A Night So Incredibly Awesome I Don't Know What to Title This Post

I think it all started when I decided which shoes to wear. Opting against my Pumas, I chose my flip flops. I was off to the Nationals/Padres game with my friend Laura. I won't be walking much, I thought. Just from the Metro to the stadium. I think that's when it began.

Sometimes you make friends in class or at work. Other times you meet people through friends and bars and such. And then there are the friends you meet somehow, once, you don't even remember, but at sometime over the course of your epic friendship something huge happens that bonds you together: the death of a friend/sibling/parent, studying abroad, driving cross country, almost getting hit by lighting, or that time you went to the Nationals/Padres game.

Exhausted from our respective previous evenings , Laura and I met up at the Bethesda metro stop. I sat drinking my Diet Coke with Lime in an attempt to wake up.
"You got anything in there?" she asked gesturing towards my bottle.
"Nah."
"Cool." She reached into her bag and pulled out a water bottle, "I fit a whole bottle of wine in here."
"Awesome," I said and we headed down to catch the Metro to RFK for the game.

Not only was last night one of those atrociously hot and humind on-the-brink-of-thunderstorm nights in Washington, but it was one of those nights where the Metro was packed and the air conditioning was off. Sweat dripped down our backs. We looked at each other with half-open eyes as we passed the water bottle of wine back and forth.

"Alright dude," Laura said to me at some point, "When we get to the stadium three things need to happen. In no particular order: beer, bathroom, hat."
"I don't want a hat," I said.
"So beer first, then hat and bathroom, because I need a hat."
"I thought you already had a hat."
"I want a new hat."
"Whatever."
"Do they have grey hats?"
"I dunno. Hmm. That'd be rad."
"Yeah, I want a grey hat."
"Cool."
Sometimes hanging out with Laura is like living in an Abbot and Costello routine.

When we get to the stadium Laura makes a bee-line for the hats. It doesn't take too long to pick one that is quite adorable on her. Meanwhile, I get us beer, we hit the bathroom and get to our seats.

I love Laura to pieces, but Laura does not like baseball. She doesn't mind baseball, but we went to the game together with the sort of idea that for three hours I'd give her a play by play of the game. This did not happen. In fact, I'm still not really sure what happened.

Our seats were above the first baseline. Laura kept inquiring about shin guards, whether we could break into the press box or move down below. I told her no, I didn't want to miss any part of the game.
"Something really exciting could happen, Laura! That's what's so great about baseball! You just never know what can happen!"

Well, I caved when I had to pee. We walked outside reminiscing about the times we went to concerts at RFK when we were in high school. We decided it would be really cool to call the guy who's name appears on the back of my shirt (a 2001 Capitol Hill little league Expos shirt that attracts a lot of attention), and thank him for providing us with a fun piece of clothing that gets a lot of attention. Laura dialed. "Hi Mario," she said, "This is Laura and you don't know me, but I'm at a Nationals game with my friend Alli who is wearing one of your little league shirts and I just wanted to thank you because it's really awesome and if you have any more can you please send them to me? My phone number is..." and she left her number. She hung up the phone and, giggling like two stupid blonde girls we hit the bathrooms, grabbed two beers before last call (It IS the 7th inning, I told the beer man, I promise! I need my drink now!), and passed by a sausage stand that was closing. Laura walked right up to them. She has an amazing ability to get whatever she wants, or at least try as hard a humanly possible to get what she wants. It's so fun to watch.

"Hey, can I get a sausage?" she asked.
"We're closed," they said.
"I know," Laura said, "But you're gonna throw them away, right?"
"Yes."
"So just give me one. Don't throw it away."
The sausage people looked at each other. They caved.
"You want one?" a sausage guy looked at me and said.
"Nah, I'm cool. I'm a vegetarian."
"I know!"
"How did you know that?" I asked the sausage man.
"'Cause you so sexy!"
We all laughed out loud, the sausage people, Laura and I.

