Istanbul, not Constantinople

Friday, I slipped out of work unnoticed, at 4. As I was driving away, figuring to use the half-hour I had (before picking up Tomas at the Rosslyn Subway) to pick up last minute party supplies; the cell phone rang.

"Hello, doll-baby," Tomas said.

"Hi! Are you at the metro already?"

"No, " he said with uncertainty, "I'm not going to be able to come."

"As suspected" I thought with irritation, before my heart broke with shame and concern.

"I'm really sorry. But I've been going crazy with tooth pain all day. I have to go the drug store to get something to help. Then I'm just going to come back home."

"Did a crown break, or is it a cavity, or something?" I asked.

"Well, a filling fell out about two months ago, but I can't afford to go to the dentist . . . It didn't start to hurt until today."

Well. Oh, lord. I sure hope he finds a job soon!

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Bemmy's SUV was in my driveway, with 8" x 10" day-glo orange stickers on the windows when I drove up. Knowing there were dozens of unopened pieces of mail from Virginia and Fairfax County departments of taxation on the couch next to his desk, I was not surprised. What did surprise me was that the car was in the driveway, and not on the street where it had been in the morning. Knowing that Bemmy is in Turkey (meeting the internet boyfriend of the month) meant that Rolf had moved it, even though the biggest font on the sign was for the sentence "DO NOT MOVE THIS VEHICLE!" Smaller letters stated that the car has been levied by the county for non-payment of personal property taxes. Oh, and also, that if you move the car, you may be found guilty of Grand Larceny!

I didn't care. I was glad he moved it. The orange from the stickers was so bright it was reflecting off the front windows and the brick of the house, and garden ornaments. I don't need every person who drives down my street, or pushes their child's stroller, walks their dog, rides their bike, to stop and read that someone in this house is having their car advertised for sale within ten days if they don't pay $750 in unpaid personal property taxes.

yeah. Idiot.

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"So!" my first dinner party guest says, "Is crime so bad in this neighborhood that you have to put a big orange sign on your car saying Do Not Move This Vehicle?"

Hugs and Kisses. "Guava Daquiri?"

Many.

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Six of us enjoyed the sunset concert at the marina. Ella, my guest of honor, and I shared a blanket, while the other's sat in chairs behind us as the Fairfax Symphony Concert Band played in the pavilion on top of the hill. We knew from the first notes we heard, as we walked up the hill to the pavilion, that it was going to be a good night - "They're in tune!" I laughed with glee. "Cheers!" but I was the only one who brought a cocktail.

Rolf, my fabulous other, called and let me know he was on his way home. I wanted him to join us at the marina if he could because it was just beautiful. Ella, Leta, SaraLee, Jeff, and Carter and I were all laughing and singing along to the band. Nobody minded.

"So, about Bemmy's car?" I asked.

"Oh yeah" Rolf said. "Well, the sheriff came by this morning, and I knew it wasn't for me . . . So . . . I didn't answer the door" he said with a laugh. "When I was heading to the office, I found that there was a . . . a warrant . . . for Bemmy. . . it was taped to the door. . . and I was late. . . so I left it. But. . . "

"Uh-huh, but" I interrupted. "Yeah, I'm at the concert, so just let me ask you one quick question: Did you know it was a felony to move his car?"

I think everybody in my party heard him scream and laugh in mock horror.

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The concert ended too soon, even before sunset, but not before we saw some pretty light on the lake. My friend Leta, who had a joint replaced in her toe last week, was walking slowly and with a cane. I was ahead of the pack (I wanted to check and see if there were any turtles down by the peddle boats,) so I was the first to see Berthe across the beach. She had gotten as far as the bleachers before she had to stop or risk having a heart attack. I laughed delightedly when I saw her. . . "Love the dress" I yelled across the beach. She held the sides of it out wide, and spun a bit, saying that she thinks it looks like a big target. And she was right. It was a tie-dyed muumuu, with a cobalt and teal targets right on her stomach and butt.

She and SaraLee were a little scary, I thought they were going to bare their claws and start striking at each other, even though they said niceties

"My goodness, I haven't seen you in years."

"Well, I live in Philadelphia now with my husband. . " Berthe responded warily.

and SaraLee awkwardly leaned in to offer a hug, while Berthe simultaneously leaned in and backed away at once. By that time everyone was on the beach . . . before I knew it, Berthe and SaraLee took off (on a race to see who could get back to the house first.?) I think SaraLee was trying to kill her. The rest of us tried to make sure that Leta didn't try and go to fast, so the five minute walk took closer to twenty minutes.

"That was more than a five-minute walk," Berthe said sternly when I got in, her hips squeezed up over the arms of the chair. "Well, ya'll made it back real quick" I said, wondering if she was so red because she was going to have a heart attack. "Well, that's because I was walking with SaraLee, and she was trying to kill me."

Hmm. . . I hear SaraLee and Rolf talking in the hall, as the rest of the party comes in, and I'm off to burn some food!

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Since it turned out to be 8 of us, we put the leaf in the table and had a sit-down dinner instead of buffet, which was just great. Everyone had wine, and I was real proud of the spread. I even stood up, cause I had to explain what it was they were having. So I introduced the Antipasti de Casa with grilled chicken, and told them that it was almost entirely homemade and . . . I also pretty much promised that it was going to be fantastic. And I explained what each grilled vegetable item was, especially the Tandori Squash. Well, Ella raised a toast to me, the chef, and I added in

"and to good friends, good music, and summer nights."

It was the loudest and happiest dinner party I can remember throwing.

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Rolf cleared the table, and I brought out the Limoncello, which I serve in shooter style little glasses, but cut with a sparkling lemonade from Trader Joes. Oh my god, it is so good. And a little less sweet and strong than straight Limoncello. Everybody had some! (Except for Carter - doesn't to citrus, so he had bourbon instead.) I guess we finished with dinner at 10:30, and moved with our after dinner drinks to the sun-room, where we just continued having a wonderful time, finally having dessert (purchased from Trader Joes. . . love them!)

It wasn't until after twelve that we went downstairs to look at some old videos. Carter and Rolf stayed upstairs and drank bourbon and champagne respectively while they solved the worlds problems; while we, downstairs, watched old video of community theatre shows we'd done over the years. And we didn't stop until 3 in the morning!

Oh, some of it was so bad that I cringed, yelling "Why did we put this on tape!" Like the part in The Apple Tree when I'm wearing a toga that showed my 23 year old, but sagging, left nipple. Oh! My! God! And I just sucked. (I mean, pretty voice, and hair only go so far.) But that was when I was relying on a limited amount of God Given Talent; now I can back it up with some skill. Oh, but lordy lordy.

On the other hand, I got to sing "Morning Glow" from Pippin in a revue. That was on there and I am very proud of that. But on the former hand, back in The Apple Tree when I was staring (in act 3) as your friendly neighborhood t.v. fairy godmother, well, it wasn't the dress, or the Barbara Bush wig and pearls, or the Dame Edna glasses, or even the tie-died bedsheet I wore as a dress - it was that screechy attempt at sounding like a woman, that was even more embarrassing that showing my left nipple.

I've come a long way baby.

Thank god.

Yay Me!

There was much more. Many funny and beautiful moments of each of us. One of Berthe and a friend singing "My Friend" from A . . . My Name is Alice made her really cry. I know how it is. Sometimes you can never get over the extreme honor and gratefulness of being permitted to create a moment like that. "A moment of like that vibrates through eternity", as Frankie said in Forever Plaid.

"That's all anyone has the right to expect.

And we had more than our share."