My pal Chase invited me to a party at some girl's house. Jane. It's Chase's birthday, and it's been awhile since I've seen him. This girl Jane lives near the theatre where I am performing in a play, so I figured I would try to make an appearance.
It's not often I get invited to things. It's even less often that I go. I'm not a party type, don't drink or smoke, dislike loud music, and above all, cannot stand crowded places. Still, it would be nice to see Chase, and if I get there late, maybe I don't have to stay very long.
Hollywood on a Saturday night. Good luck finding a parking space. I turn the car around and head back toward the theatre, where I know I can park, and walk the few blocks to Hollywood Boulevard. Yuk, I really don't like this place. The noise, the smell of urine, the shady people and discordant energy. Why would anyone named Jane live in such a neighborhood?
Wait, I've met his girlfriend. Her name isn't Jane. Maybe this Jane's House is a restaurant? That makes much more sense. I find the address, which is sort of a complex of little restaurants. I walk in one, a pizza place, and ask if there is a Jane's House somewhere nearby. The pretty goth girl looks amused and tells me it's around the corner.
Down a dark creepy alley, I see what appears to be a night club. The kind of place with thuggish bouncers behind a velvet rope. A group of people dressed in black hover around the entrance, like a crowd of fans waiting at the backstage door, hoping to get a glimpse of one of the cast.
Beyond the rope, among the thuggish bouncers, there are two girls and one guy. He looks ceramic. Impossibly handsome, and coated in gloss. His clothes, his hair, even his skin is shiny. One of the girls is a very young, very attractive Asian girl. The other is a rather dumpy short girl with mousy hair greased back, and really bad skin. They both carry clipboards, on which I guess must be a list of names of people who pass muster?
There is no place I would rather be less than inside that club. Turning to leave, I think to myself, why not go in just for a moment? Chase is sure to be busy talking to so many people. Most likely, all I will get is a few moments with him before somebody pulls him away. So, I won't have to stay in that horrible place for very long.
I approached the rather dumpy short girl with mousy hair greased back, and really bad skin. She cut me off as I began to speak, looking at me as if I were a cockroach. Looking at me is not right. She sort of looked in my direction without seeing me. She snapped something about my having to wait, then walked a few steps away. She stood looking at the crowd of people wearing black, without seeing any of them.
This girl could have been working the counter at McDonald's, really. Did she honestly think she was somebody important because she had a job in some horrible night club? Another thuggish bouncer poked his head out and called to the rather dumpy short girl with mousy hair greased back, and really bad skin. She turned and went inside.
The gloss coated ceramic guy walked within earshot, and I asked if this was where my friend Chase was having a party. At the mention of the name, he asked for my ID, which I suppose I should have found flattering. Realizing he was about to let me in, I held up my hand and explained that I hadn't known that Jane's House was a night club, and I was dressed for the beach. (I was, that was not a lie. It was ridiculously hot today, and I was in shorts and a tee shirt.) Pointing down, I showed him my flip flops, which I was certain were not part of the dress code.
He looked relieved to have a reason not to admit someone like me, and politely apologized. No problem. He did not have an attitude at all. He was just doing his job. It was the rather dumpy short girl with mousy hair greased back, and really bad skin that I found rude.
Oh, wait. Maybe she was Jane?
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