Dancing in the Streets

Yesterday my neighborhood erupted in an all-day party. It was torture it happened this way, but the payoff was so sweet. I woke up so early yesterday, in a sad mood. The heaviness of all these days weighed on all of us. But I was also heavy for other reasons. This has been a record year in self-exploration for me. Every month could be one hundred years. I remember adults saying of their teens and twenties--"I didn't know who I was." And I would also respect that but think to myself, "That's so strange. I know exactly who I am." I wasn't wrong exactly. I just didn't know why I was, and now I think I do--or at least I know I am finding out.

So I woke up early. Before 6. Rain on the forecast, I decided to run immediately. Been going without headphones for the past few months. Trying truly to imagine and clear my head. The pitter pat began. It felt right and not too intolerable. I finished my route as the real droplets started falling.

Since it was still early I decided on a rare bath. I lit a candle and tried my new celebrity stress relief fizz. In the quiet, in the dark, I tried to do the exercises my therapist encouraged me to do. I sat in a hot little ball, hugging my knees. Willing foreign thoughts out. I had just stepped out and toweled off when I heard Puhg knock at the door. I opened it and I couldn't read his face. He just asked if I had looked at my phone, which I hadn't. But I knew. All I had to do was ask, "Did it happen?" And he said yes. We ran to the living room, turned on CNN. My student from Chicago had texted, "yayyyy!" It was 8:33. I ran to the balcony and screamed 'IT'S OVER!" A woman across the street was also out in her pajamas yelling in joy. I just screamed and screamed and screamed as though being exorcised. Neighbors all came onto their balconies to do the same. I walked out the front door to the interior foyer of our building and yelped, "GOODBYE DONALD TRUMP!" Apartments erupted in cheers and applause. Puhg started pacing around not knowing what to do with this adrenaline. He said he wished he had a sign. He started desperately taping together printer paper. I brought him 2019's vision board. He flipped it over and wrote "YOU'RE FIRED" on it. I was in a sweatshirt and pj shorts. We ran outside and starting jumping. People slowly joined. Cars honked and honked and honked. So many windows down blasting FYDT. My favorite was seeing this girl I know from the building standing quietly with her arms crossed, just sort of taking it in. But twenty minutes later she was cheering, then screaming. A woman was driving by, screeched into an open street spot, got out, surveyed the scene, kinda clapped a little bit. About an hour later I saw her skipping around with a Harris sign she inexplicably found. We brought down a bottle of champagne and popped it in the street. My favorite reality show host picked up the cork and took a photo with it. Someone brought out a boombox. A car pulled into the gas station across the street and people danced on their rooftops. I briefly entered the party zone, which was the true best. I stayed for one Beyonce song before deciding even though everyone was religiously masked and no one was touching, it was still a pandemic.

We were wiped by 1 PM. We picked up a tuna melt for Puhg down the street. We passed one of the hobbits having coffee. I ordered two Impossible Whoppers from Burger King and we watched that new Rashida Jones movie on Apple. The noise outside didn't stop. The crowd sang "Since U Been Gone." At 6 we watched the president-elect speak COHERENTLY to our country. He did not mention the stain in the office, and I like that. I laid in bed watching TikToks for I don't know how long. Played with the hamster. Went to bed early on the first cold night of the season under a new comforter.