We never did make it to Kevin’s party, and I do feel bad about that.
On the other hand, it feels like the whole thing has a touch of fate about it, because that makes three years in a row that I have entirely intended to check out this amazing party he throws, and three years that I haven’t made it.
Two years ago, Melissa had just moved into her new place in the Bronx, and I promised to go out there for her combination housewarming/New Year’s Eve party. I had every intention of going from there to Kevin’s before midnight, but the people who were supposed to leave with me didn’t, and I was pretty jumpy about heading back to the subway alone. And since her apartment is cool and the party was fun, I decided not to fret over what I was missing–not Kevin’s party, and not Matt’s, even though I found out later that Nick might have gone to Matt’s with Mary if I had gone, and I could have met him 4.5 months earlier.
See? Fate is everywhere on New Year’s Eve.
Last year was not my fault; Aaron and Langley appeared in Boston, so we hijacked Mary and Elon and the six of us went out there. We wound up eating pizza with champagne around 3am, and had a blast. I was simply outvoted, city-wise.
This year might have been the tipping point, though: now I am beginning to believe I might never see Kevin on New Year’s Eve. The party was ridiculously close to me, considering how ridiculously far from most of the city I live, and we had an extra bottle of cherry champagne all ready to go. We had no other commitments, and we were in New York.
Five minutes after my apartment was clear of my New Year’s Eve Eve guests, Nick wrapped me in a bear hug. “This is the first day you weren’t sick, and you were cooking all day. How about tomorrow we go get some good champagne, cook a great meal, and spend New Year’s on the couch?”
Kevin, I’m so sorry. I hear it’s incredible every year, and I wish I had been there last year, and the year before, and known you better the year before that, when I went to Avalon before I knew the city and it took me almost as long to get home as I had spent in the club.
This year, though–this year I wouldn’t trade for anything.