A Cup of Coffee

Life and the party

We got to the Historical Museum a little after 10pm. The party had been scheduled to start at 9 pm, which usually means that nobody will be there before 11. Not this time, it was already very crowded when we got there, so crowded as to make circulation difficult, and as most of you know, I don't do crowds very well. So Eveli and I sat on a table, did some people watch, and ate dinner. The interesting thing is that the catering company abolished trays. The waiters would walk around holding the dishes, very informally. The downside was that they seem to have abolished napkins too. They were a rare commodity. We had some very good goat cheese raviolis, which impressed Eveli because they were al dente. It is amazing that the girls manage to make al dente ravioli for over a thousand people.

As I was finishing my raviolis, I was discovered by someone drunk and very boring, a lady in a sequined top, blonde hair with the dark roots showing and an unwavering disposition to try to "sell" me a story idea about her equally elegant friend. "We can think of a story and then you make a photo of her and her store!"", she kept repeating in a drowsy voice, pointing to her friend. I just smiled stupidly and looked to Eveli in complete despair. She finally got it. "Oh, I need to go to the restroom!", she exclaimed.

I do crowds better than dorks, I concluded. We started circulating, and I started meeting people I know. My she boss, some authors, some journalist friends. Finally we met Liana, our mutual friend. She was wearing a black lace gown with a feathered boa and looking ravishing. She had two objectives and a steely disposition to persue them. First of all, she wanted to make some good solid professional contacts, to be able to come back to Rio. Second, she wanted to find some company. She was so keen on the business side of her mision, that Eveli and I would let her doing her stuff while gravitating around, just people watching.

That was when I found among the crowd a friend I hadn't seen since college days. He is not so hard to spot, since he is taller than Dayna's Pinky, but after so many years, it was funny to recognize him. And he recognized me straight away too. Clovis is a History teacher and a published writer, and now he also supervises a part of the cultural program of the Biannual fair. We started talking about life in general, and he told me that his daughter was getting to the museum at any moment. And then he introduced me to the girl. Yes, his 23 year old Law School major daughter. Now, if I had been scared with Luiz turning 15, this was really hair raising. The last time I had seen her, she was in a stroller. She is a fun girl, and took my shock in stride, by introducing me to her fiance. My old college friend was in awe when I told him that I had three kids.

"How long were you married?"

Fourteen years, I told him.

"I was married for 14 years too, but I only produced one baby. You surely like the sport!", he exclaimed.

"Well, don't you?", I asked back, and he broke into laughter.

That was when the party started to become a dance, and that was exactly what I really wanted to do. There is no explanation for the fact that I managed to dance to 80s hits for almost three hours on a three inches heels. Though there was sparkling wine a plenty, I have not been drinking, so it was not alcohol that fueled my disposition. To make the story shorter, I left the Museum after 3 am, and had no physical condition to attend school today. I was too sleepy at 7:30 am, and my feet... oh boy... They hurt as if I had danced all night on 3 inches heels.

posted by Livia de Almeida @ 7:17 PM