Midnight at Divine’s

We danced in unison, to the bright lights and heavy bass. The band was exciting and filled with energy, influencing everyone at the club.

As we danced from song to song, it was clear that everyone there had a dancing partner. I watched a group of club guys dance their away abrasively to a group of girls. The girls clearly were not into them and the club guys danced on, bitterly. Out of the group of girls, there was one in glasses that caught my eye. In the mix of darkness and bright lights shining, I thought she was Asian, or at least part.

I casually watched her laugh a lonely laugh and dance a lonely dance, with her ugly friends. By her looks, I could tell that she was not superficial, nor liked the attention of superficial men.

So when I walked up to her, I smiled and and said, close to her ear, “Listen, I’m not a cool guy, but I think you’re really cute, and I really want to dance with you.”

She laughed and said, “Okay.”

“I’m Bryan.” (Thank God I didn’t lie about my name which is something that I sometimes do to entertain myself.)

“I’m Clara.”

I grabbed her close and said, “I can’t really dance.”

She laughed again. “I can’t either.”

We danced, and we yelled conversations past the music at each other.
And when she told me she was going to Simmons for nursing, I said, “Oh really my sister goes to nursing school at the Mass General Institute.”

“Where do you go to school?” She asked.

“I go to Northeastern for Journalism, I graduate this year,” I lied.

In fact I don’t go to school, I am 24 and have only a semester at Massasoit Community College under my belt.

“Wow, that’s cool! I graduate this year too!”

I pulled her close and we danced passionately, and I kissed her, and she kissed me back and paused our dancing to kiss some more. I touched her face and her neck. Then I grabbed her hand and spun her around to keep dancing. I didn’t want to lose her after the kissing.

Then I told the truth. “After tonight, we’ll probably never see each other again, but tonight I love you, and you have to love me too, okay?”

She smiled and kissed me and said, “Okay.”

So we danced and kissed and pretended we were at one of Jay Gatsby’s parties and people in her group began to watch us, some with jealousy in their eyes, and when I looked around and noticed that every guy in the club, except for myself was wearing some kind of plaid button-up shirt. I mentioned this to her and she laughed some more.

The lights came on in the club and the band played their last song. We danced close and kissed again. When the band disappeared we walked over to the tables and I grabbed my phone and we exchange numbers. In the light, I saw that she was not Asian, but more Mediterranean. I asked her last name, and then I added her on Facebook and noticed that she worked as a PCA at Massachusetts General Hospital.

“My sister works there as a PCA too!”

She said, “What floor?”

I didn’t know and then showed her my sisters Facebook picture.

“Oh, I know Erin, well I’ve seen her!”

“Small world.” I said.

We kissed one last kiss before her ugly fiends stole her away from me.

I then found my friends, and we walked to Chinatown to get some late night food. I was happy.

For the rest of the night, I only thought of Clara. My one night with Clara at Ned Divine’s.

While eating Chinese food, I remembered something and quickly texted my sister:

“Erin, next time you work with Clara, tell her I go to Northeastern for Journalism. Love you.”