A Night With No Stars

Finally, my time had arrived. I’d been planning this for two and a half years, testing every theme, planning every detail, tasting every dish, agonizing over the perfect music. This would be the evening that I’d finally get to see it all together. All I could do now was hope that it was going to look like the night of my dreams. After all the time I spent getting myself ready, I was prepared to experience it all with fresh eyes, right next to the people I cherished most that were already waiting inside.

I stepped up to the entrance, where my husband stepped up to meet me. His black brocade suit was edged in golden embroidery; at the cuffs, on the lapel, at the shoulder. He looked like royalty to match my contrasting ball gown. I was already proud to have made our looks for the night, but after seeing him standing in front of me in the hand-embroidered suit that made me want to scream more than once, everything was starting to sink in.

The round archway of an entrance had cream chiffon draped in bundles and tied to the sides, fresh ivy framing the fabric, and gathering at the floor. A deep-red carpet started at our feet and led us through the lengthy entrance made of arches that were identical to the first, expanding in size as we went along. The tunnel was dimly lit, only having fairy lights that were hidden underneath the folds of the fabric. At the end of the tunnel, the archways opened up into the vast ballroom, where greenery, accompanied by more lights, kept the room moderately lit. It was everywhere, hanging from the high ceilings and trailing down the walls, making a fairy’s canopy.

The round tables that edged the room were draped in cream silk-satin blends. They were set with white, marble tableware trimmed with gold and surrounded by gold cutlery. The glasses on the table were cleaned to perfection so that they reflected the lights, making it seem like I was looking through a filter. I had just entered a new, and magical world.

My husband stepped away, assumedly to greet the guests, so I scanned the room to locate my own. It seemed like most of my invited guests had made time to attend. I first noticed my cousins, all standing by one of the tables. It had been so long since any of us had the chance to see each other again, despite previously being so close. I found a sense of pride in finally being able to bring all of us together again. Before I could go to greet them, I was stopped by my mother, who was, against all odds, able to fly in from the other side of the country.

“Everything looks beautiful! Congratulations!”

“Thank you! Nothing like this will ever happen again, I can tell you that right now.” I hugged her and gestured to the rest of the room. “So, please, enjoy every minute."

She chuckled, “How did you get everyone here to make it?” She gestured toward some of the better-known faces that spotted the venue.

“I have my ways,” I said coyly.

“Okay, keep your secrets. I’ll be sure to enjoy myself.” She walked off to the other side of the dancefloor, and I was by myself again. At that point, I made the decision to start to my left and make my way to greet all of my guests.

First up were Leon Thomas and Tyler James Williams, two actors from memorable stages in my childhood, each sipping on the peach champagne that I’d provided as a choice for the refreshments. We exchanged polite pleasantries and I took the opportunity to express my admiration for them before I spotted my father nearby chatting with Hayao Miyazaki. I then excused myself to continue their way.

My father paused his conversation to greet me with a hug. “Are you enjoying the atmosphere so far?” I asked, turning to give Mr. Miyazaki a short bow of greeting.

They both nodded. “Everything looks great! You did an amazing job! Even the details…,” my father answered.

“Thank you. I’m glad everything turned out okay.”

“You should definitely be proud.”

“I’m just as proud as I am glad that the difficult stuff is over,” I giggled. “Now if you’ll excuse me, I’ll be greeting the rest of the guests.” I curtsied, and turned to move on.

I continued to make my way around the room, stopping to greet Chadwick Boseman, Zendaya, Tessa Thompson, Eartha Kitt and Maya Angelou, making sure to let them know the impact they’d all made throughout my life into even my most recent years. Before I could go any further, my husband took me aside to remind me of the time.

7 pm. It was time for me to host the opening of the event. I took his arm, and he led me to the stairs of the high cylindrical platform that served as our stage in the middle of the dancefloor. He guided me up the stairs and to the front of the microphone while I focused on not tripping over my dress.

When I was sure that I’d made it safe, I straightened myself out, and took the mic. “Good evening everyone!” I paused until all of the faces below were looking up at me. “Thank you all for joining us this evening! We appreciate that all of you were able to make it. Every single one of you here has made some degree of a positive influence on my life. Whether at some point in my childhood, or within more recent years, each one of you has inspired a part of me that I won’t ever forget, and it means everything in the world to me that those of you who could make it, did. You all play part in the woman that I am today. So please, make this a night to celebrate! Eat! Drink! Dance! The food will be ready any moment, so if you haven’t decided on your menu, please do so as soon as possible. There are plenty of drinks, so please keep yourself hydrated so that you can dance the night away!” There was a light applause as I placed the mic back into its stand and waited for my husband to lead me back down the stairs.

We sat at our assigned seats at one of the tables next to our parents. “I already ordered your food for you, by the way,” whispered my husband as he pulled my chair out from under the table.

“How did you know what I wanted?” I sat down and he pushed my chair in. I looked down at the untouched menu at our table. For appetizers, there were Brie-Stuffed Mushrooms, and Duchess Potatoes. The Main dishes consisted of Steak Tenderloin, and Eggplant Parmesan. For dessert, we were serving Sweet Grass Jelly with freckled 24k gold flakes or Raspberry-Lemon cheesecake mousse, and for the drinks, we provided options of Iced Lavender Cider, Limoncello Spritz, or the Peach Champagne that seemed to be quite popular tonight.

“You’ve been going on about this menu for months. I have it memorized,” he chuckled. His laughter was accompanied by the crescendo of the classical music played by the live band on the stage. From where I sat, I could only see the harpist, and one of the violinists, but I could hear the cellist, as well the other musicians that joined them. While we ate, I had a classical dancer scheduled to dance a piece or two, only adding to the ambiance that surrounded us.

We went on for hours into the night, evening gowns and coattails whipping into each other as we spun and danced with anyone who was nearby. We mingled with every guest there, exchanging recipes with Tabitha Brown, and reminiscing over movies with Tom Holland. Even as the population of the party dwindled and the band left, my husband and I danced until our feet hurt and enjoyed the night that would never happen again.