The lunch group

Veronica Duran

When they started meeting for lunch 30 years ago, Rose Bouza, Irene

James, Kim Wetmore and Tommie Rovano used to hit restaurants like Coco’s,

Mimi’s Cafe and Marie Callender’s.

The four said they have been to about 90 different restaurants together

-- never the same one twice -- including the Ritz Carlton in Newport

Beach to commemorate Bouza’s and James’ birthdays.

“We have stuck together through thick and thin,” said James, a Huntington

Beach resident. “Although we don’t see each other frequently, we manage

to stay close friends.”

Throughout the years, the women said they have experienced delightful

times together, not to mention a series of unforgettable moments. An

incident they all remember vividly is when the Secret Service spied on

them.

The group of close-knit friends, now in their 50s, were having dinner at

the Westin Hotel one night when they noticed some men staring at them.

The men watched them like prey from the balcony and hovered over their

shoulders while they ate.

Rovano, of Garden Grove, said she thought to herself, “Gee, we must be

some good-looking babes.” But that wasn’t the reason the men gaped at

them all night. Al Gore just happened to be there. It’s moments like

these the four best friends said they will cherish for a lifetime.

“We love each other like sisters,” Wetmore said. “We feel each other’s

pain. We laugh and cry together.”

All married to firemen -- two now retired and two who are still employed

by the Orange County Fire Authority -- the women demonstrated their

individuality, independence and strength.

Wetmore described the L.A. riots as a time when she feared for her

husband’s life because people were shooting at firemen, but said she has

learned to trust her husband’s abilities and see him through.

“I trust that he has the right kind of training and the Lord’s going to

take care of him,” she said.

Because their husbands worked for the fire agency when only about 60 men

tackled the beat, the four said they were able to meet and build a

genuine bond -- a bond that has also kept their children and

grandchildren close.

When they see each other, Wetmore said there is no need to waste time on

small talk, asking each other how the weather is. But they just get down

to business and ask, “How are you really feeling,?”

“We get down to the nitty gritty,” Wetmore said. “We want to know where

you’re at because we care. We don’t need any surface stuff.”

While the men fought fires, the women taught children. Wetmore of

Foothill Ranch has been a first-grade teacher at Iva Meairs for 26 years.

James has been an instructional aid for 20 years and works for Webber

Elementary School. Bouza, of Fountain Valley, formerly served as a

liaison at Willmore Elementary for seven years. Rovano, who found a

different niche, is in charge of running an antique shop.

Although personalities might clash, the women said their feelings for

each other overcome their differences.

“We have so much in common,” Rovano said. “We are all family-oriented.”

Even in the year 2029, Rovano added, she and her friends will probably

still be getting together.

“I hope we always stay in the vicinity, [so we’ll always be able to see

each other,]” she said.

“We are very blessed,” Wetmore said.