Moonlight, Martinis & Me

So there I was having Diva-tini's with my diva friends, and I mentioned that Sarge had attended Lamar Odom's rooftop birthday bash. I thought, Now, that's a fabulous idea, martinis in the moonlight. Without hesitation, I added rooftop party to my Bucket List.

Several weeks later on a Sunday night, Sarge and the kids took me took me to Crustacean Restaurant because my birthday was the following Monday, and they all had to work that day. No biggie. I'm easy, though Sarge would argue otherwise.

The next day, my sister Denise called and wanted to take me to lunch for my actual birthday. She'd made arrangements for us to get professionally made up (something we love to do, just because), and then we'd do lunch. As lack of luck would have it, an out-of-town emergency came up, and she couldn't make it.

Bummed did not begin to describe how I felt. I was dispirited, despondent and dejected. I felt so alone and lonely with nothing to do on my very real birthday. When I'm depressed, I do what I do best: I lay down to take a nap. But before I could fall asleep, my girlfriend Jj -- also known as She Who Must Be Obeyed -- called and asked what I was doing for my b-day. I related my wretched story of massive misfortune, and she matter-of-factly invited me for drinks that evening. Before she could say "cocktails," I yelled, "YES!"

With my spirits lifted (Someone loves me), she and her sister picked me up, zoomed by to pick up another girlfriend, and they whisked me away to The Standard in downtown L.A. We took the escalator that led us to the elevator that took us not to some restaurant/bar at the penthouse level, but all the way to the very tiptop -- the rooftop. Lively red decor invited us in, and the neon-lit bar beckoned us over.

The four of us sat down for drinks. Before I could say, "Cheers," my girlfriend, heretofore known to you all as The-Diva-of-All-That's-Red-and-Good, sashayed into the place. I was shocked...had they planned all this? Yes! was the answer. They'd gotten together with Sarge and my sister and my daughter weeks before.

Before long, another girlfriend August showed up, and when Joi dropped by later, the night was complete. I cried. Literally. From all the love my friends and family showed me. "You like me, you
really like me," I said doing my best Sally Field impression. I had gone from bummed to ecstatic...and
I'd also crossed Number 87 off my Bucket List, Rooftop Party.