The Big Ball Drop
As a little kid, New Year’s Eve was a very confusing holiday. My parents never went out, there was never a party at our home, and we never ate out that night because the prices were jacked up and the restaurants were crowded. In fact, my parents, never went out ever! I had a babysitter only once. My parents and sister went to a wedding and I was too young, to attend. My parents avoided crowds so I have only ever seen the “ball drop” on television. Actually, they would wake me when there was one minute to go. As the calendar year changed I was given a sip of Cherry Heering! That is the only alcoholic beverage I ever remember in the house.
My first New Year’s Eve , without my parents happened when I was 14. I had a very close friend, Dianne, who introduced me to a group of her friends. While we were very good friends, we each had totally different groups of friends that we hung out with. I don’t know how she met these people, I have no idea what her connection to them was. Dianne was almost 2 years older than me, but because I was accelerated and she had gone to Parochial school, in High School I was a year ahead of her in school. Dianne was tall and beautiful and very smart. She always had a boyfriend. One night she took me to a “dance” where I was introduced to this particular group of people. Many of them lived in Manhattan.The dance was being held in a “social” room sponsored by her church. They were different from other kids I knew, and I was in awe of the way they dressed and the level of sophistication they had.
I don’t quite understand, but they took me under their wing and I became almost like a mascot! I, on the other hand was thrilled to death! There was one guy there, I guess at the time he was 18 or so, that I thought was the living end! He lived with his father, and his father’s third wife. He occasionally saw his birth mother, but not too often. The story was very jumbled. I, with Dianne went on a few group dates with this crowd. They would sneak me in to some places or pay people off. No one really cared, I didn’t drink and I guess that’s all that mattered.
New Year’s Eve was approaching and this guy asked me if I would like to come to his party as his Dad’s apartment. I was so excited, but I was out of my league and I knew it. Dianne was not going, she was invited, but her family was going to Pennsylvania to visit relatives. She convinced me to go, it would be great.
I spoke to my parents who had a lot of questions. My date had his father call my mother and tell them that a car would be sent for me and would bring me home. He said that he would be home and keep things under control, and that he knew I was only 14.
My parents told me to have a good time, and that if anything was yucky, they would come and get me.
OK, so off I went, dressed in the most grown up thing we could find to cover my body. I had always worn makeup since I started High School. Sure enough, a limo came for me, my date in the car and a professional driver. Yes, everyone was very impressed by the obvious money.
The apartment, was as promised, gorgeous with a balcony view of Central Park. I walked into the apartment to see a lot of people, a band just starting to play, trays and trays of food, and a lot of beer and hard stuff. No one really spoke to me, and my “date” kind of parked me on the sofa and went to play host. I don’t have any clue to this day why he invited me. I was intrigued with the drummer in the band. He was older, I have no idea how much. He was latino. When the band would take a break, he would sit and talk to me. I think he was more uncomfortable about me being there than he felt being there.
The night went on, it was anticlimatic, and the other guests started to get drunk and high and rambuctious. Those who didn’t partake or get involved, left the party. Oh yes, my date's father or any other adult never made an entrance. It was a lie. The most exciting point for most of the evening was speaking with another female who showed me how to make Russian dressing for the cold cut tray. Ah haute cuisine!
Finally it was midnight and they turned on the TV and we were counting down to the New Year! I have no idea where my date was. I was standing there, as people coupled off. HAPPY NEW YEAR! Everyone starting kissing and groping and I was standing there not knowing what to do! My drummer grabbed my hand and pulled me out of the room. He told me I was a nice girl who didn’t belong there and I should ask to go home. The trouble was who was I supposed to ask! My date had all but disappeared.
While my savior was trying figure out what to do with me, some of the “guests” had gone out on the balcony and drunk as they were, started throwing things down to the ground. There was shouting and yelling and within 10 minutes, the police arrived . When the party goers saw the police entering the building they started to scramble like cockroaches trying to get out. Building security got there first and no one could leave. Drummer boy grabbed my hand again and dragged me into the main bedroom and opened up the door to the largest closet I had ever seen in my life. He told me to get behind some boxes in there and sit down until things quieted down and were safe.
I heard a lot of commotion and the police finally came in. It slowly quieted down. Finally a cop opened the door to the bedroom closet and simple said, I could come out now. “What?”
I will never forget the look on that cop’s face. He said to me, “What are you doing here? You shouldn’t be hanging out with these people.”
I never saw my date again or the drummer. I never heard from that particular group again, and my friend Dianne was upset because she missed all the excitement.
I came home not in a chauffeured limo that night, but in a police car. A cop escorted me to my door, and once I was in he said good night. My parents never knew.
About a month later, in the newspaper was a story about a kidnapping. It was way back in the paper. It was my date. He was fine, he was rescued and I never heard anything more about him. Happy New Year.
While I never had such a bizarre New Year’s Eve again, I did have many pleasant ones.
