The BBQ

"After age 25 your basically damaged goods hun. I like 'em fresh, wild and fun." Josephine giggled drunkenly. Michael spoke in the utmost haughtiness of any young breed with money. A Vassar grad of God knows what and now a Harvard graduate in finance. At 31, his prime, he rediscovered a sense of power he had not felt in ages.
"I can step into any bar in New York City and there isn't one girl who wouldn't sleep with me. Fascinating notion."

I resisted the urge to have an all out argument but reasoned it would be a mindless debate. I whispered to Eileen, "It's guys like Michael that make women fret over biological clocks and unattainable appearances." Michael gave me a glare as I stood up to get more beer, "Angelica," he acknowledged my presence, before taking another sip of his cheap shiraz. He fumbled with his glass shaking it annoyingly and smelling it obscenely. He knows nothing about wine.

A flittered laugh occasionally disturbed the already putrid air. Josephine had just moved into a great apartment down in the west village; a blond blue-eyed fashionista that was never want for attention. Her frail body fit loosely in her black strapless Vera Wang. The wine had already consumed her and she was nothing less than bait for Michael's romps in the bedroom.
The highlight of the night wasn't Michael's display of blatant immaturity, but was more like David's quiet demeanor and never once acknowledging the fact that I existed. Eileen thought it best that I come along to Michael's BBQ and not stay in the apartment. It took an hour of persuasion knowing it was Michael's shindig, but I didn't want to sulk and be like those other girls. She was afraid I'd do something extreme. Eileen just bought a 40'' inch flat screen for the living area and found me throwing something at it, when I flipped the channel and found myself watching Lifetime for a few minutes. At that point Eileen had grabbed the remote and shoved a dress in my face to wear.

David Bailey was a doctor of Medicine, specifically pulmonology. But he specialized in heartbreak. He stood with soda in hand, he hardly ever drank, while chatting with two other colleagues, Justin and Ben, surgeons at the same hospital. They knew of me but I had only met Justin once before. Several others occasionally greeted David with warm wishes and good lucks. I never knew he was moving back to Vancouver until I overheard two nurses one night at a bar complaining how their Mcdreamy, Dr. Bailey, was heading back to his hometown. David and I never had a real relationship, but on first arriving to New York months ago had on several occasions asked about me through the grapevine. We had met through mutual friends.
Eileen worked as an associate curator for the Department of Entomology at the Natural History museum. She had been on a dig in Madagascar and fell some feet and acquired a relentless pain in her back. Justin Schwartz happened to be her neurosurgeon but also her lover on a few occasions. They introduced me to David. "He's new, he'll need some showing around." We had gone out once for dinner, but was cut short from a page at the hospital. It was weeks after till we actually met again.
"Angelica!" I turned to see Josephine, the waif.
"Hello Josephine."
"When did you start drinking beer?"
"After months of denial."
"David is here, d'you know?" I stared over in his direction. His attention continued to be pre-occupied.
"We don't talk anymore d'you know?" She gave me a quiet "oh," and then walked back to the rest of the guests. I finished the rest of my heinekin in one quick gulp and motioned towards Eileen that I was leaving.