As we got back to our seats we noticed that two of Laura's younger brother's friends were sitting a section over from us so we joined them for the latter part of the game. For $6 a beer we got as tipsy as we could afford and I suggested going back to the Madhatter since with your game ticket you get half-price Bud Light all night. I hate Bud Light. I must have been tipsier than I thought when I made this suggestion.

Somehow we got these two boys to drive us from RFK to Dupont Circle on their way home to Bethesda. As we drove around 395 and hit the city streets I was rather pleased... Beck playing in the car, a little beer in my veins, good company, free mini-coolers courtesy of the Washington Nationals for all their fans, going to a bar, exhausted. Good times.

The boys dropped us off at the circle in Dupont and Laura and I walked really quickly to the bar.
"You're gonna like this place, Laur," I told her, "It's super cool. The bartenders are really cute. Last night I only paid $14. I hope they're here again. This is gonna rule!" I chatted really quickly as we practically jogged down the street as it was beginning to rain. "And it's so cool we just went to the game," I chattered on, "I mean it's perfect! Look at us, my shirt, your hat - which looks so awesome by the way - we're gonna have the best time. And I want you to do me a favor! Whenever someone comments on your hat, which I know they will I want you to say to them, I was at the game. You'll be so in, baby, I swear!"

By this point we hit the bar. It was packed. We push our way through the crowd and walk straight up the bar. I see that my favorite bartender - the one I totally flirted with my first time there, who Julie and I had just been thinking about - is working. I punch Laura in the side. "We're so golden tonight," I tell her.

There are two stools waiting at the bar for us. We slide into them and one bartender comes up to us. We pull out our tickets from the game. "I want whatever we can get with these," I say and smile. He says it's just for Bud Light. We pout. He opens to bottles of Bud Light but doesn't even charge us for them. I love this bar. We toast each other and start drinking.

Not long after we've been there I make eye contact with the cute bartender from two months ago. We'll call him Alex. He comes up to me and I tell him that I was here two months ago, relayed the conversation back to him, asked if he remembers and he says, yes, he remembers my face, definitely. I ask his name, he asks mine.

Then some guy comes up behind Laura and I and I ask him if he needs a drink. He says yes, to get him one. I say to him, I will not just get you a drink... you can move up here and get one or you can pay me to order you a drink. "Fine," he says and hands me a $10 bill. "I want a Heineken. Tip him whatever you want. Keep the change." I just made $3.

Things get hazy about now. All I know is everyone and their mother is commenting on my shirt and Laura's hat. "We were at the game," we say, and smile at each other knowlingly. Alex hands us jars of candy, he tosses bottle caps at me all night and winks at me every time he walks by. Bartenders... they are so much trouble. And so much fun. And really cute, especially when they put their hats on.

I know I told you about how I met the love of my life. This happens right about now in the night, when Laura and I are well on a roll picking people up left and right without ever getting out of our seats. While I'm macking on Love of My Life and Alex the bartender keeps tossing stuff at me (seemingly as to get me away from Love of My Life... because when Love of My Life went to the bathroom Alex walked right up to me and gave me all kinds of grief about him. I told him not to worry, he was my first love anyway, and hey, a girl is certainly allowed to have some fun), I feel a tap on my shoulder. I turn around and standing right in front of me is the DJ I met from the other night. (I told you these pieces would come together sooner or later)

"You know," he says to me without saying hello, "I was standing over there and I was like, man, who is that girl sitting at the bar!? I mean, that couldn't possibly be Alli because she would most definitely come up and say hi to me..."
I burst out laughing and give him a kiss on the cheek. "Sorry,"I say, "I didn't see you! This is my friend Laura and this is..." I make introductions all around. I love this feeling - everyone having fun.

