Last Night

Last night I was given a Ziploc bag and told that I could only bring with me what I could fit in there. I only had an hour to pack before I left. Immediately I put what you normally put in a Ziploc bag when going on a trip - shampoo, toothpaste, lotion, deodorant, etc. (all under 3 oz of course) Once those were in, I still had lots of room (apparently I was given a Mary Poppins bag). So I started packing things that I would be needing if I happened to be gone more than a week or two.

It was amazing to me how I had never considered clothing up until this point. I didn't know how long I would be gone so I would definitely need more than the jeans and t-shirt I was wearing. I grabbed 3 pairs of underwear, assuring myself that I could easily do laundry. Then I grabbed the only article of clothing that I could possibly need while I was away - my sweats!

At this point, after I was satisfied that I had anything I could want/need while I was away, I realized who I would be with. I could not show my face in sweats in front of these people - who am I kidding (unless they were designer sweats...then maybe). So I began to panic. But then I thought about where we were headed and decided that it didn't matter what I looked like - I wanted to be comfortable.

So I kissed my family goodbye and boarded the bus with my packed Ziploc bag. I was very nervous, but I knew there was no way out of it. So I put on a brave face and left.

The first person I saw when I arrived at my destination was Blair. Of course she hadn't listened to the "one bag" rule. I knew I should have brought more. But I wasn't able to talk with her. I was immediately taken to my "room" and wouldn't see anyone else until our meeting later. I looked around my space and thought that maybe this wasn't going to be as bad as I thought.

At the meeting later that night, I met the rest of my comrades. We were sitting in a circle when Rufus walked in and welcomed us all to the Upper East Side Concentration Camp. This was the time of day when we would share how we were feeling so that we'd be able to help each other through the ordeal. Then Serena came through the door and collapsed on the couch crying. We all knew why - she had just learned that Dan had slept with Rachel. It was a little uncomfortable - seeing as Dan was right there. But Rufus turned it into a learning experience for us all.

Rufus took a blanket and began to wrap it around Serena. He said that we needed to comfort each other in their times of hardships. At this Serena freaked out, fell to the floor and began to sob and yell at Rufus. She told him that he was the last person she wanted comfort from since it was HIS son who was making her cry. She then turned on Dan, but was crying too hard to get anything out. I couldn't take it anymore. I fell on the floor next to Serena and held her in my arms while she cried and cried. No one knew what to do.

Then the bell rang. Our "session" was over and it was time for me to wake up. But for some reason I did not want to leave that concentration camp. I was there with all my best friends and couldn't think of anything I wanted more.