Last Tango in White River Junction

Now, that's a title. 'All Fall Down' works as a working title for the book, but when publication time comes I need something like this. At any rate, that isn't what we're here to talk about. Instead, I have a tale.

Last Saturday I was doing my own thing. In lieu of believing my girlfriend actually wanted to hang out and do something, perhaps if she could fit me into her busy schedule, I decided not to hang around and wait for the phone to ring. And for good reason of my own I wasn't initiating a call my own self. Those reasons may not impress anyone, but I know what I'm doing. Add to that I wasn't sure how I was feeling about Jennifer overall, and I was still kinda annoyed with her. So to get back to the point, I was at Borders working on my future best-seller.

When I got home in the evening I checked the caller ID and saw that Jen had called me. This was probably around 5-ish that I checked, perhaps a bit later. Instead of checking for any potential message or calling her back, I decided to turn on some Resident Evil 4 and blow some zombified freaks to kingdom come. After about forty-five minutes of that I figured I'd check the messages. Besides, the phone had rung another time and I blew it off believing it might be her. She hates it when she can't pin me down and when I'm not right there to answer her calls at any time of the day or night. So I've taken to letting her sweat it out a bit.

She'd left four messages. When I make myself unavailable and she can't figure out what I'm doing that could be more important than waiting for her calls it really does aggravate the girl, and I like that. So the messages increased in urgency and aggravation across the span of them, which I found amusing. Apparently, there was this thing that night that she wanted me to attend. It was something she mentioned during our first date way way WAY back in March, and I said I'd go, but since then I'd heard that these things had been indefinitely cancelled, and plus there's been a whole lot of water under the bridge since then. Anyway, I called her back.

Where the hell have I been, she asked. Too bad she couldn't have seen the grin on my face when we got into our recently begun running joke about me banging some skank on the side while blowing Jen off, but yes ... I was a grinnin'. So we got into a conversation of whether or not I was going to show up. She was basically demanding my presence, and I was doing my thing where I do a slightly exaggerated bit of indecisiveness while not answering the question, which aggravates her all the more, which was the point. We got into a thing about what I should wear to show up for such a thing, and said I wasn't fancying myself up or anything, and finally agreed to show up over in White River Junction. I'd meet her and Jenn (her friend from the ass-hopping tale) there in a bit.

It was a benefit for AIDS awareness (or somesuch, as much as I was paying attention to that detail) gussied up as a Drag Queen show. Which is to say, there were a few gay men there dressing up and performing as women, and some lesbians also performing. Strangely, none of the lesbians dressed up as guys, because I figured in a drag show everybody would swap, but nevermind. Sure, I'll go. Who cares? I've had gay friends ever since I started working at Stop N Shop 20 years ago, so it doesn't bother me at all. Plus, I've met Todd, one of Jen's friends, a few times in passing and he seemed like a decent bloke. I wasn't reluctant to go because of the theme, but because Jen blew me off most of the week and then waited until the last possible minute to invite me. Sure, I delayed that by a couple of hours myself, but ask yourself this: how long would Jen have known about this event?

Anyway, when I arrived Jen and Jenn (or The Jens, as in, "Evening, Jennifers.") were outside smoking cigarettes with a few others, so I joined them. Now, Jenn I like. She's a good kid, even though Jen complains about her sometimes for 'only calling me up when she needs something'. Yes, feel the irony. Anyway, I joined them for a smoke outside. Todd came out in drag and I didn't even realize it was him the first time. There was only one other guy in drag, the one who was running the thing. They both looked fantastic, but I figured there would be more. When I agreed to come I was expecting something more like the Goth night that Larissa talked me into attending in Noho, which was like a black on black armageddon. This was a lot more low-key.

Once inside I started to drink. The first one was a Sam Adams, which was dreadful, but given the choices it was the only label I recognized. Even so, put a beer in my hand if I'm out in a social setting and it disappears. And it did. Todd was watching the door and taking money for tickets (Jen paid mine), so he asked if I'd go get a Corona for him, so I did. When time came for my second drink that's what I had, and I really liked it. I think I've found my beer. That second one didn't last a whole lot longer than the first. Meanwhile, people were taking their seats around the perimeter of what would be the staging area. Jen got drafted into running the spotlight, so I sat with Jenn and her mom. Whenever Jenn broke away for a smoke she motioned for me to come along, so I went along. And a few times Jen found me out there in the smoking area when she lost track of me.