At some point I get up from the bar and go to the bathroom. Pushing my way through frat-ish boys in polos and button downs and baseball hats I find my way to the DJ.
"Hey girl," he says, "What's going on?"
"Oh man, I don't even know, I was at the game, and now I'm here and I met the love of my life, I think..."
"What?! I thought I was the love of your life. You're breakin' my heart here Alli."
"Aw, sorry dude! But maybe you ARE the love of my life! I didn't say it wasn't you... hey, will you play me some Roots, I really wanna hear some Roots."
"I dunno Alli... my heart..."
"C'mon dude, please? I love me some Roots, remember? I told you yesterday.."
"Okok, I think I can do that for you babe..." I thanked him and walked off to the bathroom. 15 minutes later I got my favorite Roots song. This is what we call being on top of the world.

When the Love of My Life leaves it's like every single guy in the bar flocks to me and Laura. "We were at the game!" we keep saying and try, desperately to restrain ourselves from laughter. Laura is getting basically accosted by two separate sketchy dudes and one non-sketchy lawyer dude and I decided to go back to my original flirtation. I lean over the bar and make eyes at Alex. He comes right over and leans on the bar and fixates his eyes on mine.
"Hello there," I say to him.
"Hi Ms. Houseworth, how's your boyfriend?"
"He left."
"Oh yeah?"
"Yup."
"Too bad."
"Not really... hey... I'm gonna tell you something, Mr. Bartender, ok?"
"Alright Ms. Alli, go ahead."
"That first night I was here... I thought you were really cute and last night when I was here for like 6 hours my friend and I kept debating over whether or not to ask when you were working again... soo... fancy meeting you here tonight."
He laughs. I'm not one to hide true sentiment. Not at 2am anyway, at a bar. "Can I close my tab?" I ask.
"You leaving?"
"Yeah... gotta catch the metro home."
"Stay."
"Stay?"
"Yes, stay. Stay until, oh, 3:15."
"Oh, is that when you're leaving?" I ask.
"Yup."
"So why should I stay?"
"I'll buy your beer for the rest of the night."
"Done."

I fight my way through guys to get to Laura, telling people no, I don't need a rose from the guy who has walked into the bar selling them and I don't need their phone numbers either, but thanks. When Laura and I discuss whether or not to stay it occurs to me what I might be getting myself into. I told The Love of My Life that I don't make out with random people at bars and I told Alex, despite what he saw I don't make out with people at bars, and I do not go home with bartenders. Bartenders are trouble. We all know this. But bartenders are also really cute. And I sensed some trouble on the horizon and, I'm not gonna lie, I was all for it.

"He'll buy us beer if we stay," I tell Laura.
"Done."
"Awesome."
"Wait, how are we gonna get home?" she asks. We look at each other.
"Dunno... cab?" I suggest.
"Or we could walk," she says. We giggle and stay.

They ring the bell. About 10 people stay, all of whom are trying to get our numbers. Finally it's me, Laura, and the non-sketchy guy Laura was talking to who are the only ones left. I notice someone walk down stairs and it's the bartender from the night before with the "Nice work" comment.
"Hey!!!!!!" he says. I burst out laughing. "It's good to see you again!!!!" I put my head in my hands and laugh and laugh.

Once the bar has been swept and the tabs have been closed, the tables put back in place, and our beers finished Alex walks up to me.
"Hey," he says.
I smile up at him. "Hey there."
"So, you ready?"
"Yeah, where are we going?"
"I live in Reston."
"Reston?! I'm not going to Reston," I say.
"So are we going to your place?"
"No," I say, "I live in Bethesda. And I'm not going home with you."
"What?"
"I told you," I said and stood up, "I don't go home with bartenders, AND despite what you saw earlier, I don't even make out with people in bars."
"So why did you stay?"
"Because I... well, I want to galavant around DC for a while, play. Have fun. Maybe make out or something. You should have made your intentions clearer, mister."
"Well," he says, "Who else stays?"
I paused and looked at him. "You know what? You're right. See ya later," I turned to Laura, "Laur, let's go!" and we left.

But we didn't get too far. Outside clubs were closing up and people were walking up and down the street getting in to cabs. You don't see this much in DC. I wanted to watch. I like to watch.

