"Oh my god, oh my god, I am on Fire Island, with three women. Everyone is going to think I am gay."
"If you keep whining like that everyone is really going to think your some type of mo."
This was one of many conversations between the Crow and her mutual friend while I lounged on the beach with Salad Dancer.
My plans for the Labor Day weekend were quite simple which was to spend it with my parents. For all of Saturday, I helped my Dad put together his new entertainment center which consisted of a Wii and a new DVD player and making these excellent biscuits with my Mother. Sunday, my parents were going to Chappaqua for a barbecue. Apparently a challenge was thrown down for everyone to bring something that was homemade, hence the biscuits.
I planned on house sitting for my parents when I got a call from Salad Dancer as I was munching on a bagel reading the Times.
“Want to come to the beach?” she asked
“In the Hamptons?” I replied happily
“I wish. No. Fire Island.”
“I thought you and the Crow were in the Hamptons?”
“The operative word is were.”
“What happened?”
“You want to go to the beach or not?” Salad Dancer said in an annoyed tone.
“Yeah, I want to go.”
“Meet us at Penn station by 9. When you get to the ticket booth ask for the Sunken Forest Package.”
So I threw in a towel, a bikini, sunscreen, a Sidney Sheldon book into my Whole Foods bag and ran off to Penn Station.
It was there I saw Salad Dancer and the Crow, looking quite hung over with their shades on, standing underneath the scheduling board.
“What’s up?”
“Ola.” Said Crow
Salad Dancer nodded gave me a nod and slight smile.
“So shall we be off?”
“This is your first time taking a train from Penn Station?”
“Uhh. Yeah.”
Crow took her sunglasses off.
“You see this herd of people? They are all waiting looking at that big board of letters and numbers, which will announce what track their train is on. When that happens all these people will stampede to that track and god help anyone in their way. In the meantime we wait. If you want to get to sit on train before departure than go to Grand Central.”
“Jesus f**king Christ. It’s a little early for acting like such a thunder b**tch. Can you at least wait until when we are at work? “
The Crow put her hand on her face in an act of exasperation.
“Sorry PP. It is just that..”
“Our Hamptons soiree got derailed and crashed and burned.” Interjected the Salad Dancer.
“And no. We don’t want to talk about it.” Finished the Crow.
“Okay. Anybody else will be joining us to Fire Island?”
“Yes. A mutual friend of ours.”
“Oh my f**king god!” I heard a voice bellow behind me and turned around. He was a tall thin man who could pass to be in his twenties but if you looked closer you could see the crow’s feet beginning to form around his eyes. He wore Old navy outfit of beige shorts and a white t-shirt.
“$2.40 for 2 doughnuts? I know this is Manhattan but this is unf**king believable.”
It was going to be a long trip.