Serge Gainsbourg style - A BBQ ruined and a Party SAVED.

A BBQ ruined, A night saved...surely a day to remember all in all; OH how I love being surprised!!!!

The BBQ for which I had planned and prepared one Sunday (just a week before my departure) was to begin at 4pm, but just before then, the clouds came rolling in and thunder was rumbling in the distance. Since I had bought and lugged over SOOOOOOOOOOOOOO much stuff (food, music, games etc), I decided not to cancel. And in any case, everyone seemed pretty optimistic that the storm would blow over; Strasbourg does not often get thunder storms...the gray skies simply go pee pee/tinkle/drizzle ever so faintly.

We were wrong, of course - an INCREDIBLE storm proceeded to cloud the picnicing area at the park, where unfortunately, we had parked ourselves, very far from our parking spots. Consequentially running hands-full to the cars, we had become SOPPING wet. After not even 15 minutes of actual "BBQ" picnic-time, the BBQ was really ruined.

Saving the day nevertheless, one of Xavier's friends (PPN) invited us to his place to do a "BBQ-do-over." Since he lived the next town over,in Shiltigheim, we all had to manouever different ways of getting there. Typically, I would have biked there, but there was a lot of moist food to be lugged over and consumed...so, I hitched a ride with Anabelle and her bf JS after getting a change of clothes. We got to PPN's house around 6:00.

His house was huge, and seemingly unwelcoming in the beginning. His 5 roommates were really STINKY hippies (literally very stinky) and were roaming around, seemingly with NOTHING to do except STARE, evidently wondering what we were about to start up. Trying to make the best of the situation, I offered them cocktails, which seemed to work to break the ice. I prepared my favorite: Relaxers, aka "Bay Breezes." After organizing some snacks and drinks, things were rolling into place & the stinky hippies were all smiles.

We chowed down on chips, burgers, hot dogs, kebabs, and LOTS of cocktail, snd German and Belgian beers of all sorts to follow. Xavier and Paul (Petra's boyfriend), JS and PPN were doing the grilling in PPN's backyard despite the pee-pee rainy weather, while I was trying to keep the incoming traffic satisfied, making drinks and conversation with Simone, and Anabelle. Yet more and more people kept streaming into the house....friends of friends and friends of roommates. I couldn't keep things straight, but it was fun to try...

I had my eye on one guy from the moment he started being sly with me. Or at least, after enjoying a couple drinks of my own, I got the sense that he was being sly...? OH MY, in the very least, I cannot say it was the alcohol that had caused me to see him as being so "VERY handsome....for SOOOOOOOO handsome he was. Perhaps it was his cracking jokes about this and that, playing "wise guy", while shining his cute dimples and sharp eyes at me, but there's no denying an immediate attraction.

I didn't have makeup on though, my hair was ruined from the rain, and my change of clothes made me look like a bum...I fit in with the hippies I guess. But, after a couple drinks, we ended up passing one another remarks, at which point I didn't care how I looked; I was simply having fun - making drinks, joking around & talking with the crowds of people...getting to know strangers and their lives.

When the boys were done with the grilling, I proceeded to make SMores for everyone, displaying some "American Pride." The cute kid, Matthieu followed me out to watch me/make conversation. The Smores were a great hit, along with the brownies and cake the others had made, and it wasn't before too long, that people (per request) were taking out their guitars, harmonicas and drums.

Circling the kitchen table, we all started singing/humming/ playing the bongo drums, or listening to an array of live musical tastes and talents. Seriously - an amazing time...so unexpected!

It was like a dream, and in realizing this, I decided to make a toast (having bought some champagne for the occasion) and almost cried doing so (partially because I may have had a couple drinks already) and also because I was having such a good time - at such an incidentally (LATE) moment in my stay...I really wished I had met these guys (men and women) some time BEFORE...

People started to head out around 12...Monday being a working day for many; but I REALLY wanted to stay myself, even though work was previewed for 11am the following morning. Trying to buy myself some time to talk to the cute guy, I made a deal with Anabelle's boyfriend to come pick me up later; that is, after dropping Anabelle off. Yet it turned out that HE was too drunk to drive, so Anabelle ended up coming BACK herself to get me (even though she was the one who had to work at 9am the next morning). Half-guiltily, I told her that I wanted to stay. (If it hadn't been my last "party experience" I would have gone with her, considering her generosity in having come all the way back for me) but she didn't seem upset with my honest decision to stick around; simply not READY to go, I told Anabelle that I'd crash on their couch and that I would find a way home at some point in the morning...no worries.

A handful of us were talking in the living room about ALL sorts of interesting stuff. Turns out, the cute guy was finishing up law school with another one of the musicians sitting next to me, and they were going on & on about liacity (non-secular) Alsacian laws, and then about law school, about France, then about Serge Gainsbourg (we were listening to a selection of FRENCH FRENCH music, per their request).

The handful of us soon turned into a 3some: me, the cute guy (named Matthieu), and his friend Vincent (also very cute and friendly) and we were listening to music in the candle-lit living room while storms were passing us by through the night hours.

After listening contently to an hour's worth of Serge Gainsbourg, some dance tunes came on, and we all got up to dance. We were feeling pretty good, doing our own dance routine.

When some crazy salsa music came on, Matthieu said something about not being able to dance to the kind of music that was playing, which appeared to me as some kind of challenge to show him otherwise (I love a challenge), which (of course) I undertook immediately. I took his hands, and we started dancing salsa, which later turned into a hot and steamy dirty-dancing session...

He politely whispered to his friends' ear that he "thought he looked really tired" and his friend got the hint and left us in peace some time around 4am.

From 4am to 6:30, Mathieu and I had an AMAZING time together listening to music, dancing, and kissing REALLY passionately. After taking off a couple layers of clothing (one gets awfully sweaty playing these games), one thing led to another.

We didn't sleep a wink, yet the morning came all too quickly, and the kisses did not cease, nor did the ROMANTIC exchange; I'd never think a stranger (let alone a French guy) could be so passionate and generous with another stranger - but it was a GREAT surprise.

I was surprised too with myself, for having been so comfortable engaging with a stranger, and so easily, especially after the Italian-incident in Venice, I never thought I'd experience such "singlehood adventures" in my life, but then again, these are the highlights of being single; there's nothing to feel badly about - no guilt, no demands and no expectations. Life without these elements is rare as it is, and I can tell you that it's not every day that one can be so delightfully surprised and thrilled by one's sudden encounters...taking it up AS THAT (for what it is) makes it a beautiful encounter, and a wonderful surprise.

Around 7am, I found 2 of his roommates were already up and about...so we decided to clean up, and he told me how I could get home. It was a little awkward saying goodbye because we KEPT kissing one another, all the way up to the moment before my departure. Without an exchange of information...without any questions or demands...the night was officially over and that was the end.

I started to walk out the door at 7:30 and his friend, Vincent told me he'd walk me to the bus stop. We laughed about the unexpectedness of the night, and we were both happy to have met one another. I got Mathieu's phone number, and was hesitant to leave a message, but decided to leave him a text telling him that it was a pleasure meeting him, and to be in touch if he'd like sometime before I leave.

I didn't think I'd receive any word from, though he DID say the pleasure was shared via text one day later. Too bad we never got to see one another again in my week's stay...but then again...maybe that would have killed the memory all together - my night with Serge Gainsbourg and other fantastical moments in passing :-)