Hey, Baby, It’s The Fourth of July

July 5, 2004

There were about twenty or so people on the roof of my apartment building, drinking, playing music, dancing, and waiting for the fireworks display. I find fireworks to be boring, so I spent more time people watching than fireworks watching.

I looked around and realized I recognize any of them. Eventually, one of the North Carolina sisters from down the hall, arrived. And then, a few minutes later, the other sister. And then a third. (I didn't know there were three!) Turns out the third one was only 15 years old, and just visiting her sisters for the summer.

Later, I ran into the Israeli guy whom I always see walking his dog. He used to go out with the younger North Carolina girl with the bleached-blond crew cut, but recently started seeing her older sister — the one with the long, dark hair. He lives upstairs from the two of them. I talked with him for a little while, hoping to learn his secret, but I think it's just the simple fact that he’s fit, good looking, and has a beautiful dog. He invited me to a barbecue that he and the sisters were having on their fire escapes. "We have plenty of food," he said, "You should come."

So I followed them down the fire escape and we all had a nice family-style sit-down dinner: two more Israeli guys; an unbelievably drunk Israeli girl who was just visiting, the three North Carolina sisters and their' Japanese roommate, and me, a.k.a. the perpetual misfit.

After eating grilled chicken and burgers, an Irish guy, drunker than any of them, arrived and told funny stories, the way drunken Irish guys so often do. His monologue was punctuated by the firecrackers being set off on the rooftops. Bottle rockets and roman candles lit the distant skies.

Once everyone was stuffed and tired, the party began to break up. The fifteen-year-old went to bed — or rather, went inside to talk on the phone with her boyfriend. The girls cleaned up. The Irish guy asked if anyone wanted to head over to the bar. And I said goodbye and thank you and walked across the hall to bed. I love New York.