In Search Of a Winter Friend

I think I may be becoming familiar with the expressways here. I only get lost once or twice a week now. This job has got me running all over the city and I must admit, it’s a great way to get to know the place but i feel as though someone just pushed me off the pier and said, “SWIM!”

I had to meet up with a singer named Omar to get a few photos at this club called Sugar Hill on Friday night. When I got there my name was on the list so the door person waved me inside with no problem. “Excuse me..” he said as I walked away. “It says here that you were bringing a guest. Is your guest on the way?”

“No. I’m all alone tonight,” I told him. “I couldn’t find anyone who wanted to tag along.

I hung out for a while until Omar’s publicist called me and asked me to meet her at the backstage door. The “door” was actually a black curtain with two huge bodyguards standing in front of it. The publicist came out and introduced me to the bodyguard asking him to give me all access and we walked through the curtain through a hallway and into a dimly lit room.

There were about 10 or so people in the room, all sipping on wine, sitting on the beautiful couches and mingling with the band who were taking turns getting massages from a professional masseuse. There was a table set up in the corner with lots of water and soft drinks and snacks and flowers. There was also a television crew there setting up for an interview. The publicist was very nice. She reached into her bag and gave me one of Omar’s CD’s before she introduced me to him and I began to take pictures of him as he joked with me.

I didn’t stay for the show because I was tired after thinking hard all day and I found myself driving in circles trying to find my way back to I20. I called Kim and cried into the phone and she talked to me until I finally found my way and reached home.

Ofcourse I had to work again the next day- work meaning an interview with a group called the Sierra Leone Refugee All-Stars on Saturday afternoon. The interview went well; we met up at their hotel and discussed how they began making music in a mud hut in Africa and ended up touring the US following a critically acclaimed documentary about their struggle.

After the interview I went home and chilled out in anticipation of meeting up with Suezette and Ron at Houlihan’s downtown for a quick dinner before we headed out to check out the clubs in search of a place to have Suezette’s 25th birthday party.

By the time I got to Zette’s place it was a little after 8:30 so I parked my car and we drove over to the restaurant and ate lovely, laughed and shared about our recent men woes and our hopes for the future.

Ron joined us soon after and after a little fumbling we got on the road and went to this club called Verve. It was very nice. The atmosphere was inviting and everyone there were just trying to have a good time. No drama.

You all know I’m antisocial and the idea of befriending women doesn’t appeal to me because I take friendships to heart and I know that some women don’t have the same ideals that I have but these two chicks..yeah…I’m feeling them. They’re different from me because they are very sociable and they treat everyone as though they are stars. I have to develop that side of my personality in order to succeed so I expect that some of their sweetness will rub off on me. It’s crazy because you can feel an instant connection when you are around them and there’s no effort to become friends like you sometimes feel during the getting to know you stage of a friendship.

Ruby introduced them to me, so they get cool points for that, but they were genuine, you know. And they reminded me of me and my other friends because they take care of each other and it’s important to me to be around women who aren’t selfish and are giving. As far as my friends are concerned, if I have $100 in the bank and you need it, it’s yours. Even if it’s for something as simple as a hairdo. If it’s important to you it’s important to me. Even if you don’t necessarily need something, I still love to do nice things for my friends because I feel like I’m blessed to be able to do nice things for others.

We vibed well into the night, shaking our booties and sipping on mixed drinks. I danced with a few guys during the evening which kind of embarrassed me because I can’t really dance so I spent most of the time trying to keep up with them. They were nice though and I wondered if they had the potential to be my “winter friend”.

Come on, you know it’s getting cold and the idea of laying up in the house by myself all winter is not appealing. After celebrating last week with Tamara because she found out that she is having a boy- YAY!- I told her that if I don’t find a winter friend, she and AJ had better make room for me in their bed because I’m coming to sleep with them. To which she responded, “Uh..I’ll be putting a personal ad in the AJC for you as soon as possible.”

Well, you can’t meet men if you are antisocial and a proud member of the “Men ain’t shit” club so I have to be open although everytime I meet a man I can’t help but compare him to Dell. And so far none have even come close to his drive, his demeanor or his spirit. Damn that chick Ruby for introducing me to such a great guy! Now I can’t get him out of my head and he’s so not thinking about me. Oh well.. I have to give other guys a chance though I will confess, when I’m hanging out with any other man, I feel like I’m cheating on Dell.

~shrugs~

Yeah. Call me stupid, a sucka for love or whatever but..I admire Dell and I respect him and that says a lot considering that I am turned off by most of the men I meet.

How do I decide if I want to give a man my number? Well, let me share my thought process. There were two men who were consistently courting me last night. One was an African man who kept lifting up his shirt, showing off his abs and he was a great dancer which means he probably has a nice stroke in the bedroom.

The other guy didn’t dance at all, but he had that different look, his belt had a skull on it and his shoes were unlike anything I had ever seen. He was very well put together.

While I danced with one guy I could see that the other was standing by watching and I didn’t care. The Skull belt guy, whose name is Jay pulled me off to the side a couple of times to talk to me and he told me that he was a producer (smirk) from New York and that he was a 23 years old. Aww….a tenderoni! He got cool points for being in the creative industry and for giving me ONE compliment and not going on and on like an idiot.

The African guy was quiet mostly. I could tell that he doesn’t get much play despite his stellar body because when I was with the other guy, he and his friend eyed me like jealous boyfriends ready to pounce. “I’m taking a break,” the African guy said. “When I get back I want your name and your number.”

LOL! I laughed at him.

Jay’s approach was a little more subtle. “Let’s check out the rooftop,” he suggested and led me up the staircase to the 3rd level of the club and out onto the open deck.

“It’s cold out here,” I said. “I should have brought my sweater.”

“You don’t need that with me here,” he said and stood behind me rubbing my arms. “Um…Can I get that number?”

“Sure,” I said as he reached for his Treo and handed it to me.

As soon as I got back down to the 2nd level where Zette and Ron were, they were both ready to go which was great because you should never be at the spot for too long and definitely not close the place down. That’s not cool. A quick cameo is most appropriate.

As we were leaving, the African guy and his friend gave me evil looks as I walked by them and waved a cute wave and smiled. You know my rule: NO AFRICAN MEN. They are way too controlling for me.

Blah– I gotta go. I have three stories to write before I go to bed and I’ve been procrastinating all day. Lemme get on it…