Tami wonders if maybe she should have stayed home. Standing at the bar, looking out at the dance floor, she now second guessed her decision to allow her best friend to drag her out into public. She was perfectly content to spending another weekend in her comfy sweatpants, a half-gallon container of Ben & Jerry’s Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough on her lap and her 80’s movie collection. She knows it’s sad and majorly cliche that she’s been in this funk after the implosion of her relationship with Steve but it is what it is. However, Tami totally got that Lori was just trying to help and didn’t like seeing her this down. It’s one of the things she loves most about Lori but at the current moment, she could probably punch her. Hard.

Readjusting her 80’s costume, Tami contemplated about ducking out a side door of the club and heading home until she was tackled from behind with Lori screaming her name in her ear. Tami turns around and shoots Lori a dirty look. Lori throws her hands up and shrugs, mouthing the word “what” over the bass-thumping club music. Tami grabs Lori’s hand and drags her off to the ladies’ bathroom so they could speak without hand motions and lip reading.

Weaving through the crowd and narrowly missing a rum and coke bath by a drunk girl desperately trying to impress some goon with her crazy gyrations disguised as dance moves, Tami bangs the bathroom door open and spins around to face her friend.

“Why on earth did I agree to this???!!! Ok, I got dressed, I showed up. NOW can I go home??” pleaded Tami.

Lori rolls her eyes.

“Oh c’mon! You have to have one drink, at least, AND dance with me to a couple of songs. You LOVE to dance! C’mon PLEASE!” Lori pleads while fumbling around in her purse. “By the way, your outfit is to DIE for!!! Where did you get it??”

Tami steps up next to Lori in front of the mirror, who’s finally found her lipstick and reapplying liberally, and stares at her costume.

“Weird story. There’s a new thrift store that opened up several blocks from my apartment. When you badgered me about coming to First Avenue’s Halloween bash, I figured I’d check it out to get some costume inspiration. I was actually leaving the store, thinking it was a waste, when I nearly tripped over this box kinda sticking out from a clothes rack. I was kinda ticked that it would just be out there like that. I mean I could have broken something! But as I was pushing it back, I saw this neon shirt and the leg warmers were right up underneath the shirt. I mean it was perfect. Then I stand up, the shirt and leg warmers in my hand, to these shoes sitting on top of the clothes rack. I was shocked! It was almost like the outfit was hand delivered to me, being an 80’s fanatic and all.”

“You’re kidding?!! I had THE hardest time finding something and finally had to order stuff from the web! You majorly lucked out. Ok! Now let’s go and have a good time!”

Lori circles Tami, placing her hands on Tami’s back to push her out of the bathroom and towards the club’s dance floor. Play resisting, Tami isn’t paying attention to where she is going and runs into someone coming into the hallway towards the bathrooms. Apologizing profusely, Tami realizes she’s engulfed in an embrace that steadies her but also makes her weak at the knees all in the same moment. She’s not sure if it’s the beautiful smile, awesome laugh or heady scent of Drakkar Noir (or even all three) that sends her brain into a somersault. He sets her upright, tells her it’s all good then disappears down the hallway and into the men’s room. Tami stands there stunned, then looks at Lori. Lori then looks down the hallway in the direction of mystery man’s path, back at Tami, back down the hallway, and then busts out laughing while walking past Tami.

…..to be continued.