Corporate, Part Three of Three
February 17th, 2007.
Previously…
So, the last time I fell off of the radar, that was totally my fault. This current one wasn’t. For the second consecutive year, my computer decided that it was not going to work anymore. Quite an annoying occurrence, mind you. This time, the hard drive of my PC completely died on me. I lost a lot of data, and all of my phone numbers as well as a lot of my writings (though a lot of it was saved in other safe places). But that’s neither here nor there. I’m back again, after that little false start weeks ago.
As we already know, a lot happened. March was the fast-forward month. We’ll deal with that later. As for what to do about all of that, well, I don’t know. A lot of things that I was happy about, and a lot that I wasn’t happy about happened. Such is life, and I dealt with it. Normally, I’d hit the big reset button and run off again. The road was out there, at least. Now part of that change led me to closing off the road again. New roots. New life. New everything.
For the moment, though, let’s rewind back to the cooler days of February, and finish up the unfinished story about a little roadie to Baltimore, Maryland. Keary showed me his world of wingtips and power ties. The past still has a story or two to be told. The future, however strange, surreal, and potentially the weirdest it’s ever been, it can wait.
And now…
I lay peacefully in my warm hotel room, covered with the most comfortable blankets I’ve been covered with in a long time. Sure, I was hung over from last night, due to all the partying at Vellagia, but I was okay. The room didn’t spin as long as I stayed in bed, listening to the sweet sounds of the bustling Baltimore streets. I was warm, safe, happy. Then it happened. It was inevitable.
The phone seemed a lot louder than usual. Doubled and redoubled, ringing through the pillow over my head. There was only one way to stop it. If I didn’t pick it up, it would go on and on. I knew who it was as soon as it rang. No surprises there. It still didn’t mean I was slightly upset about who it was.
Keary was a dedicated person. He always was. He was the type to take the direct route and go out and get what he wanted. That was him when he was a kid. He sure didn’t change much. He sounded alert and awake over the phone, compared to my half groggy, half dead voice on the other end.
He had a plan. It involved putting on another suit and hiking over to the nearby convention centre to go to the planned Power Breakfast with all of the other companies involved with the Black Engineer of the Year Awards. I could have sworn we agreed that we weren’t going to go to that at all, considering all of the dancing and silliness the night before. Then again, I didn’t remember much, and he probably changed my mind with me not even realizing it. Damned Jack and Coke.
The pair of us suited up and somehow we made it over to the breakfast. The food was good, but I concentrated on the coffee. A lot of the folks from the night before didn’t make it, confirming my theory that even execs take a morning off every now and then. I had to commend Keary on his dedication to his work, though. Because if he wasn’t there, I’d still be asleep in the hotel. Not that it was a bad thing or anything.
After that, we took a long break, before the big shindig that evening at the Convention Center, the crowning event of this whole shebang, the BEYA ceremony. I spent the morning and part of the afternoon catching up on the sleep I lost, while Keary tried to sort out where in the United States of America was his lost luggage. He wondered if his belongings even left New York City.
I finally shook off the hangover, and we got lunch at a place called, if I recall correctly, McCormick & Schmick's Seafood Restaurant. They had quite possibly the best crab cakes on the face of the planet. Seriously. I really mean that.
We also played tourist for a bit, checking out everything in the Inner Harbor. The scene there was a mix of the old, mixed in with the new. It reminded my why I missed the North. Everything was so much older here, alive with character and chockfull of a myriad of stories to be told over and over again. The new sights didn’t intrude too much, and added part of the character of this place in its own unique way. As much derided Baltimore was for its crime and poverty (rightfully so), it was really a stoically beautiful place, in its own way. There was so much history here.
The evening came, and we headed over to the Hilton for quite the splendid dinner. Not just any dinner, but a lavish seven-course meal! I hadn’t had this good of a meal since Caroline and Britt’s big wedding bash back in the autumn of 2005.
As it was, we feasted like kings, while Keary schmoozed with the higher ups in his company. It was sure his world. I was a simple charismatic spectator, chiming in with an oddball story, or funny joke here and there. My brother sure could command a conversation, when he put his mind to it. This was his show, and I made sure of it as best as I could. Truth be told, I was really happy and proud.
After dinner, we made our way to the huge BEYA ceremony over at the Convention Center. When I mean huge, it was bloody huge. I don’t know how many people were there, but it must have been at least 1,500 people. Everyone was dressed to the nines, looking their best. Keary and I hung out with his company’s section of the ballroom, looking out onto the stage as the legendary Richard Roundtree (the actor who portrayed the badass character “Shaft” in the 1970’s, for the uninitiated) emceed the whole event. I met him once, a few years ago at my old haunt, Ybor’s Martini Bar (before that joint shuttered its doors for good). He was a pretty down-to-Earth guy. There was also Jennifer Holliday, a former Grammy Award and Tony Award winner who sang songs from her Broadway days. She brought the house down, I’ll give her that.
The ceremony went on for a long while, and we stuck around till the end, to head over to the official after party at a joint called Eden. It was in the nightclub district of the city, and a bit of a cab ride away. Keary and I stuffed ourselves into a cab with a couple other of his mates and off we were. I had no idea where Eden was, so it was exciting to see another part of town.
Eden had the kind of vibe that I couldn’t really describe, only because there was absolutely no place I have ever been in the city of Orlando that was even close to being what kind of place this was. It was a little bit of Rhythm & Flow, Firestone, and Knock Knock (in its former incarnation, not the newer and infinitely less aesthetically pleasing one). It was a maze of a place, with a cloakroom, several bars, and lots of places to get lost in. The mildly lit corners, the loud and perfectly mixed combination of hip hop, R&B, and neo soul completely and utterly impressed me. And it was the first time in a long while where I was in a place like this.
Keary’s company had a private spot in one of the VIP rooms, which we managed to find. Open bar, welcome aboard! We all hung out, talked about the last few days, and were treated to the highflying aerial artistry of the NBA Slam Dunk Contest, which happened to be broadcast at the same time. And all was good that night.
February 18th, 2007. The last morning in town. It was bittersweet morning, as Keary and I parted ways again. Him, to his life and family on the other side of the world, in far flung Seoul, South Korea. Me, to my life of constant uncertainty, unpredictably uncanny exploits, and unemployment in Orlando, Florida. Two different destinations. He had an idea of where he was going, and I just rode time along till whatever came up. We were the same way when we were young, and we were the same way that last time we hugged goodbye in the hotel. Sure, I was going to miss my brother again. We were at our best in the same place, but that would be for another day. We had our own paths in life to figure out, to live through. Our paths would cross again, only in both our minds, it would be too long.
The trip to BWI was a quick one, and I was basically on running on fumes during the flight as well. My cousin Lisa picked me up at Orlando International Airport, with her daughter, the cute-as-a-button and loquacious Sierra. We talked about the trip for a while, and she caught me up with what I missed. Home sweet home? What I heard from her made it seem like things were far from that, but those were worries for another day. I never got involved in family business, and I wasn’t about to start anytime soon.
So, the future was right in front of me. And it was no way that I could have predicted the way it would all turn out. And that was the best part of it all, living and experiencing it firsthand, warts and all.
Next: Everything old is new again. What’s next? A whole lot, as we fast forward to the new and the now! On tap next, a City without a Super?! The departure of old friends, the return of old friends, new random friends, a new status quo, and really big changes are just a taste of what’s in store. A lot can happen in a month as we’ll learn soon enough.