I’m going to tell you about the time I had a night of life changing events. Several actually, and they truly changed my life, I never would have move to the Pacific Northwest, or Vegas, or Arizona. Hell I never would have left Southern California. I would have been trapped there with no visible means of support. Well in one night my life got set on a path that would twist and turn its way along the glorious vista that is my life.
I had a party, not just any party mind you, but my last party. Of course I did not know this at the time. I thought I was just getting friends together to drink and joke and have a good time. I invited several loose friends, people I would hang out with from time to time, and told them to spread the word. I told my closer friends that as well. I invited a special woman, I say woman as she was older, a mother of 2 and single, she was in her mid 30’s and here I was in my early 20’s.
I had spent my entire paycheck on booze, including a bottle of Bushmills for my special friend, which was all she would drink. I also got a large stock of wine coolers for the girls that would be coming, Bartels and James of course, nothing but the best for my guests. And beer for the boy’s and of courses all my friends’ favorite hard liquor. I order pizzas, and meat trays etc… I went broke doing this but it was going to be so much fun! Well that’s what I thought at the time.
All my friends were there to help me set up, then most went home to “get ready” for the party. I did the same, shit, shower shave. Put on my ever special Grey Flannel, I got my hair… lets just say I went metro sexual before it was ever thought of. I went back down stairs, the few friends whom did not go back to clean up were down in the living room. Talking of such inspiring thing like: My dick is so big… and your momma so fat… They were my best friends. Saw me through many trying times.
Well I said screw it and started drinking the rum and coke specials that were my favorite, turns out they are called Cuba Libra’s. You know run and coke with a lime. We got to talking and more of my friends started to show up. I turned on the music; Judas Priest was what I started with. Anyway we all were getting a good drink on when we kind of realized that I never told anyone what time this thing was going to start. I thought great all this food and booze and my friends… I could have done this with out going broke. Ah well my fault.
We kept drinking, and the talking got loader and so did the music, soon we saw many people had joined us, both the front and back doors were wide open. Many of my neighbors had dropped in. Hell it was starting to look like a party. Tim, my friend Toms older brother dropped by with a friend and we poured them beers. Several of the females my friends were interested in came in.
A loose friend named Bryan Hall showed up with a date, a smoking hot red head that made me forget all about my special friend coming over. This girls name was Audra… Red hair green eyes, porcelain doll complexion. Tall thin, made my jaw hit the floor. Now I did not want to have sex with her, well I did, but that was not the first thing I thought of. My first thought of her was she is too good for me…
I got my friends flying wingman and Bryan found himself the center of attention with friends asking him where he had been, what he had been doing and if he wanted a beer. Soon they got him out on the patio and Audra was left all alone at a party where she knew only the person who brought her… Did I mention I used to be really slimy?
I approached Audra with a confused look on my face… My smooth pick up line was: Hey I know all of Tim’s friends and I don’t recall seeing you around before. She stumbles over her words a bit, well if you don’t know Tim I think we will need to have you leave. She got this really worried look on her face. But I know Bryan…
Oh Bryan… hmm I haven’t seen him here tonight… But tell you what I think Tim would like you so we will just let go ahead and stay. She seemed a bit relieved and I asked if she wanted something to drink. She asked if we had some fruity wine cooler… I said I think let me go check, and I will see if I can find Bryan for you.
I got the wine cooler stopped by Scott and said 15 more minutes please… Scott said he would try to entertain Bryan that much longer.
And Back to Audra I went… And there she was, still sitting all alone. I handed her the wine cooler and sat down beside, we talked for a bit. I told her some of my corniest joke she giggled in the way female will giggle when they are interested in you. Finally I said say you came with Bryan yeah? She nodded, looking down. Is there anything between you two? She said, he is a really dear friend and he told her he need some company tonight, so she came with him. I commented how sweet that was of her. I said well I will go find him for you, but before I do here… I scribbled my number on a piece of paper and handed it to her. And I finally asked what her name was, she told me and asked my name, I said Tim…
Now I had always heard of red heads tempers but had never seen it up close and personal. She was very mad at me for making her think I would kick her out… I said I was sorry, but she stormed off… Bryan came around the corner just then she said to him; we are leaving now… and off she went into the night… I thought I had lost my angle.
