rooftop

Lisa and I had a party to hit-up. I can’t stay inside all the time, not on a Friday night anyway and a rooftop is the perfect place to mull over big questions and get the freshest commentary about cultural phenoms - intermixed with music, absotively. There were several, large, coolers crammed with canned martinis - everything from little Tip-Tops to Tiki-Rum Mai-Tais and Triple-Spice Margaritas - this is a partizzle. I wasn’t out to drown my romantic sorrows, but I quickly reached fuzzy and relaxed - which is where I wanted to go. A massive thumping began, ‘Pitbull’ began spilling from the speakers (‘la la la la’) and the crowd of about 30 reacted in a kind of whooping, group seizure. Lisa clutched my arm wanting me to ‘drop it’ on the dance floor - I could only read her lips - “Come ON,” she pantomimed, and I was ready to make that commitment. We’re here at Melon’s invitation (a Yale PhD friend), undergraduates don’t usually hang out with graduate students, so it was special to feel welcomed at this off-campus link-up. We’re on the third-floor roof of an office building, under the stars. The setup reminded me of a Brooklyn warehouse rave Lisa once dragged me to. Multicolored lights, strung every which way overhead, provided a festive air and a round stone fire-pit provided both heat and a light that flickered against every walled surface, evoking something cave-like, deep and primitive - a genetic, stone-age, memory perhaps. When the beats finally let up, we’d danced-out about 10 songs. Lisa and I sagged into our lawn chairs - fanning ourselves even though it was a cool evening. Between tracks, there was a murmur of in-town traffic and people passing below, forming the undifferentiated buzz of nightlife. “I’m starving,” I told Lisa, who nodded, “Me too - poor planning,” she updogged. Right then, Melon came over. Melon’s (real name Milton) is 6’3 and maybe 450lbs. He reminds me of John Candy, with his blonde hair, ever-present smile and colorful Hawaiian shirts. “You’re giggin,” he said, Mai-Tai in one hand and a lady in the other. “Thanks for inviting us,” I said, with a nod, “this is nice,” I said, indicating the roof setup. “Yea,” he agreed, looking around and waving his drink, in greetings, to arriving people. “I have something for you!” I told Melon, pulling a small bottle of cologne out of my bag. “Oh, my God,” he said, lighting up like a Christmas tree, “Tobacco Vanille! You shouldn’t have.” “You said that’s your favorite, ya?” “Yeah, but..” he began. “You helped us move in,” I said, “It’s a thank you - from all the girls (I lied) and it’s our party gift!” “Wow, well, thanks Peaches,” he said, adding “you’re cracked,” and gave me a one-handed hug. “Food's on the way” he said, and then, like he’d forgotten something, “This is Ellen,” he said, turning so she rotated closer.” We only shook hands and nodded, because the music started again. Not two minutes later, the metal door to the stairs swung open and several guys came up with catering trays of life-saving Tex-Mex from ‘Tacos Los Gordos,’ a couple of blocks away. “Maybe there IS a God,” I pronounced, unheard in the din, my stomach growling in anticipation. slang… hit-up = attend absotively = absolutely & positively partizzle = party giggin = having fun, dancing updogged = adding a further comment to a comment string. peaches = Melon calls me peaches ‘cause I’m from Georgia.