I watched as Laura and the non-sketchy dude talked by a parking meter and I sat on a stoop. I watched people walk by us at 3:30am and wondered what on earth I was still doing out when a guy walked up to me and sat down.

"Mind if I share this step?" he asked.
"Nah, it's cool."
"Where were you tonight?"
"Here. Madhatter."
"Fun?"
"Definitely."
"You got a smoke?" he punched a few buttons on his phone. "My buddy, he's passed out over there on the stoop." I looked over. There was a guy laying on the steps all spread out like a starfish. Apparently his name is Brian. I laughed.

"Hey Alli!" I hear Laura yell. "Do you think, in our lives, we've been sheltered from prostitutes?"
"What?! Hellllll no," I yelled back, "I lived in Baltimore.. and Los Angeles for God's sake." We all laugh, including the kid next to me, who some how or another convinced me to walk up to Brian and kick him. So we do so, this kid and I, walk up to Brian and kick him and start yelling at him and laugh and laugh, us strangers.

Then Alex walks out of the bar and catches my eye. "What are you still doing here?" he asks.
"Just chillin." I smile. He motions for me to come over. He's holding a glass of water.
"Let me get some of that," and take the water out of his hands and sip it.
"You know, you're very sexy Alli."
"And you're very forward Alex." I stare at him in that "don't even try to say or do anything to me right now because you know you overstepped a boundary you're just waiting for me to cross" kind of way. I love being in control of a situation like this. He leans in and kisses me on the cheek.
"Come back soon," he says and walks off. I chuckle. Brian is now up and stumbling down the street with his friend. I hug both good-bye.
"Laur," I yell, "Cab time!" and she says good bye to the non-sketchy guy she's had wrapped around her finger for the last hour. I love us.

We hail a cab at the corner of 19th and M and climb in.
"We want to go to Bethesda Metro," laura says, "But we know it costs money to cross the line so just take us to Friendship Heights."
"That's $25," the cabbie says.
"No way, it's not $25," Laura says, "It's one zone."
"No is not. Four zone," the cabbie says. "Look at map," and he tosses the sketchiest, lamest map back at us. I take one look at it and have no idea where we are on the map or where we need to get to.
"This is ridiculous," I say, "I'm not paying $25 to get to Friendship Heights." I decide to let Laura take care of this situation since she's taken cabs all over the city and is much more aggressive than I am when it comes to these situations.

One thing leads to another and within the time it takes us to get from Dupont Circle south to Dupont Circle north we have gotten into a huge screaming fight with the cabbie as to what the fare should be. We hear $7.40 plus $1.50 surcharge and $1 for gas and then $10.10 plus all that extra, then $15 then $25. None of it makes any sense. Not like anything has made sense all night, but at this point it's 4am and I just want to be home asleep.

We hit a red light not far from where Laura and I sat about two months ago this same time of morning and there was a cop car stopped across the street from us. By this point Laura is pissed. Or, I think she is. I can't really tell. She likes to cause trouble and I'm wondering if this is one of those times or if this is one of those times when she's just flat out dead serious pissed off.

"You want me to call the cops?" she yells, "Because I will." I turn and look at her. "There's a cop right there!" she says and rolls down the window. "Hey!" she yells, "We're having a dispute over fare here, can you please come over?! This guy is being ridiculous." The the cabbie starts to yell at us. Then I get a little nervous. He stops the car in the middle of the road and gets out, leaving Laura and I in the car. The cop lights flash behind us. They tell him to move the car over to the side of the road. I look at Laura, she looks at me. The cop comes up to the window.

"This guy is being completely ridiculous," she yells, and goes on to explain the dispute that just occurred. The cabbie yells at us for wasting his time. The cops tell him not to talk to us at all, to keep his mouth shut. I look out the window to my right and see five cops standing on the corner. I look to my left at Laura animately explaining the situation. The cabbie hands the map to the cop, and the rule book.

