Say It…

Say It!!!! Dammit! Someone say it!!! You can see me. I’m right here. I don’t understand this. Don’t I deserve a great new year as well? A kind gesture. Something. Anything. I’ll wait. I’ll wait until someone says it. And then my pathetic need to have someone say some words I don’t really care for will be fulfilled. I’m usually not this bad, but this was driving me nuts. There I am yesterday, pretending to study and be productive, and the urge to get out of the house came over me. I had called a friend and suggested we get a drink or two (or many). And to my dismay, he reluctantly informed me that it was the Persian New Year. Also the first day of Spring. Us, not being Persian, figured that we should go party with this ethnic group out in DC somewhere. We’ll just find some happening bar or club with a shitload of Persians celebrating their New Year. We’ll blend in perfectly. An Indian and an Afghani. Perfectly!

Yes. Sunday. Work tomorrow. So going out for a drink isn’t so bad. Just one drink. I promise!
Our first stop , the supposed hangout for this special occasion, just happened to be CLOSED. What the fcu7? Where are we getting this information. Can’t rely on people nowadays. Gotta find your own way. So we decided to hop into this bar in Georgetown called Mie’N'Yu. Cool spot. Of course, there I am with my friend and the whole place is packed with couples. It was a little strange being there because I got the funny feeling that most people had assumed we were gay. After all, what could two guys be doing in a trendy nightspot on Sunday night enjoying their Coronas with lime? They can’t possibly be expecting to find a good time. So they must be gay. Just that very thought had me uneasy. I frequently caught others staring at us through the corner of my eye. So the coronas went down fast and we got out of there.

Not leaving room for discouragement, we proceeded to a new spot, based on a new source. Hopefully, this source was reliable. And it was. We ended up at a downtown lounge in DC with a bunch of Persians celebrating the new year. Persians! I felt like Columbus when he supposedly discovered America. The Holy Grail…..the….you get the point. Mind you, my friend and I don’t know anyone in this joint. But heck, we’re social people. We won’t have any problem breaking into this culture. We’ll blend in. No problem.

And we did just that. But throughout the night, something was really bugging me. Sorta like that feeling you get when you know you’re supposed to be doing something but can’t remember what. Ya! That one. Really annoying. So one corona, two corona, three…..and it’s still bugging me. Guess alcohol wasn’t going to get rid of this annoyance. What was it you ask? Well – while people watching at this lounge and meeting several random individuals, I realized not one person said “Happy New Year” to me. And that pissed me off! Don’t know why, but it really got on my nerves. Now, maybe they didn’t think I was Persian. But wait a minute – - – - why couldn’t I be Persian? I might be slightly darker, but I can pass for Persian…just a dark Persian from some remote village where Persians are brown. Ya. I could pass for Persian. No doubt about it. So that could NOT be the reason why no one greeted me with a “Happy New Year.” Can it? Nope. Don’t think so.

So I thought maybe they aren’t saying it to me because they know I’m not Persian and that I don’t speak the language. Ahhh. That must be it. Wait a minute. Why are they assuming I don’t speak the language. Is it because I am just nodding and smiling everytime they say something in Persian. Heck, I thought I was doing a fantastic job at hitting those nods and smiles on cue with the end of their sentences. Regardless, that’s not a good reason. Dammit! Someone please say “Happy New Year” to me.

And so I waited. I waited. One after another….so what do you do? you like this song? what are you drinking? But no…..NO HAPPY NEW YEAR! You bastards. If it was the Indian New Year and I saw you at a party, I would say Happy New Year to you. Even if you didn’t look Indian. Even if you didn’t understand me when I said it.

All in all, I am still waiting. I wonder if the girl behind me on the waiting line for the restroom said “God Bless You” when I sneezed, OR, maybe she said ‘Happy New Year,’ but in her native Persian tongue. And I just didn’t realize it. Wait. Maybe someone else did say it to me and I didn’t pick it up. I misunderstood. I didn’t hear it. Maybe……..uuuuuummmmmnmmmmm. NO!

Bastards!

Short URL: http://www.updatist.com/?p=130

Posted by Charlie P on Mar 21 2005. Filed under Entertainment, Headline, Lists, Live, Play, Sex + Women, Sports, Stories, Style, Travel + Places, Work. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can leave a response or trackback to this entry