It is not unusual for siblings in a large family to share friends, but with a 13-year difference between my oldest brother and me, it doesn’t happen often. So, I was pleasantly surprised that my brother Mike and I had a common friend, Mike Sawicki, even though we are 11 years apart in age. We recently met at Mike Duffy’s in Kirkwood over lunch. And yes, the theme of this column is a listing of all the people I know named Mike. Kidding.

Originally, we planned to go skeet shooting. I’ve done this once in my life, and apparently the only time Mike Sawicki did it as a kid, he ended up with 20 stitches in his face from the kick back. Plus, with everything going on in the world, a column about shooting guns seemed a bit inappropriate. So, I hatched another plan.

Being a bit competitive I thought it would be fun to put Mike Sawicki on the spot and see who he knew best, my brother or me. I drafted The Fitzgerald Family Quiz Bowl and spent the next two hours quizzing Mike on a variety of questions to see who was his BFF. Though calling either brother Mike or me a prize is a bit of a stretch.

I met Mike Sawicki when we both served on the Nerinx Hall High School board for six years. Since we met at least six times a year, I assumed I would win. Think about it, you learn a lot over 36 encounters, but I could not have been more wrong. No, brother Mike was the winner in large part because the two of them have lived in the same neighborhood for nearly 40 years, play golf together, serve on a committee for Sunset Hills and spend a little time drinking a beer or two together. Sadly, our board meetings were non-alcoholic.

We quickly established that neither of us had the ‘where’d you go to high school?’ advantage since our table represented not only Nerinx Hall but C.B.C. and DeSmet. First, Sawicki flattered me by saying he thought the age difference between brother and sister was 20 years. After that, it became apparent he knew my brother better than me. That said, I had a two-page questionnaire to be completed. Seriously. I whipped it out of my purse and began taking notes. No one can say I am not a fun lunch date!

So, what were some of the questions we covered in our little confab? What color was Mike’s hair before he became bald and gray? Red. Sawicki got that right. How much dye has been applied to my hair to maintain its red color. Brother Mike responded, “an incalculable amount.” Another right answer that only a brother could give. I then asked who runs the Fitzgerald Family as if I was Don Corleone in The Godfather. That would be me—at least according to me. Both Mikes readily concurred, after a little coercion and an agreement that I would pay for lunch. Mike was a good sport as I questioned him on topics ranging from who started Fitzgerald Roofing to which sibling was my mom’s favorite (Tim).

So even though the two Mikes are better friends, it was fun catching-up. If anyone wants to try this with their sibling and a mutual friend, I will send you my quiz bowl questions. No reason to start from scratch when I have a perfectly good word doc waiting for you.

Peace my Peeps.