I was rather saddened by that turn of event so I did what I normally do, I started drinking heavy.
Well about 45 minutes later I see Johnny walk in the door… now Johnny and I knew of each other but had never met. Johnny had this girlfriend named Jerri… now she was hot. Just plain hot, in a lusty type of way. Well she was not with him that night, as a matter of fact the last time I had seen her at that point was when I was drunk and hit on her. Should have known that would come back to bite me in the ass. But I was drunk, and I called him over to where I was drinking. I said Johnny my name is Tim and I would like to get you a drink, what would you like…
I found out later he had come over to kick my ass for hitting on his girlfriend… But as he hung out with me he saw I was a nice guy… not sure how I fooled him. In any case Johnny and I soon became good friends. We hung out a lot over the next 10 years, but as soon as I left for Vegas we drifted apart.
Around this time my special friend showed up. I did not see her at first. I spotted her talking with Tim Brandt, she saw me at the same time excused her self from Tim and came over to me. She grabbed onto my arm and gave me a peck on the lips… all of a sudden it was Audra who? Did what? No way?!?
I escorted her to the back of the house where few people were located. I reached into the cabinet and pulled out the bottle of Bushmills I had purchased just for her. She looked at me and asked not to be left alone with Tim Brandt, she would not tell me what he had said or done but that was why she did what she did, to show him she was there with some one else. Still it had made me feel better, and I was all about the good feeling from that point on.
We sipped the Irish whiskey and to be honest it was the first time I tried it and I really liked it. We talked about Randy watching her house while she was away, and how she was happy that it was finally going to happen. She had wanted to go to Europe since before I met her. She never got the chance until now. I promised I would watch her house as well, make sure Randy was doing his job. Which was a joke all my friends shared, as Randy was Mr. Reliable, he was always where he said he would be when he said he would be. I think I miss him the most.
Well it started to warm up in side the house and she asked if I wanted to take a walk with her. As we departed Tim B. was hitting on some one else… We walked and talked for what seemed like hours. We paused outside of the pool area, and I had to ask: So do you want go swimming? She said she had packed her bathing suit already. Of course I said who needs suits? She said she couldn’t. I ask if she meant couldn’t or wouldn’t. She never did respond to that question, all she said was that she knew too many people around here.
We continued to walk and talk and at the next pause I worked up the nerve and moved in for a kiss… she kissed me back for a few seconds before she backed away. She didn’t say anything but I knew what had happened. I walk her back to her garage I gave her a hug and peck on the check and wished her well on her trip. It was her turn to surprise me. She leaned in and kissed me… I was stunned… I was confused… as the kiss ended she said good night and that she would see me in three weeks. I asked if she wanted company tonight, she politely declined. And we walked away.
I went back to my house drank until I passed out, my friends chased everyone out when the cops showed up, closed up the house and crashed them selves. Sometime after I passed out in my bed, and before the cops got there, Audra came back. She left me her number on a poster hanging in my room. No one saw her do this, but when I woke up in the morning, I saw it and called her.
It took us 5 hours’ to clean the house. I am still wondering if I would have done something else that night would I have slept with my special friend, which would mean I would have to learn the lesson sometimes, no matter what the both of you want, it’s not going to happen. I do feel she wanted more from me but was scared she would have been labeled, and my friends would have hit on her. Which would have happened because I would start to brag and blah, blah, blah?
I wonder if Johnny would have kicked my ass if I had not been having a party. Would he have taken the time to see who I was and where I can be an ass hat, I am also the guy to call when no one else will show up? I wonder if he could have found it in his heart to make me his friend. I don’t think so, he would have kicked my ass and left, never to see me again.
And I wonder if Audra hadn’t come back, would I have met her again? If not how would I have moved to Vegas, where I met Erin, which is how I moved to Portland, and met my wife? How would I have found out that some times women are mean and vindictive?
These three things shaped my life for the years to come.
