Hand in hand, and without any real destination in mind, Gabe and I found ourselves strolling up Fifth Avenue, window-shopping at the luxury stores and marveling at their ornate window displays. Since Gabe was still full from his meatball hero and I’d grabbed a few too many handfuls of Edel-fries in the kitchen between sets, we skipped the French bistro reservation and headed out into the late-afternoon air and setting sun. It was cool but not cold, just enough chill to keep me snuggled up to Gabe’s side as we walked.
“I was planning to win you back with your favorite vintage of Chablis and Loic’s rendition of ‘La Vie En Rose,’ but now I’m at a loss. I mean, how’s a guy supposed to compete with moules frites?” Gabe smirked playfully with a shrug in my direction. “But I am determined to salvage this date somehow, so we can do anything you want. Anything at all. Just say the word and we’re there.”
I thought back to when I first met Gabe. He was my New York passport, showing me all the best spots and hidden gems only “real” New Yorkers knew about. I remember one time we took the subway all the way down to Essex Street so he could show me what used to be “Pickle Alley,” aptly named for the dozens of pickle vendors who could once be found there. Only a few stands remained, but we spent our afternoon on a “pickle crawl,” tasting and critiquing the briny delights and laughing at our ridiculous mock assessments.
With our snootiest accents we mocked, “Hmm . . . good girth, but the hint of dill makes it less than exemplary.” “Ah yes, this one’s a bit too sour for my refined palate.” The proprietors of the stands were not as amused as we were.
That’s what it was like to be with Gabe—he kept me on my toes by always managing to find the extraordinary in the ordinary. Unlike Adam, who made every occasion flashy and lavish, Gabe kept it simple. Straightforward. There was no pretense or underlying motive. He was who he was, and there was something comforting in that, especially after finding out Adam had ten different aliases and probably an entirely different set of lies built around each one.
Gabe’s authenticity and genuine heart were why I fell in love with him as hard as I had. He always made me feel safe and protected, and at the diner (and even now), I was surprised by the calm ease of my body melting into his, relishing in the familiar curve of his neck as I nuzzled my head under his chin during our impromptu slow dance.
I said, “I do have this one idea. Oak, one of my roommates, was talking about it last week.” I widened my eyes in his direction as a challenge. “That is, if you think your electric boogie is good enough?”
“Oak? Electric boogie? I have no idea what any of that means, but please, I’m intrigued. Lead the way,” he said, gesturing toward the sidewalk.
I took Gabe’s arm and we zigzagged through the crowded Midtown streets until we reached the entrance to Central Park and a sign for Wollman Rink.
Gabe tapped his pointer finger to his chin. “Ice skating?”
I smiled broadly. “Nope, not ice skating.”
We crossed over the Gapstow Bridge, past the pond and the Central Park Zoo to where more and more people were beginning to funnel into a wide, gated entrance.
“So we aren’t skating . . . but we’re at a skating rink? Curiouser and curiouser,” Gabe said, still trying to work out the big reveal.
I grinned mischievously and pointed to the neon sign welcoming the crowds to DISCOASIS: AN IMMERSIVE ROLLER SKATE EXPERIENCE. Happy couples and families with small children continued to usher past us, their Afro wigs and bell-bottoms now even more apparent. “So, are you game to ‘Get Down Tonight’?” I asked.
His smile gave way to a sexy grin. “C’mon girl, ‘Let’s Groove.’” He took my hand, and as we walked in the direction of the entrance, Gabe chuckled. “By the way, how many more of these disco puns do you think we have in us?”
“The night is young, and I’m here ’til the ‘Last Dance,’” I said, singing the Donna Summer hit.
He retorted with a quick, “Well then, let’s get in there so you can ‘Shake Your Groove Thing.’”
We walked up to a ticket window and paid for the “Le Freak” passes, which got you two costume rentals and two drinks, before we were ushered over to the “Funkytown” tent. Inside were racks and racks of fringed vests, polyester jumpsuits, and tie-dyed tees.
I triumphantly held up a pair of hot-pink flared pants with sequins down the front of them. “I must wear these!” I said, and continued rummaging through the racks. “Ooh! With this!” I held up a patchwork bandeau top and a fuzzy white faux-fur jacket, one in each hand, and squealed at my finds.
Gabe looked simply lost. “Um . . . ,” he mumbled.
I nudged him playfully. “I gotchu, hot stuff. Gimme a sec,” I said, handing him my finds and diving back into the racks.
The minute I spotted the outfit, I knew it was the one. I wrenched it off the hanger and handed Gabe an almost exact replica of John Travolta’s Saturday Night Fever white leisure suit, complete with fitted vest, bell-bottom pants, and wig. His eyes darted from the garment back to me, to the garment again, certain I was joking. When I shook my head and thrust the suit a little closer, he sighed in amused defeat and took the getup from me to go and change.
A few minutes later, both of us looking like we just stepped out of Studio 54, we went over to grab our roller skates from the rental counter. Though the leisure suit was an over-the-top, slightly ridiculous costume, the cheap polyester somehow hugged him in all the right places, and he was making that suit look good. Maybe it was this new, go-with-the-flow attitude I wasn’t used to seeing in him? Or maybe it was my childhood crush on John Travolta, but between the ease of his smile, the occasional flash of his dimples, and this new sexy silliness, my heart was practically palpitating, and we hadn’t even started the cardio yet. We flashed our “Le Freak” passes, and a young guy wearing a suede fringe vest and dripping in gold chains handed us two pairs we quickly laced up on a nearby bench.
Before standing, Gabe turned to me. “I haven’t done this um . . . maybe ever. So apologies if this night gets rerouted to the ER.”