Meet and Greet

I had paid $58 for access to the JGL meet and greet. I had hoped and dreamed that it would be the day our connection sparked, contributing to a lasting relationship. And in a way I was right. That day led to my relationship with JGL. But it wasn't the relationship I'd imagined... It was a cold and windy day. Fans of HIS AWESOMENESS braved the weather for a chance to be the first one plucked from the line and admitted to the room in which they could breathe the same air as the one and only. I'd scrounged every last penny by working hard enough to finish my homework AND get a job. I had saved the meager tips from 3 months of weekend shifts at the coffee shop to pay for z100'a Meet JGL event and for the clothes I would wear to it. I obviously needed to look and feel my best. How else would I attract his attention? I looked cute in my floral print spaghetti strap dress over a crisp white tee. Most of the other girls were wearing fan shirts. "I <3 JGL" and "J<3seph G<3rd<3n Levitt" and "JGL 4eva!" printed on shirts and posters. Women dressed as Tommy from 3rd Rock from the Sun. My dress was totally, 100% more sophisticated I think. The anticipation was palpable and we were all competing for the same gaze from the MAN. I tried to convince myself I was not worried about getting his attention. I just needed to get to him. To get to the room he inhabited. Surely he would love me for my work ethic, my intelligence. My swagger. The dress I had specially picked out. Surely. These other girls were no threat. I repeated the mantra, never admitting to my nerves. The line was shortening now. There were only a few people ahead of me. I knew it would be soon. One by one the fans dipped inside, disappearing behind the door marked "special VIP access." There were only two women ahead of me when a younger girl, probably about twelve, ran out from the room where he sat. She looked a little bit like THE ONE himself. Only more feminine. And she was clearly panicked. When she called out "help!," I had to pay attention. After all, she was clearly an affiliate of the ONE AND ONLY. She had just come from the meet and greet, and wore a CD with the word "VIP" etched into its side and hanging on a neon orange cord around her neck. It turned out she was his sister, Jenny, and she had a Spanish test tomorrow that she thought she would fail. I knew Spanish! I could help her! And maybe, just maybe, if I became her friend, I would one day meet MY FAVORITE MAN IN THE WORLD. Without the throngs of adoring fans around us -- without the prettier, sweeter, but totally less smart and sophisticated girls around us. So I ducked out of line and sat down at a picnic table with MY MAN's sister. "Yo soy Amelia. Voy a ayudarle," I told her. It was the start of a years-long tutorship. The Levitt family got to know me as "the girl who helped Jenny get an A every year in Spanish." Some years, I got invited to spend Thanksgiving with the Levitts. Because that's a reward every middle school tutor deserves! So. He knew who I was. I missed the meet and greet but the $58 had resulted in something! And that something was a good thing! I was Jenny Levitt's tutor! I was smart enough and cool enough and well-dressed enough to have the honor of sitting with her every week, training her in conjugations. I don't think anyone else could say that. So that totally counts as a relationship with THE AMAZINGNESS himself. Maybe by transitive postulate (Math and Logic were not my subjects). But now he knows who I am, so one day maybe he'll love me.

“Taking a hot shower is nothing short of sorcery,” he said to me. 

“What?” I looked around. The voice spoke to my soul, but was totally out of place. I was at MoMA’s awesome Rain Room and had accidentally walked into the owner of the voice. 

 

He continued. 

 

“Feelings, cold and clothed, guarded and godless on the outside, step inside the magic curtained closet, and rise, enchanted and empowered, naked and invincible. 

 

Ideas, once languishing, disparate in the dry world grow connected by bridges made of steam. ‘But you can't walk on steam!’ say the naysayers. Ah, but you can when you're taking a hot shower. 

 

They say any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic. Nowadays, nobody marvels at anyone else's shower tech. But in the days of old, heating cauldrons of water over wood-burning fires, even a minute-long shower was an elite luxury. So I try not to take it for granted.”

 

I started to agree but he cut in—

 

“And don't scold me about wasting water, talk to the frackers. It might be a minor indulgence. But it is my sanctuary. And in it, I get much, much more than clean.”

 

Then, he was gone. I stood there, letting the rain fall down. Wondering, was that a dream? Had I lost my sanity? But it wasn't and I hadn't. And, let me tell you, I’ll scream it from the rooftops: I felt the thunder. 

 

The Best Birthday EVA

 It was snowy out and so I was pouting. "Oh no! now my birthday is going to be ruined." My best friends Tiffani and Ashleigh were like, "no, of course it won't. your birthday could never be ruined cause you're so special to us all". I laughed, cause of course they were right. 

So we put on our cutest outfits and we were all looking really really great. Like, you know how in movies you'll see the best friends get all dolled up for a night out and you're like, "wow, those girls look HAWT!"? That's how great we all looked. 

At the bar (which we could go to cause we were all over 21 cause we are grownup women) I felt sad again. The snow storm was keeping everyone away and the bar was almost empty! I knew I looked a-maz-ing and I had just the best friends, like seriously, they are so so great. But I was still feeling sad. It was my birthday and I wanted to have fun.

 A beautiful tear formed in each of my eyes, threatening to fall and maybe ruin my mascara. Suddenly, a voice! "Hey is it your birthday today? You shouldn't be crying on your birthday." I felt hot and cold all at the same time and my friends were totally freaking out. I turned around and there was JGL!!!!!!<3!!!! He was holding out a clean handkerchief, like who even carries those around anymore? Classy guys like my man JGL, that's who. 

He told us that it was his birthday too! But unlike my totally amazing girl gang, his friends hadn't even bothered to show up because of the snow. So of course we were like, "you can't celebrate your birthday alone, JGL. Come hang out with us and it'll be really fun we promise". And so he did and we had a lot of really good conversations. 

And then, at the end of the night the person who works at the bar came over with a cake with two candles and JGL and I leaned in close, made a special birthday wish and....

blew out the candles!