The show started and it was pretty entertaining. People would get up and offer dollars to the performers, who would then take said dollars ... sometimes in a lascivious manner. I took everything in, but remained a spectator on the fringe. It would be different if I knew some of those people, but I don't really. Sometime during the first half one of Jen's work friends, Becky, showed up dressed in some pretty slutty clothes. And just imagine what those clothes have to look like for me to think they look slutty. I was left with two impressions here. First, Becky was *smoking* hot. I mean like Jacquie hot, since I know my readers will remember how bad I had it for her, except -- and this is true -- Becky is hotter. Second, if Jen invited Becky, and Becky came dressed up and prepared, just how long *did* Jen know about this ahead of time? And she called me that day.

Anyway, there was general dancing during the intermission. Jen and Becky went out there and danced, causing my mind to wander towards sandwiches, IF you know what I mean. Meanwhile, I was working on my second Corona, and third beer overall. The buzz was coming in. Jen motioned for me to come out on the dance floor, but I ended up outside instead with Jenn and a cigarette. This time I had my own pack even. Before the show Jen mentioned she was hungry, and so was I, and since she couldn't leave, Jenn and I ducked up to McDonalds for some take-out. "Is this going to turn into 'Sparky, can you do me a favor?'", and of course it did. I also stopped at a nearby gas station so Jenn could replenish her own cigarette supply, and she bought me a pack. When in Rome ....

I went back inside during the intermission, and Jen did drag me out on the dance floor for a bit, and it turned into a threeway dance with her, me, and Becky, which was nice for a minute or two before things broke up and I went back to my beer. The show continued, and it was still fun. Jen and Becky did an impromptu number, which was pretty hot. I even had a dollar or three out on the table, but they never went anywhere. I probably should have gotten up like some other people did, but fuck it. This was my first one of these, after all. I know how things work at strip clubs. Drag shows are a new experience for me. Becky left before the end of the show. She and Jen talked over at another table, they went outside, and then she left. I don't think Becky and I really clicked there, but chances are I'll never see her again anyway, so who cares.

End of the night. I went outside first. Jen found me there. Jenn and her mom took off. Jen could only linger a bit because she was supposed to meet a friend of hers down in Windsor at midnight. Some chick I don't know, or whatever. At this point I don't really care about the details. It could be her going off to meet her ex again, like that time in a much earlier post where I got all wound up, and I'd just shrug and say whatever. See how things have evolved? By this time I'd put down four Coronas, for a total of five beers, which is equal to or a little less than what I'd consume during an average Church night, but those nights were ten years ago. Not only that, a lot of those times I was not ok to drive home, even though I did. And I intended to drive home from there, too. Yes, I was buzzed, but I knew I could do it.

But Jen lingered a bit too long while trying to decide if I was all right, and I was perhaps a bit more talkative than I should have been, because before I knew it she was insisting she was driving me home. Of course I put up a small argument about it, but I knew she was probably right. She wouldn't take no for an answer anyway, so I got into her car, left mine behind, and she drove me home. Thanks to the beer I was uncharacteristically gregarious, and somewhat less snarky than I'd generally been during the night, and she started to feel me out to see if something else was wrong. Being inebriated, and having had a good night out, I wasn't really in the mood to get into my actual opinions of a few things, so I blew that off, although I don't believe she was convinced there wasn't something on my mind. One more Corona was all it would have taken, though, and she would have gotten everything, including a lot more than she wanted to know.

She dropped me off here and went to meet her friend. It was kind of touching that she cared enough to make sure I didn't wrap myself around a telephone pole just so she could keep her appointment, but let's not make too much of it. There was still the matter of retrieving my car on Sunday, and even then it was running through my mind whether or not I could depend on her to show up and drive me over there. I'm sure I discussed that possibility with Guinevere during our chat after I got home, during which I was little more than a rambling drunk. But at least, like Jen said, I'm a happy drunk.

The next morning I decided to be pro-active, and not wait around for the call to come (or not, as the case may be). So I set off on foot to pick up my baby girl over in White River Junction. It was a little hotter than I thought it was, so by the time I got there I was exhausted. But it was only 4.5 miles, which I used to walk every afternoon after the morning shift in the kitchen, so I guess I'm just out of shape. She did call around 3:00, although by that time I was back asleep. When she called again at 4:30 I picked up. She asked if I wanted a ride over there, and I thought about playing with her a little. If she was already in town I'd have said sure come on over, and then I'd have been out there sitting on my trunk when she pulled up. But I had the idea she was still up in Sharon, and that's way too far to draw her in just for a practical joke, so I told her I already had the car. It would have been interesting to see her face right then while she was trying to decide if I'd walked or if some skank had given me a ride over there. But I was touched to see that I could count on her after all.

Ok, at least in that instance. The jury is still out on the rest.