I just attended the most incredible 21st for a friend I haven't seen for years. (Or was it just a gathering if some kind? After all, he is now almost 32.) It started outside on a lawn near the city. Such a lovely, mild evening. Not sure why I sat apart at first: all his friends were nice, friendly and welcoming, and I was pleased when he introduced me.
Then the entertainment started, with one of his friends getting up to sing a beautiful, soulful cover of a well known song. I wish I could remember what it was; maybe Yesterday, or something of that ilk. She had unusually large, dark red lips and a deep, rich voice that lent itself to what was actually a very original arrangement of the song, not merely a clone of the version we all know. Some unexpected and foreign imagery also appeared, projected on a screen or something behind her.
I then wandered into the venue for the next part of the entertainment. It was a warehousy hall, with a stage that was deceptively deep and tall, and it featured the most amazing set - one that surely wasn't created just for this event that had a band playing. In fact, with the multiple levels and the stack of numbered, old-style trunks at the back, it could have just been a storage area, although it certainly had a theatrical edge to it. Also surprising were the huge dogs (dalmatians, I think) that popped out from between the trunks as if they were to be part of the performance.
Now holding hands with a girl I had met outside, we spotted a couple of spare wooden chairs near the front, and sat down to watch. The performance was engaging, but we also chatted quietly, still hand-in-hand, as the band played. I can't recall how we got talking, or why she took a liking to me, but I wasn't complaining. t's just a pity I couldn't stay a few minutes longer so that I could remember what she looked like, or notice what the band was playing, or even say goodbye to my friend.
Thanks for the invitation, Heath! It was a beautiful, intriguing, unreal night.
