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January 13, 2003
New Year's Eve
New Year's Eve started at my house. Rhett and I with a bottle of wine left over from the "No Turkeys Allowed" party. (Truth be told there was turkey in the Stuffed Grape Leaves I made. I can spill it now. Real meat is just so fattening). The night promised to be fun. We made it to the city way ahead of time. We had an hour or so to kill before we were to be at Roxie's party and hoped to stop into a nearby establishment. Strolling down 9th Avenue we were unsure as to whether we would find a bar or restaurant that would serve us without doubling the price or charging a cover on the hottest night of the year. It didn't take long before we found Rachel's, a beacon of hope with a small sign promising no outrageous upcharges. Using Rhett's charm and my tenacity we scored seats at the bar even though there was a wait. (They were serving dinner guests at the bar as well. We just wanted a few cocktails.) Soon we met Marilyn, aka Miss Kitty because she looked like the Gunsmoke Madam, and her intended, Glenn. Miss Kitty and I were kindred souls from the start. She also planned an Epiphany party. Miss Kitty and Glenn were somewhere in the valley of their early to mid-forties. In the throes of a freshly committed relationship, Miss Kitty showed off her ring and Glen smiled contentedly. Young lovers with older souls, I could tell they still had that initial passion that comes ample in any new relationship and yet they seemed to convey such an acceptance and comfortability with each other. Maybe it's a symptom of later-day relationships. They didn't seem phased by any of the crap that plagues fresh love in couples in their twenties and early thirties. Roses that are used to blooming know how to make the fragrance last.
There was also a very bizarre family at the bar. Man, Woman and Child. Woman looked drunk and at her wits end. Seems she had married and bred Complainers. Glass Half Empty types who "couldn't find anything we like on the menu." Puh-lease. We were having a groovy time chatting and before I knew it Rhett bought a round of shots for our bar pals and a few couples sitting behind us on tiny two-tops near the chilly front window. Seeing Rhett's generosity to strangers...I couldn't help but be a little proud. Generosity. A must have for any suitable companion. In fact, it's one of the first attributes I requested in my little online dating profile. Rhett seems to have the principles of Generosity to a T. I wonder how he would fare with the rest of those adjetives that, when put together, should comprise my ideal man...
After our communal shot of New Year's Eve cheer we were pals with Irene and Scott, Nancy and Paul. One big happy family toasting the past and well-wishing the future. There was another Scott waiting for his beloved wife and mother-in-law, Helen. He held a bouquet for each of them. Making it to Rachel's just in time for Mr. Butler's patronage, this Scott revealed he had been born under a blessed star. His good fortune? Having such a wife and MIL. (To all of you naysayers: The wife and MIL weren't there yet, so he wasn't sucking up.) This Scott was a real Gentleman. Flowers for the wife and MIL? Now that is points. After a brief chat with me, he informed Mr. Butler how lucky he was to be escorting me on this night of nights and handed me, Miss Kitty, and Nancy flowers from the two bouquets. His blessed ladies arrived and he bestowed his slightly amended bouquets.
Before I knew it, Rhett and I had split an entree of this amazing Pecan Crusted Chicken dish, downed a few Martinis, and it was 11:30. Two Thousand Two was expiring in a rush and we were missing Roxie's party. A quick call to Roxie and we agreed to meet on the corner of 9th and 57th so that we could all make our way to Central Park for the fireworks which would be displayed and witnessed without the mass of tourists and hangers-on who flock to Times Square en masse. We met Roxie's partiers in time to lose them in the mad rush to CP and made it to the entrance of the park with moments to spare before midnight. Before leaving Rachel's we enlisted Nancy and Paul to join us in our mad dash for midnight and a new year's birth at the park. Visitors from Ohio who had come up to see the New Year's Eve New York sights pretty much on the spur, they had no plans at all. From that crucial New Year's Moment to lodging for the night, these intrepid travelers were flying by the seat of their pants. I am both impressed and apalled.
We were barely inside CP's gates when 2002 expired with a whisper and a kiss full of sincerity so airy and light like a "what if" promise. Two Thousand Three emerged with the muddled booms and vibrant lights of fireworks peaking through twig-trees. We were chilled new lovers each of us searching for the warmth of fortune in our lives and hearts. Friends and Visitors full of optimism for an uncertain future.
There are some moments that should be remembered, however distantly. I wonder what I will remember of this one. Will it be the smell of night? The feel of crisp air against my cheek. The look in someone's eyes. The thoughts in my own? Perhaps it will only be a vague notion of twinkling lights amidst the giant trees. However I remember, I feel certain there will be something about that night that will last. A tiny glimmer of recognition or memory that will remind me of my youth, no matter how addled or uncommunicable I end up in the withering years.
After CP, our little clan made it back down 9th Ave to Rudy's where we met Miss Kitty and Glen and partied for a few more hours just to make sure this new year felt welcome. We had a great time with these Stranger Friends. They didn't seem to mind too much that I extoled the virtues of some of my favorite Christmas presents from Mr. Butler and my Tamale-making expertise.
Soon we were ready for our first sleep in 2003. Rhett and I invited Nancy and Paul to bunk at my house. I felt like the original proprietor of "la Quinta" except my Mary and Joseph had no Child of Light. I wouldn't have felt comfortable doing that without Rhett. Yet another reason to be thankful for his presence. The next morning was sleepy and contented and blissful in it's own quiet way though some may have been more groggy and perhaps not as clearheaded as they might have preferred. I was in good and lucid spirits. The night before, pre-Rudy's, we decided I would be the DD of Paul and Nancy's car. I think such required sobriety helped me alot in the end. I didn't miss a beat at Rudy's and I wasn't missing a beat this New Year's morning. Paul and Nancy awoke, dressed, visited as they sipped their coffee and went out to greet the city before making their way back to Ohio and Reality.
I have no idea what the future holds for any of us. I doubt I will ever see Nancy and Paul again. Rhett and Scarlett are, well, Rhett and Scarlet and we all know how that movie ended. It doesn't matter really. I will light my candle, blow it out and say goodnight with a sincere and deep wish that 2003 offers each of us, together or separate, something pure, full of hope and beautiful.
Posted by mermu at January 13, 2003 02:25 AM
Comments
What has been going on in your life lately? I miss your entries.
Posted by: Elizabeth at January 26, 2003 08:57 PM
All right Meredith, I will give you that was worth waiting for. But where was the New Year's Eve sex??
Also wanted to say that I greatly enjoyed reading the 3 articles accessible through a link on your home page. I remember the cold in England being a shock to me too. That was b/c I didn't know how to dress for it, mostly. Dale showed me how to layer, and I learned what type of clothes to buy. He also says not to tense up as that makes it worse. Of course, a few hours in a pub never hurts either. :-)
Posted by: Elizabeth at January 17, 2003 02:19 AM
LOL.....god I love you Rita!!!! I love all your family!
Posted by: Deborah at January 15, 2003 11:16 AM
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