Crimson & Clover

The Party

I brushed the snow from my jacket and pants but could do nothing about my shoes and socks. They were thoroughly soaked. I felt like I was walking in a cold puddle. I opened the door to the hotel and nervously walked inside.

The entire place had been transformed into one large party. Psychedelic music played loudly while girls and guys lined the walls, making out, or sitting on floor smoking up.

The place reeked of pot and alcohol. This was absolutely not my type of party, even when I was younger. I was never tempted to try pot, not once. I was quite disappointed, wondering what type of party I spent all of this energy coming to.

I stood in the entranceway taking in the scene while I scanned the hall for Lulu. I couldn't see her. I uneasily walked past the front desk then headed down a stairwell where I hoped I would find a washroom so I could clean myself up. It was a large banquet hall where the real party was happening.

"Hey there's a bloke with no drink in his hand," some British guy yelled as he pointed to me. "No sober guys allowed!"

A young woman in a miniskirt came over to me. She had obviously had far too much to drink. "Who are you?" she asked.

"I'm a friend of Lulu's. She invited me here. Do you know where I might find her?"

"Who," she asked?

I ignored her and headed for the bar. I sat down and leaded on top of the bar as I wondered if I was even in the right place. "Is this the South Ridge Resort?" I asked the barmaid.

"Sure is," she replied. She noticed the look of confusion written all over me. "Are you alright," she asked?

"It's been a rough drive getting here," I answered.

"It usually is," she said. "What can I get you to drink?"

"Nothing, for now." I looked feverishly through the large banquet room for Lulu.

"Is this Lulu's party," I asked the barmaid.

"No, but Lulu's around here somewhere." She stared at me for a moment, analyzing.

"Hey, were you invited here or are you just some guy looking to meet Lulu, because if you are then you'll have to leave."

"Lulu invited me herself. Actually it was her manger who gave me the directions how to get here."

"You mean that guy over there?" she asked as she pointed to a short bald guy sitting by himself in a corner.

"Ok, so it wasn't her manager who gave me the directions but I promise you she did invite me, personally."

I sat by my self at the bar for half an hour. I began to wonder if this was all worthwhile. Would I even get to see her? I scanned the room again hoping to find Lulu when I spotted the blond guy who had given me the directions.

"That's the guy," I said to the barmaid while I pointed in his direction.
"Oh," she said, "Maurice gave you the directions." She waved him over to the bar.

Maurice looked at me. "You're that guy from this afternoon, right?"

"That's me," I said to him.

"So you made it. Have a good time."

"Thank you," I replied. "Do you how I can find Lulu to tell her that I'm here?"

"Sorry man, but she's asleep for the night."

"But I just drove nine and a half hours to get here because Lulu asked me to come." I was getting nervous that I had done all of this for nothing. "Actually she told me that it would make her very happy if I would come tonight, if you know what I mean."

"I'm not sure I do," Maurice replied rather confused.

"Don't worry about this guy," the bartender said to him. "He's been smoking a bit."

"I hear you," Maurice said as he walked away.

"Why'd you say that to him?" I asked her angrily. "Like I told the Mo just now, Lulu asked me to be here. I'm sure she'll be pretty upset if she finds out that I was here and nobody told her."

The barmaid handed me a glass of punch. "I believe that you believe what you're saying, but do you know who that blond guy is?"

"No, and I honestly I really don't care." I drank some punch.

"Maybe you should," she told me. "That's Maurice Gibb."

"From the Bee Gee's?" I asked surprised.

"You are clueless," she said to me.

"Hey, what did I do to deserve that?" I asked.

"That's Maurice Gibb, Lulu's fiancée."

With those words the room began to spin around me as if I had suddenly contracted a high fever.

"Did you think that she asked you here so the two of you could get it on or something?" She laughed as she stuck the verbal dagger through my heart.

"No," I answered while desperately trying to keep my head from slamming down on the bar.

"She's just a sweet girl who probably thought you would enjoy a party where you could meet a few stars."

I grabbed my glass of punch then straggled from the bar unwilling to hear another word that spewed from her vicious mouth while the room kept spinning. I settled down on a step, and finished my drink as the party continued all around me. The next thing I remember is waking up in the very early morning to an absolute mess.

Tom couldn't have been more right about me. I was an idiot. The only solace I could take from this experience was that at least this was out of my system. I'll go to a phone, call Betty and tell her I'll be home this evening. I had it all thought out. I'll tell her that I got caught up in a snow storm and had to stay over. At least the snow storm was true.
The resorts cleaning crew walked past me as I sat on the stairs. They began their cleanup.

The noise of the vacuum was too intense for me so I headed upstairs. I wondered aimlessly down the long corridor until I reached a pair of French doors at the end of the hallway. They opened onto a large balcony that overlooked the lake.