GMB kept me informed of parties and social gatherings the MoHos had. I often declined his invitations: too busy with my trio's rehearsal and competition schedule; too tired from last night's performance; too this or that or the other. Honestly, I tried to find as many excuses as I could: I was, quite simply, nervous about placing myself in a new social context, one in which I had no sense of familiary or seniority.
GMB knows that I love planning parties and setting up seating arrangements and watching how people interact. He also knows that--being the performer I am--I need (usually) to be a central focus of attention, and I need social groups who are familiar with and forgiving of my appetite for the spotlight. Despite my seeming social ease, I think he knew what a scary idea going to a MoHo party was for me, and he knew he had to be in attendance, if I were to ever attend, as my social crutch--the confident hub, as it were, upon which my social spoke could place itself. He persisted in inviting me to different functions, and I finally agreed to go with him one Saturday evening.
We arrived late, but our entrance didn't create any sort of stir. There were quite a few boys, young and dressed in the latest American Eagle/Hollister fare, seated and chatting away on the living room couch. A group of men philosiphised around the dining room table. A few awkward duos and trios hovered about the perimeter of the room. The host got up from his perch at an inviting fireplace and greeted us.
I didn't know anyone except GMB, and I got a little anxious. I didn't know how the people at this "foreign" party would fit into my social schema. Where was the equivalant of silly, warm Jacquelyn, or the wisdom of Emily, or the pert snappiness Serenity? I was grateful to have, at least, some level of comfort and familiarity with GMB.
He knew many of the guys there, readily introducing me as Nic (aka "Cole") and giving me the names and blogger references of the guys I was meeting. I was happy to actually see some of the blog authors whose posts I'd been reading, and it was nice to finally have a face and a real-world name to put with the profiles. GMB left me a few minutes after the introductions were made, and I was on my own. I grabbed a dessert plate, piled it with as much chocolate as I could find, and perused the room for an open seat.
