Sometimes at night when I can't sleep, I sneak out and take a long, leisurely walk around the block. As of late, my friend Derick has joined me on several occasions. He and I became friends not long after I arrived here from Brazil. He finds it hard to sleep too, and we enjoy each other's company. He has shown me some nice parts to this land, and tonight, he had promised to show me one of his favorites. He was very specific as to how I should dress, which I found odd.
He said there would be many people there, and that I'd be seeing a whole other side to them, and him. I borrowed some of Randy's clothing, (Randy is my 2nd cousin who I'm staying with for the time being) the kind he usually doesn't wear. The pants were dark leather and the shirt was silky, and I liked the way it felt against my soft tanned flesh. I also took the moccasins I had made to replace the hard boots Randy got me so I could look more "civilized". They hurt my feet to the point of making them bleed. I liked the Moccasins, though, because I was thinking of good things when I made them.
As I stand there, waiting for Derick to show up, I can't help but rub the shirt against my arms, reveling in it's softness. A part of me didn't like the idea of having to return it. There he was, and dressed very different for him. He usually wears loose clothing and a big plaid shirt over, but he was dressed in what looked to be dark leather, but it didn't smell like it. He had both shirt and pants made from it. I could smell the stuff he uses to clean his short brown hair a mile away.
Smiling, he gives me a big hug and stands back to admire my new appearance. He really likes hugging me, but I don't mind it. He paws at my long dark hair a bit, positioning it, I would assume, as if indecisive as to whether he should let it hang there or have me put it up. I didn't care either way, I couldn't wait to see what he had in store for us this evening.
We hop into a car, but someone I don't know is steering. Along the way, he tells me that he's taking me to somewhere named club. He warns me that there will be loud music and strange smells, and a lot of people dancing. He says it might get very warm and crowded in there, so we should be wise and stick together. I agreed, not really discouraged at all. The steering man leaves us off and I don't remember this part of the land. It's dark and it smells like poison sticks and spicy musk.
I can hear a rhythmic thumping from inside. He gently leads me inside a place where a lot of white people are hanging around outside waiting for a large man to give them permission to enter. The man nods to us and lets us in, and Derick hands him some paper money. The thumping gets much louder and is accompanied by other strange sounds. There are bright lights flashing all around, people are hopping up and down, rubbing up against each other and passing around what smells to be rum.
I love rum! I immediately ask Derick if he can get me some, but I find that I have to raise my voice to a yell so he can hear me. He agreed and took me to a long wooden platform where people were sitting and drinking. I listen carefully to some of the words within the..song? Blue something. Why was the man singing about blue?
He gives me my drink, which has a little plastic thing in it, and I quickly toss it aside in disinterest. I gulp down the rum while Derick takes long, patient sips from whatever was in his glass. I can kind of understand why people dance to this. The rhythm was catchy, and I found myself mimicking the shoulder and head movements of those sitting at the wooden platform. Derick makes sure I have plenty of rum, and in return he gives the rum-man some more paper money. There are several moments where I feel the rum making me dizzy, but in a good way.
It effects Derick too, and he starts dancing to the beats, taking a hold of my arm and dancing with me. I just laugh and dance a little with him. After a while, he hands me a small white round thing that looks like it had been broken. He drunkenly asks me to swallow it with my rum, and that it will make me feel good. Out of curiosity, I did, but nothing happened. A while later, he gives me what looks to be the rest of it and tells me to swallow this one too. I do, and boy, does it take effect.
