous as it once was, but it's still a big deal. Especially when you're a teenager traveling alone through customs. And how I was flattered by this grand gesture. I even thought about asking her how she would've felt if it had been her prom date. Instead, I decided to say nothing and quietly enjoy the memory. On my own. Which, thanks to Carlo, I wasn't for my senior prom.