Monday Off

It’s a holiday weekend, all of the ‘fellows’ have Monday off. At lunch Wednesday, Lisa said, “We need a throw-down.” So, we made some invites and started spreading word around. “You know, we all work hard enough, we need to get down!” We asked for RSVPs, and got 43, for the effort, a decent payoff. My sister’s apartment has a balcony and plenty of space. We spent Saturday shopping and rearranging the place. Early Sunday, we hid all the breakables and decorated, As people settled in, things took off - as we had anticipated. I was surprised when I saw Quinn come in I quietly turned to Lisa, mouthing, “Who invited him?” The blush on her face, gave her instantly away, “We couldn’t NOT invite him, we see him every day.” More people were arriving, laughing and smiling, the party was thriving. Everyone seemed to bring something, a bottle of Canadian goose, a bucket of KFC, another of popeyes, some glowing aurora jungle juice, taco dip and chips, a Boston Creme pie and a cake with purple icing. When you feel right, you let the music ignite you, the beat seems to drive you, the vibe helps excite you, the bass starts to thump and, well, you’re only young once, you forget all your cares, for a delirium that’s shared. In this ocean of joy, I saw a sad and reserved boy. It was Quinn, in the corner, slouching on the couch. a model of insecurity, watching the party self consciously, I looked at Lisa, rolled my eyes, and said, “Why ME?” I maneuvered over and took Quinn gently by the shoulders, “Come ON, Quinn, you’re among friends, so embrace the funk, these GIRLS wanna dance, give ‘em a chance, you’re not a monk!” I pulled him to his feet, and dragged him over to Monique. “Quinn, Monique - Monique, Quinn - let the dancing begin!” By the end of the night Quinn was doing all right. He has a quirky, awkward style, reconciled by a nice smile, he’d danced with every girl, leaving them a little beguiled. “Do it Quin, DO IT!” A girl, at one point, had laughed. “Oh,” he’d said, gyrating in his herky-jerkily away, “It’s being DONE!” Who could have known our stuffy, Harvard Quinn could be fun?!