The Hub has been working pretty hard, finishing up a painting job that turned into a serious wall and ceiling repair. He was going to go to the company holiday party with me, but he forgot to request the time off from the Depot. So I wound up going by myself.

I usually do all kinds of things by myself. That is, if there is something that I want to do - a movie I want to see or someplace I want to eat or whatever, if no one else is interested in going with me, I have no problem going by myself.

But, the truth of the matter is that....

this is a pretty shy winged creature - not much of a party animal. I had left the invitation at the office so I didn't have the address of the place. I called Friend Will to find out what time the party was and where it was. Bethesda. I was feeling less and less like getting dressed up and driving to Bethesda when I could stay home in my comfy sweats and give my dog a bath.

"Oh, just come with us." Jenne, Will's wife said. "You'll have a good time."

Well, I have a good time with them anyplace I go, so I said I would. Then I went to Target to look for a pair of shoes.

I hate buying shoes. My feet are a weird shape and not only does nothing ever fit, but they wear unevenly and quickly due to me limping, etc. So new shoes are almost always a waste of money, though a person can hardly walk around in Maryland in the winter with only flip-flops on. Still, $19.00 for a pair of flats - just because they had beading on them! Highway robbery, really. And I did need flats - there was no way I was going to attempt to dance in heels ( considering that I ought not be attempting to dance at all)So I bought a pair of black ballet flats.

On the way out, a lace blouse caught my eye. It was much fancier than the one that I had planned to wear, and, since I had heard at the office that many people attend the party in formal attire, I suspected that my first choice was going to look a little dowdy. These days I'm always looking a little dowdy. I think I understand why they call it "middle age" - too old for fashions out of the junior department and not quite ready for the Sag Harbor stuff in Women's Wear. Incidentally, there is no section in department stores for the middle aged - no matter how far we spread. You have to do the best you can.

So. This blouse looked okay. It was v necked with short open sleeves, lavender lace overlay. Looked nice. I went home and put it on.

I try not cuss, not even when I'm by myself. Still, when I looked at myself in the bathroom mirror what I said was "You have got to be sh------ me!" The neckline was so low it had gone back to the '60's and was "letting it all hang out". Luckily, I found a straight pin and solved that problem.

After emerging victorious in a match of Championship Pantyhose Wrestling, I was feeling pretty good, got into my skirt then found the dress coat I bought over the summer at a yard sale for $9.00. Paired with faux fur gloves and a scarf from Target it went from "yard sale shabby" to vintage chic. Best of all, I was on time and the dog was tired which meant he didn't feel the need to sling goobers all over my evening wear. ( I still did my hair and makeup at Will and Jenne's. I didn't want to push my luck. They have ultra intellegent and cool cats who don't even so much as shed.)

We got down to the Hyatt in Bethesda and I began to perspire. There was a doorman in a fancy jacket and the place was all lit up like a Russian palace. "Oh, Lord, I can't go in there. The Hillbilly detector will go off and they'll kick me out." I said, half kidding.

"What are you talking about? It's just a Hyatt." Friend Will said.
He's not only blessed with an extroverted personality, he also has a lot of self confidence. "No more of this Hillbilly talk. You look fine. You're as good as anybody else. Chin up!"

I was glad I had gone with the lavender lace blouse. There were some awefully pretty women in some awefully pretty dresses there, men in all kinds of suits and formal attire. Some of the ladies who are from India originally wore saris with beautiful beadwork and embroiderey. Excpet for Will and Jenne, I didn't know a soul there. Nobody from my department came. The people in Will's department, with whom we sat, are pleasant and kind, but quiet and less outgoing than Will is. And I was husbandless, and outside the department, so nobody knew what to say to me.

Still, the food was good, and I enjoyed just watching the people I see in the halls and cubes everyday transformed by their finery into movie-star worthy swans. I was only able to dance one dance, but, oddly, I found that I didn't mind.

I found myself sitting at the table drinking a cup of herbal tea from the selection set out with the coffees. The music was playing and I was tapping my feet the way I used to see Grandmother and her friends do. Mind you, Grandmother would always dance if she was REMOTELY able to do it. She and Aunt Mamie used to dance as a couple if no men asked them....and men LINED UP to ask them, even when they were in their 70's. But there were times when Grandmother was tired, and she had friends who were quite frail. "You go ahed dear." they'd tell me, "you dance, and let us watch you."

I was always thought how kind they were. I thought surely they must be secretly mournful for husbands and boyfriends with whom they had once danced, for the days of good knees and ankles and balance. I always thought they were brave and were gifted at covering it up.

But, I was surprised to find that it seemed they had passed the gift they had on to me. I enjoyed watching Will and Jenne and the other couples, dance with each other every bit as much as I would have enjoyed dancing with The Hub if he'd been there. Very much like a dollar bill those ladies would slip into my coat pocket if I did them some tiny favor, like taking their trash out, they must have somehow slipped me the gift of enjoying myself through the joy of my friends.
It's like all the joy of dancing without every joint in your body being inflamed and swollen the next day. Who knew?!

On the way home it started to snow - that dreaded "wintry mix" that is so prevelant in Central Maryland and D.C. - mostly ice with some snow thrown in. Will and Jenne invited me to stay over with them, so I did. It was really nice of them to let me crash in their spare room. And I got quite a kick out of their cats who kept coming over to the doorway to see what I was doing. Finally, San, the female came over to me in the morning to sniff my lips and meow at me. I think she was telling me it was time to get up, that she and and Poe sleep on that bed during the day!!

Unluckily, Will had water all over his basement when we got back. The condensate pump for his heating unit had malfunctioned. I must say he was remarkably calm about it, but he says that stuff like that is only made worse by freaking out about it. I agree with him. Still, he has quite a mess on his hands and I felt sorry all his good deeds were rewarded by plumbing problem!

But, at least the party was good, the company was very good, and The Hub and the dog were happy to see me when I got home. And then the dog slobbered on my good clothes - so I guess he's happy too.