Fall of 1996, my sister's best friend, Esther, gets back from vacation in Las Vegas with her husband, Robert. Esther tells of their adventures there and how they saw these famous German magicians in Las Vegas. We note with humor how Esther gets all giddy and blushes when she talks about how amazing they are. Although Dawn Marie--my sister--and I are absolutely clueless as to who she's talking about. The only magician we knew was David Copperfield.
On a visit to Esther and Robert's flat, we're told in more detail about their visit there. Now we have Robert giving his adjulation over them. Dawn Marie suggests we all go there one day and see these magicians together.
Spring of 1997, a classmate from Math 101 share photographs from Las Vegas -- a place I've never been. I'm envious of it's beauty and magic, and I note how his eyes sparkle like a child in candy land.
Summer of 1997, Esther and Robert invite my sister and I over to watch National Lampoon's VEGAS VACATION, starring Chevy Chase. Throughout the film, I keep saying: "I want to go there SO bad!"
Fall of 1997, I turn 21 and have a dissapointing birthday. I was expecting my 21st to be one of the most memorable birthdays ever. Does this sound a amazing (or what)? My parents take me to RED LOBSTER, my sister can't get out of work early enough to join us and both Robert and Esther are working late!
That weekend, Robert had to go on a business trip and Dawn Marie asked if I wanted to drive along with her and Esther to take him to the airport. Dawn Marie tells me that since Robert couldn't celebrate my birthday with me, he wanted to at least buy me an alcoholic drink at the airport. Sounded good to me.
We got to the airport and we unloaded Robert's things. Remaining naive, I joked to Robert: "Wow, this is a lot of luggage for one person!" (not realizing that the luggage was for four people). Just to make the situation more ironic and laughable, they handed me my luggage packed to looked like Robert's luggage.
Robert bought us all pizza and a drink, because none of us felt like getting an alcohlic beverage. It wasn't until we were standing in line to check in Robert's luggage (minutes for his departure) that I got the shock of a century.
"Well, since Robert's about to leave, you should open your birthday present right now," my sister, Dawn Marie, announced. She handed me a card and I opened it, thinking, "What the hell's going on?" (I talk cleaner than I talk).
Inside were two tickets to Las Vegas and I was all: "Wow! This is great", thinking that we were going to go in a couple week (or something).
Robert cleared my confusion (or rather added to it, if you consider confusion to mean totally shocked, surprised, and bewildered) by saying: "And you're leaving in 10 minutes!"
"What!?" I demanded, rhetorically. "You're joking!?" I've never had a surprise birthday party or any surprise of any kind in my entire life to compare to the absolute shock I was experiencing.
From that point on, my synapses were sending electrical signals to my brain that so fast that my hair was standing on end.
As soon as we got to Las Vegas, we checked into Excalibur and then walked across the walkway to New York, New York. We got totally expensive roast beef sandwiches that added to my sense of shock, being told my whole life that Las Vegas was the place that someone could totally pig-out on good foor for as much as you would spend on fast food. I was still hungry after that roast beef sandwich, so it was a bad idea to drink any alcohol -- I did't let that stop me! I was 21 and I was going to have my second alcoholic drink, gosh darn it! I got a huge Tequila for like $20 and started sucking it down like a parched man in an desert. I was at the bar with Dawn Marie, Robert, and Esther on my right. The world started swimming in a dizzying effect and everyone's voice became distint, and I became more increasingly aware that my head felt like it was going to blow up like a thermometer pushed to its limits -- those old synapses, again (on the fritz!).
I kept shoving my right hand through my hair, groaning and moaning, because what was worse than possible head explosions, was my empty stomache, wanting to become even more empty.
Esther was having a similiar experience down the bar with her bloody mary and we both grinned at each other. She seemed to know something was wrong on my end of the bar. I told Dawn Marie of my present condition and told Esther and Robert: "Adam's ready to go back to the room. He's not feeling well." Yup, a party pooper at his own party. It was a good idea, because it was like 1am and everything was closing much to our suprise.
We tried to find out way out, but we took a wrong turn a couple times. The whole time, I'm stooped over, giving my stomache more room to work with. Also, I'm fearing the embarrassment that will ensue, if my stomache decided to empty itself (despite my effort to make it happy with more room) on the beautiful, emmaculate Las Vegas resort. I took baby steps and was releived to feel the cold night air on my face, as we walked from New York to Excalibur. By the time I made it to my room, I felt better (wouldn't you know it!).
Esther hadn't slept for over 30 hours, so she was extremely happy to go to sleep. I was still fighting the old youthful energy, but I showered off and felt all warm and cozy, so I got to sleep alright.
Providential stories, filled with magic and mystery shall ensue when I feel like continuing further. Bye for now, droogles.
You can get a feel of the magic from the official site of Siegfried & Roy.