My 21st Birthday

One of my favorite actors when I was in high school was John Corbett (the radio DJ from the TV show Northern Exposure, later to be the groom in My Big Fat Greek Wedding).  I came back to Seattle to visit a friend and some family for my 21st birthday.  I knew Mr. Corbett had opened a club downtown Seattle and I had decided to go on my birthday with a friend of mine (He shall not be named. You know who you are.)  The club was The Fenix Underground.  I didn't like alcohol and didn't drink, but I had heard the he was in his club quite often.  So, I really wanted to go on the day of my birthday. 

I'm not a celebrity chaser and I have only asked for one autograph in my entire life. It was from the Vice President of the United States of America.  So, my purpose was just to listen to music in a club and hopefully see John Corbett.  Easy enough, right?

There was a long line at the door, so when my friend and I get to the bouncer, we were ready to get out of the cold rain.  My friend (who turned 21 six days before me) gave the bouncer his ID, pays for himself, then disappears into the club...not knowing what was about to happen. 

So I smile and hand the bouncer my ID...here is where I digress (I do that a lot)...I got my drivers license when I was 17, so it hadn't expired yet.  AND since I got my drivers license at 17 AND at age 17 I looked at most 12 (for instance, on my 16th birthday, I was automatically charged the 11 year old and younger rate for my movie ticket).  So the ID looked suspicious to the bouncer.  The bouncer stares me down, hands back the ID and says, "Yeah, I don't think so."  I was confused. "Why? Today is my 21st birthday!?" I proclaim.  He told it was a fake ID and there was no possible way I was 21.  Arrrggghh! Okay, I could handle it, but the line was backing up. I told him my friend just went in and he is only 6 days older.  The bouncer laughed.  I argued, politely of course, that in no way could the ID be a fake.  "Why on earth would I say TODAY was my 21st birthday on a fake ID?"  It didn't make any sense. 

After about  a half an hour of trying to reason with this very large laughing man, I look up.  My jaw drops, and there HE is.  He's walking towards us.  Oh, my.  He's even better looking in person. I think, "how embarrassing." So, Mr. Corbett comes over to find out what is holding up the line.  The bouncer says, "this little girl is trying to pass off a fake ID to get in."  The owner takes the ID from the bouncer, looks at it, smiles, and says, "smile for me, April." 

If you know me, you know at least two things: one, I blush the color of a cooked lobster...even the part in my hair turns red; and two, I have a goofy grin.  So I immediately blush, try to stifle the goofy grin and try to put on a pretty smile instead.  It doesn't work. The goofy grin shows up anyway.  So, I get the biggest grin of my life.  He looks back at the bouncer, shows him the ID, and says, "This is definitely her...look at her beautiful smile."  Could I get any redder?  The bouncer still proclaims that it's a fake and the owner says (which I smiled even more and scream "HA!"--in my head of course)...he says, "If it were a fake ID, why on earth would it say 'under 21' and why would she put that TODAY was her 21st birthday?"  I loved this man's reasoning. 

So, JC, my new best friend, asks me to come in, no cover charge, and says he wants to buy me my first drink on my 21st birthday.  "I don't drink alcohol," I say. He looked at me strangely, laughs, and wants to know why I stood in line in the rain, argued with the bouncer for 30 minutes to get into a club if I don't drink.  My mind races..."Think fast, April! Reason one, I wanted to see you. No don't say that.  Reason two...think, April, think. Damn it!"  "Umm, I knew you owned the club?"  I blush, again! Uggh.

He said, "well, what do you want to drink?  Anything you like, it is on me."  ...hmm, I love Shirley Temples...do NOT say that.  Ask for a virgin screwdriver, no that's just a stupid way of asking for a glass of orange juice (thanks, mom).  Executive decision...I'm going with the Shirley Temple.  "Shirley Temple, please."  More chuckling from him.  Thanks.  "Do you want anything else, it's on me." (I wished he would stop saying that, I'm way too literal)..."extra cherries?" I say.  Oh my God, please let me die!  As a great bartender, he pours me the best Shirley Temple ever, and gives me an entire glass of extra cherries.  Awesome. 

Later that night, when I finally found my friend, who had been drinking quite a bit, I took his keys away from him after much argument.  To this day, I'm the only female to ever drive the truck he called Black Beauty.  My 21st birthday was a great success.  I enjoyed myself, met John Corbett, he bought me a drink, I got to drive the Black Beauty...good stuff.

P.S. I was carded for every rated "R" movie I went to until I was 36.  That's okay, I can live with that.