Everybody Gotta Have a Dream

I’m sitting on my couch last night trying to decide what my plans are for the evening. I’m wearing my most comfortable outfit, a t-shirt and some panties and the blanket I have draped lazily over my legs feels so soothing against my skin.

I call a few of my friends to get a general consensus of whether I should go out or not. ~smile~ I have friends here in Miami but we don’t hang out like that. The friends I talk to on a regular basis (Tonya, Tamara, Sylvia, Kim and Shanna) all live in different cities but through the wonderful delight of technology we never miss a beat in each other’s lives and we will sometimes even log on to yahoo to help each other choose clothes to go out over the webcam.

My sister comes over to show me her bridesmaid dress. One of her bridesmaid’s dropped out of the wedding so I have to fill in. I don’t mind it if she needs me to help but ordinarily I would not desire to be a bridesmaid in anyone’s wedding because I can’t stand the idea of standing up there wearing the same dress as a whole group of chicks. That is sooo NOT ME.

It’s funny because I joined a sorority in college but I never considered that aspect of it when I decided to join. I didn’t even realize that hey, you have to go out with these chicks wearing the same colors and outfits sometimes. LOL! It was cool though…I’m really glad I had that experience, I met some cool ass chicks.

I have already decided that I will go out but my body won’t budge from the comfort of my couch. My phone rings and it’s my cousin.

“What you doin?”

“Chillin.”

“You wanna go out for drinks with us?”

“Yeah.”

“Ok, get dressed right now and meet me at my house.”

“Ok. Gimme a minute.”

I go to my closet and decide on casual wear. It’s warm out and we’re just going for a drink so there’s no need to try to be all girly with high heels and a dress.

I pull on one of my favorite outfits. The pants are flared and colored brown with little green specks in them and they go down a little past my knees. I choose a pink tank top to go with it and a little quarter sleeved, apple green half sweater with a hood. I think I look great. My sister gags when she sees me. She doesn’t like my style. Oh well!

A quick dab of makeup and I’m out the door to pick up my cousin and meet my other cousins. Less than an hour later we are on our way to South Beach. Our destination is Wet Willies on Ocean Drive.

We get there and order a variety of the famous slushees and it’s not packed at all so we sit down at a table upstairs overlooking the strip and the beach. I peer over the railing and over the tops of cars, trucks and stretch Hummers crawling by. It’s tough to speed on South Beach, there are too many people out. I look down and notice the street sign and I laugh.

“Hey ya’ll! We’re on 8th & Ocean!” I tell my cousins. I forgot that Wet Willies shared the same street address

“And?”

“Wait, don’t ya’ll watch that reality show called 8th & Ocean?”

“Righhht….”

I laugh. I guess not.

My cousins are wild. They are all married or in serious relationships but they were flirting like crazy. Non sexually ofcourse but flirting non the less.

“Ya’ll just wanna see if ya’ll still got it?” I tell them.

“Oh I still go it.” My cousin Trice says.

Guys are coming up to us left and right trying to make conversation. There are five of us and one guy offers to buy us all drinks. I decline because I have to drive and I don’t drink and drive.

I end up meeting this one guy from Houston. This place is filled with tourists. ~shrug~ He looked a little like John Legend. A much older version of John Legend but he was cool.

“B” texts me asking me where I am. Remember, he and I have not met up since our initial encounter but we communicate all day everyday through email, text and sometimes we call if it’s big news.

I text him back: I’m at Wet Willies with my cuzns.

I was just on the corner of Wet Willies 20 minutes ago.

Well come back.

LOL! Naw, I’m headed home.

You are scary. I won’t bite.

Naw…I’m just tired. Maybe if you had told me earlier I would have stayed.

Punk.

I finally convince these chicks to leave around 2 am (I’m not used to hanging out like that anymore) and we head back to the garage and all of them are drunk by this time. What automatically comes with drunkenness? The insatiable desire to PEE! These chicks can’t find a restroom so they do what other young socialites in Miami do- they ducked behind some cars and sprayed the concrete. Eww….

I’ve done that once or twice in my life. LOL! I never hope to be that drunk again.

As we’re pulling out I get a call from Dude who tells me he is just heading home from hanging out with his friends.

“What? Did you just leave the strip club?” I ask him.

“Exactly,” he says. “What you up to?”

“We’re on our way back now.”

“Call me when you get home.”

He comes over and it’s 3:30 am but I pull out the movie I rented from Blockbuster called Hustle and Flow. Yeah, yeah. I know I am late but since I’ve been hanging with Dude I’ve been more open minded about movies and I have been impressed each time he suggests one.

Hustle & Flow was NOTHING like I expected. Terrance Howard is alright in my book. I think the thing that really hooked me with this movie is how it showed the process behind making a song.

I literally got aroused as the white guy, I think he was the sound engineer, played a few simple notes on the keyboard and then added a clap, then he added a ding or something, then a baseline. The layers of making the beat came together piece by piece and I’m sitting there with my mouth hanging open and my legs pressed tightly. Dude is looking at me like, What’s up with you? Dude is a sound engineer by the way. ~wink~

Does anyone else think that putting together a beat is sexy? Man, creativity in itself is sexy to me! Imagine the ability to craft an original idea into tangible form (a song) and have it turn out better than you expected! ~faints~

I’m feeling this movie because it shows what can happen when you believe in yourself. The main character said that he felt like this is his last chance to do something with himself before he died, because he didn’t want to be a pimp forever. I feel like that too. Well, not the pimp part…but…you know.

I feel like that all the time. People ask me why I’m in such a rush to succeed. Why not? I have so much to contribute to the literary world and my gift is overflowing. I can’t NOT do something or I will explode. It’s deeper than just wanting to live better or be able to take care of my family. If I was a millionaire I would still have these same exact longings to be published and tell the stories of everyday lives that will inspire.

Hmm…I must have watched that scene called Get Krunk 4 times already. When he adds the instruments one by one creating this momentum, man…I just wanna scream… That’s hot. ~fanning myself~

Now if I can just continue to build a team of people who have the same dreams as I do I can do even more than he did. It’s very important to link yourself with people who are going in the same direction as you are. If you sincerely have the desire to make it, each person who is joined to you will bring an element of talent that you do not have. This pie is big enough for all of us and I’m nto above sharing or helping others to get theirs.

Here’s to the realization that life is really only as good as you want it to be.

Make it happen!