I look to my right at everyone standing around. There are now four police vehicles behind us and the main cop is getting very angry at the cab driver who is getting very angry at the cop. I look at Laura. I can't tell if she's laughing or hypervenitlating. I can't tell if I'm hysterically amused at this situation or really nervous.
"I just want to get out of this car!" Laura says.
"I'm not getting out of this car," I say to her. "I'm not standing next to that guy."
"Get me out of this car!" She yells. I can't tell if she's being serious. I'm not sure she knows either. Finally a cop comes to her side and opens the door for us. Shaking with adrenaline we walk to the corner with four cops separating us and the cabbie.

Eventually it is decided that he is wrong, but so are we. We are to pay him $10 for driving us 6 blocks or go to jail.
"I'll go to jail!" Laura says. This is very typical for Laura.
"I'm not going to jail for $10 Laura, don't be ridiculous!" I yell at her.
"It's ridiculous to pay $10!" she yells.
"I know it's ridiculous to pay $10," I say, "But it's more ridiculous to go to jail for $10!" We both burst out laughing. The cops look at us.
"Fine!" I say and pull a $10 bill out of my wallet. "I'll pay $10 but I am NOT giving it to the cab driver." I look at the cop. "Will you please give it to him?"
"I'm not giving him $10," said the cop. "Put it on the seat."
"I'm not putting it on the seat," I say.
Laura grabs the $10 from me and goes to place it on the seat of the cab. The cabbie drives off.

"Sir, listen," I go on, like the 4:30am philospher I can be, "I know you were just doing your job, but don't you think it's ridiculous to pay $10 for that cab? If I had known that I would have walked the six blocks."
The cop looks at me. "It's ridiculous."
"It's fucking ridiculous," Laura says, "Excuse my language." The philosopher and the aggressor. Like Abbot and Costello standing on a DC street corner at 4:30am surrounded by cops.

One officer hands us a piece of paper with the cabbie's license #, tags and registration and suggests we report him. We're all smiling buddy-buddy at each other, the cops, Laura and I.
"For now," the cop says, "I suggest you ladies just get another cab and get home."
"I'm not gettin' back in another cab," Laura said.
"Me neither," I agree. We both want a ride home in a cop car so bad, I just know it.
"I'll give you $10 to give us a ride home," I tell them. They laugh. "Sorry, was that inappropriate?"
"We'll just walk home," Laura says.
"Do you know how far that is? You can't walk home," the cops says.
"We're from here," I say. "It's far, but not so bad."
"Don't be ridiculous girls, catch a cab home. Have a safe night."
Laura pulls a pack of cigarettes out of her purse. We make eye contact, she smiles at me, hands me one and we giggle.
"Let's go."

So off we went heading north on Connecticut Avenue laughing about what happened.
"Were you really upset?" I asked her.
"Kinda, I mean he was being a total jerk, but at the same time I couldn't stop laughing."
"Me neither," I said and we both burst out laughing.
We got to the Calvert Street bridge and I thought we'd give up by the time we hit the other side.
"I've always wanted to walk across this bridge," I told her, "for 24 years I've always wanted to do this!!" We laugh and laugh.

We don't stop when we hit Calvert street. In fact, we don't stop when we hit the south end of Woodley Park either, or when we're standing outside the zoo around 5:20am. We make a few calls to people we know in the neighborhood, but sadly no one answers their phone at 5:30am on a Saturday. We don't stop when we hit Cleveland Park, or even when we get to Van Ness. We do decide, however, that we should pick up the day's Express for a number puzzle.

"Hey Laur..."
"Yeah?" she asks.
"So if I marry this kid will you tell the story of this night at our wedding?"
"Absofuckinlutely. Hey, at this moment in time, right now, if you married this kid, would I be your maid of honor?"
"Totals. Damn... I hope we get married. I wanna hear your speech."

