I arrived Tuesday evening and met Donna (stage name, Stacy). As soon as I arrived at baggage claim I recognized her. She was beautiful, bubbly and as excited to see me as I was of her. It’s been twenty years, but we spotted one another immediately. We hugged, giggled and picked up our bags.
We met Laura (stage name, Layla) at The Cosmopolitan. What a phenomenal hotel/casino this place is! I felt like Jeannie in a very posh bottle with my fancy Lemon Drop Martini, draped in floor-to-ceiling, sweeping chandeliers and lavender back lighting.
Like Donna, Laura looked exactly the same. She was exotic, beautiful and echoed her infamous laughter throughout the air, just like I remembered.
Like no time passed, the three of us were together again.
Dinner turned in to drinks and drinks turned in to gambling. I was on a roll at the blackjack table when I met David and Linda.
David was a sweetheart who was in town for a convention. Linda was - well, I’m not sure what her story was. Sufficed to say, Linda held her own in a sea of alcohol and winning cards.
Before I could say Double Down, it was five in the morning.
Our next day was spent lounging at the pool with more reminiscing. We shared which songs remind us of one another and personal stories only we gals would know.
The next three days were a blur of lounging, laughing, gambling, and dining. It went by way too fast.
Of all the things I took from this trip, the most resonating is this: love and friendship – no matter how many years from one hug to the next – knows no bounds. There was no judgment, no hesitation of who we were as women; just an unbreakable bond.
It’s been two decades since we worked the pole together. There have been babies, marriages, careers and everything in-between. But we will never forget the times we were young and carefree, thinking we knew it all.
At 43, I am happy to say I survived a life of drugs and debauchery, but even happier that I have Layla and Stacy to share in the memories.
*Here's the part where you tell me: have you re-connected with someone from your past? How did it go?
