"But I did get to see The Lion King."
"The Lion King? Are you kidding?"
"It was the only show on Broadway that wasn’t sold out."
That was even more depressing.
Part 4: I am Everywhere but to the Eyes of Common Mortals, I am Invisible
With Haley back in town, things were looking up. I wasn’t that tired anymore. I felt like dancing. I wandered into Haley’s room while she was unpacking. "Hey, Haley, feel like going to Y’bor tonight?"
"Do you feel like going?" she asked.
"Yeah."
"Okay, then, let go."
I know what you’re thinking. How shallow is this girl, anyway? Didn’t her father just die like a week ago and now she wants to party? True enough. One thing I did learn in a year of therapy was that everyone deals with grief in his or her own way. Going dancing was much cheaper than going shopping and going dancing in Y'bor was its own kind of therapy. It was me trying to be normal at a very abnormal time in my life. Anyone who’s ever been to Tampa knows Y'bor City is the place to hang out. So the two of us put on our party clothes and headed downtown.
Our evening started at The JellyBelly Beach Club, one of our favorite theme bars. It was about 10:00 o'clock and the place was just starting to get packed. What I like most about The JellyBelly is the music they play, all classic rock, all the time. A little bit of Heaven on Earth. When we arrived at the club, we took in the scenery and set our sights on a couple of blond hotties. Ya-hoo!
Haley was usually the one to approach first, and I normally came in to close the deal. This is what happened:
Haley (to hottie number one): Hi. Wanna dance?
Hottie One (after a quick once-over): No.
Haley: Okay then.
And we made a hasty exit to the other side of the bar.
Once we were a safe distance away from the embarrassment of complete and utter rejection, Haley suggested that maybe we should just dance by ourselves for a while. I agreed. So we did.
The DJ played some awesome dance tracks and this T.C. (T.C.= too cute) guy approached us and started dancing. He stood about six feet tall with a great build. He was dressed in dark blue button-fly jeans and a blue and white polo shirt. His dark blond hair was cut short and he had a small hoop earring in his left ear. He wore round, wire-rimmed glasses and had the biggest smile I’d ever seen in my entire life. He put Brad Pitt to shame.
I was super-glad when he approached us but it was one of those awkward dance moments when you’re not really sure if the person, who just walked up is really dancing with you or just dancing near you. When the song stopped, he said, "Hey, thanks for the dance," and that mystery was cleared up.
When the DJ decided to take a break, the T.C. guy started talking. "So, you come here a lot?" he asked.
"Yeah," I said.
"I just moved here a few months ago from Seattle."
"How do you like it?"
"It’s a lot different but I dig the beaches."
"Me, too."
"My name’s Lahrs."
"I’m Dorothy."
"Like The Wizard of Oz."
"My mom was a big fan of the movie."
"That’s cool. You know, they call Seattle the Emerald City."
"So I've been told."
"What do you do?"
"I’m an actress."
"That’s cool. I’m an artist. A painter."
"That’s cool, too."
"Yeah."
"How’d you get to Tampa from Seattle?"
"My ex-girlfriend moved out here to be closer to her parents, but right after I moved out here she dumped me. It was just so un-cool."
"No kidding. So, now you’re stuck here."
"I spent all my money just to get out here."
"Bummer."
"Totally."
"Have you been to The Mansion yet?"
"No, where is it?"
"It’s here in Y’bor. A few blocks off the main street. It’s really cool. Goth, if you’re into that sort of thing."
"Sure."
"My friend Haley and I are probably going over there in a little while if you want to come along."
"Love to."
That’s when I noticed Haley had disappeared. I looked around the club but I didn't see her.
"Did you see where my friend went?" I asked.
He pointed over to one of the corner bars. "She’s over by that bar with some guy," he said.
My initial reaction was like, cool, Haley found a guy, too. That was until I looked over at the bar. Haley was standing there with our good friend, Ray. We’ve known Ray for years. We all went to the University together. Hanging out with Ray is like hanging out with one of the girls but he refuses to acknowledge his orientation. He insists he’s straight. Maybe it was his strict Pentecostal upbringing that has caused so much confusion.
Lahrs and I walked over to the bar to join Haley and Ray.
"Who's the new addition to our family?" asked Ray.
"This is Lahrs," I said. "Lahrs, these are my two best friends in the entire world, Haley and Ray."
"Nice to meet you," said Haley.
"Ditto," said Ray.
"Nice to meet both of you."
"Lahrs is an artist," I said, "He's from Seattle."
"Long way from home," said Ray.
"This is home now. I moved here a few months ago."
"We're all natives," said Ray. "Florida born and breed."
"So, what do you think of Florida so far?" Haley asked.
"The beaches are fabulous. The sunshine is great. It's really humid. I haven't had that much time to explore the area yet."
"Have you gotten to Busch Gardens?" Ray asked.
Lahrs