As we reached the crest of the hill north of Van Ness I look up.
"Hey Laur, the sun's gonna rise! I haven't seen the sun rise in... well, at least a few weeks."
"I saw it this morning." We laugh and keep walking. We pass more streets and empty buildings, stop to play in a sprinkler, wonder what on earth we think we're doing.

"Hey, Jenifer Street!" I say.
"Change of scenery!" and we turn down Jenifer as the sky turns a little lighter.

Our flip flops scrape along the ground and I mention that maybe I should have worn my Pumas, but I didn't think I'd be walking much further than from the Metro to the Stadium. We laugh. Laura starts to hum...
"When the night has come... and the land is dark..." I join in, "And the moon is the only light we see... No, I won't be afraid... Oh, I won't be afraid... Just as long... as you stand....Stand by me..."

We laugh and laugh shuffling down Jenifer street running our Express newspapers along people's buhes and trees, hopping over cracks in the sidewalk.
"I feel like I'm at camp," Laura says and we laugh some more.

By the time we hit the end of Jenifer street and turn onto Wisconsin the light is bright and Friendship Heights looks like our own personal Mecca. We sit on the steps of the Chevy Chase Pavillion and look across Western Avenue to Maryland.
"I can't believe we just did that," I said.
"It only would have cost us $7.60 more," Laura said. "Are you sure you're not a jew?" We sit, laugh and rub our feet.
"Hey," she continues, "If anyone asks us what we're doing sitting here I'm gonna tell them we're waiting for JCrew to open."

Finally we get up and hobble over the DC line into Maryland where we collapse on a bench at the Friendship Heights Metro stop and wait for a bus to take us to Bethesda.
"You know," Laura says, "No one else would have done this."
"I know. I can't think of anyone else who would have done this with me either."
"Yeah."
"Def."
"This is crazy."
"We're absolutely insane."

Finally a bus arrives. We each pay $1.25 and ride in silence along with a few others who are on their way to work.
"So... Tastees?" I say to Laura.
"Sounds so good."
"It's gonna be the best. Grilled Cheese with tomato at 6:30am?"
"Perfect."

We climb into Laura's car and drive over to the greatest diner in America. We get a table, run to the bathroom, pee for what feels like days, order our food and inhale it down. A bus boy walked around hanging balloons around the diner and a man sat reading a newspaper next to us. Laura and I did not speak a word to each other. I looked at the man's paper.
"Oh my God, Laur..."
"What?"
"The cover... the front page of the sports section of that man's paper... the first story... it's about the Nats/Padres game..."
"Oh my God..."
We laugh. "That means that story had to be written, edited, printed-"
"-and distributed..." we said in unison as we looked at each other, still in our baseball game gear and laughed.

We tossed some dollars on the table and paid the check at the cashier. My eyes started to cross at this point.

"What's this? You wanna pay in cash?" the sketchy cashier man who has worked there as long as I can remember, said.
"Yeah." I handed him my last $10 bill.
"What's with your shirt?"
"What?" I kinda looked at him annoyed.
"Your shirt. They're not the Expos anymore, they're the Washington Nationals."
"I know," I said and rolled my eyes. He didn't get it. I was too tired to explain.
"And you! With the hat!" he said looking at Laura, "What's with you?"
"Um, we were at the game..." Laura replied.
"What?! That was hours ago!"
"Yeah, we know."
"What'd ya do, walk!?"
Laura and I both looked at each other and cracked a smile.
"Um... actually, yeah...."



When Laura dropped me off at my car we hugged each other and shared one of those silent smiles where there is nothing that can really be said.
"I can't wait to get home and wash my feet," she finally said. "And I'm totally going to have separation anxiety..."
"I know..."
When I got home I washed my feet too, climbed into bed and slept all day. I have blisters on the bottom of my feet and I'm a little sore, though in a very short amount of time they will heal.

The night, however, will not. It's one of those times when something has changed, when 15 years from now you'll be wherever you are in life and say to that one person, hey, remember that time we went to the Nats/Padres game....? That was the best....