*Party Games

CATEGORY: Pure (or impure) Imagination

AUTHOR EXPLANATION: This is why I don't go out much.

Last night I met a wonderful girl at a party. I mean I could really talk to this girl. She approached as I was standing around feeling ill at ease holding a glass of wine, not connecting with anyone. To appear actively engaged in the party, I was shaking my glass a little and holding it up to my ear, as if listening to the tiny tinkling of the party charm around the base. My party charm was a skateboard, though I don't skate. I didn't get to choose my own charm, which I thought was supposed to be part of the fun. If I ever give a party, people will be able to have whichever charm they want. I mean if I owned party charms.

I noticed the girl earlier because she was dressed modestly by today's standards, the only one - male or female - whose nipples weren't featured prominently.

She didn't bother with introductory chatter, after a simple hello. "I want to stick one of my fingers into that fan," she said, indicating the one in the window closest to us. "Do you think I should?"

I advised against it. "I mean if there were fewer people at the party I'd say go ahead."

She nodded.

"I know a fun party game," she suggested. And it was fun! We went around the house guessing how each person was going to die. At first we were conservative. Cancer, heart attack, car accident - your garden variety deaths. Then we became more creative and developed back stories. My best contribution was the surfer dude wannabe who joined his father's relatives in the I.R.A and died with bombs strapped to his body at Heathrow. We regarded his once-gelled hair slicked flat with booze as he downed shots for a stunt. What a glorious death he would have compared to his current shallow life

The game that engaged us the longest was her idea. It was called "Assassin." You follow a drunk guy home from a party, then off him. This led to a lively discussion about method.

Now she's sleeping. I mean in my bedroom, and I'm fixing breakfast which I intend to serve her in bed.

Then we have to decide how to dispose of the body.