A couple of months ago, one of my favorite people (who was the
director at my job for four hopeful years) told me she was offered a comp
ticket for the Ms. Foundation fundraiser: Laughter
Is Rebellion at Caroline’s on Broadway.
She wanted to give it to me. I
felt it was offered to her, and she should go.
She insisted I’d enjoy it more.
I checked it out on line, and the tickets ranged from $250 to
$10,000! I
don’t know people who can
afford that. I assumed the comp ticket
was a $250 one.
I’d never been to such a pricey event before. I didn’t have anything right
to wear that
still fit my expanding body. I would be
going alone. I knew the other attendees
and I had one thing in common – we wanted a level playing field. Maybe we all also enjoyed comedy. That’s two things in common. As much as some may have money, I didn’t
think anyone would have voted for the Orange one. That would be three things. I guess I needed to think of what connected us even though finances separated us.
I was greeted like people with money are greeted. My name was on the
list. I was told what table I’d be at. I assumed I arrived in time for cocktail
hour, and I did, but it was really an hour or more. I usually have been at places where doors
open 15 to 30 minutes before the event.
There were servers walking around with trays of food. Though others may have considered it hors
d’oeuvres, I saw it as free dinner. The
drinks at the bar were also free. I at
first acted like they weren’t free and ordered a wine. Then I saw how many people ordered drinks of
all kinds and walked off with the drinks.
It clicked. What am I doing? It’s free.
I decided to order my favorite drink – a Long Island Ice Tea.
The place was noisy, so when I asked the bartender, “Do you do
Long
Island Ice Teas?” he misunderstood and thought I asked for two Long Island
Ice Teas. So I got two free ones, and
they were large and very well made. 👌
There were baskets of buttons on tables and counters. Some were
promoting the Ms. Foundation, some
expressed support for the gay community, and some were anti-Trump. I took one and pinned it on my coat. Then I saw these rich people taking many of
the buttons, like five or six of different kinds. The contrasts between us were so blatant to
me. So though I felt shy to do this, I then
took six so I can give some to the beautiful woman who gave me her ticket.
I sat at the table I was assigned. It was a table for two. Though it wasn’t up front, it wasn’t in the
back either. I started to think it may
have been a $500 or $1000 ticket.
I was enjoying my first Long Island. Being alone in a crowd is not foreign
to
me. It would have been nicer to be with
a friend, but who could afford this? My
friends are not brain surgeons. Suddenly
a woman who had a seat up front came over to me and asked if I would trade with
her because she wanted to sit with her friend.
She needed a table for two. Yes!
My new seat was probably a $5,000 or $10,000 seat. I couldn’t believe
how this was going. I was sitting with a woman who couldn’t stay
for the whole event because she had to be at another event. It’s a very different lifestyle than I am
accustomed to. Finances aside, I don’t
like to be double booked because then I can’t truly be somewhere and enjoy it.
Then I saw Gloria Steinem.
I wanted to tell her how significant she was in my early life. I wanted to run over and hug her and tell her
many things. I controlled myself. However, somewhere after the first Long
Island, I wrote her a note.
The comics on the line-up were Lea DeLaria, Judy Gold,
Michelle Wolf,
Sasheer Zamata, and Maysoon Zayid. Fantastic!
I had a very good time and was sorry when it was over. I was very pleased with my drinks. They did their job. I barely remember my train ride home. The next morning, I found my note to Gloria
Steinem because, of course, I got too drunk to remember to give it to her. L
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