The Director Stories (Chapter 1: The incident of the roof climb)

Ebs (my "twin" back in high school) was up for the weekend. Our mutual friend was Juliet in R&J that weekend. I hadn't seen Ebs in about a month and Juliet in even longer. Ironic considering she lived across campus and attended the Old Alma Mater. The party we were attending after the show had been moved across campus. I couldn't see the show until the next night because of dinner at my director's house. We were sharing a Russian dinner in honor of Anton Chekhov's brilliant playwriting. And as an excuse to eat and drink together.
We were all bringing something, I brought the vodka and the shot glasses. Shortly after I arrived we took some good Vodka, better than mine, as an appertif. We toasted. I showed everyone the proper way to shoot Vodka. Breathe out completely through the mouth, drink, inhale slowly through the nose. The Vodka was excellent, it tasted clean and vaguely of lemons. I drank another with a cast member, most people were not getting drunk.
Dinner consisted of Borscht with Sour Cream, Russian Pastry, and Potatoes. After dinner we resumed drinking the Vodka. Once the good vodka was gone, mine was opened up. Late during dinner LD arrived and we took a shot of Vodka together. Russian hospitality dictates that nobody should drink alone, or without a toast. I think we drank to life.
After we finished eating I had another drink with LD and we went outside for a cigarette. Shortly thereafter I got a phone call from Ebs and Juliet. They were supposed to come to the party that was next to my house. We agreed to meet shortly at the site of the new party. I told LD I was going, she wanted to come. We went inside. Me, my Director and LD all took a final shot of Vodka. I put the vodka and one shot glass in my backpack and we headed out. I was very drunk and excited to see my friends. They were both very dear to me. Over the course of the night I offered Vodka to anyone who wanted it, and even to people who didn't. I invited Ebs and Juliet back to play beer pong at my house. On our way off from the party I saw my Director and LG and invited them as well. We all stumbled back.
We left the party at 2:30. Around 4:00 Paul Buerre and I had managed to play 5 or 6 games with very little in the way of breaks. My head was swamped, but I was not tired. The 4 girls had taken turns, LD had left around 3:30. My Director was listless, as was I. When Ebs and Juliet decided to head out I agreed to walk my Director home. Instead, we wandered around campus for some time. I drank a beer. I threw the empty in a trashcan and then kicked it over. The top clanged off. She made me right it. We visited all my late night adventure locales. The echo spot. The mirror on the lake. We climbed the mushroom tree. Then we decided to climb up on the roof of the gym. The field house at the old alma mater has peaked roofs that dip into valleys and sweep down almost reaching the ground in the back of the building. Perfect for climbing up and sliding down. I quickly climbed using my fingertips and the balls of my feet. I was wearing converse with the soles worn slick, but still went up in one graceful walk. I sat and waited for My Director on the slope of the roof. All the running around had exacerbated my drunken state and looking out over the dark golf course I felt the world dipping up and down with my breath. I tried to explain how to get up the roof which at 5am was starting to get wet from the coming morning. I was unable. Eventually she made her way up and collapsed next to me, across my lap. I laid down to steady myself so I wouldn't slide down from the high point of the roof. She laid down next to me. I shivered.

"Are you cold?"
"No."
"This was fun."
"Yeah, it was."
"Don't try and do anything."
"I won't."
"Okay."

We laid silently for a long time. Occasionally I would shiver and she would offer to leave. I wanted to stay.
Finally the moment was over, it was 5:30. We slid down the way we came up and walked around the front of the building.

"What now?" I asked.
"Well, I have keys to the academic buildings, we could go on top of one of those."
"Wait, are you serious?"
"Yes."
"You've had these the whole time?"
"Yes."
"Let's go on top of a building and watch the sunrise." I hadn't watched the sunrise in a long time.
"Okay, we just need to go back and get them."

We walked to her house. Her roomate was asleep on the couch, the TV was on. She woke up confused, My Director talked to her briefly and she went into her room. I turned the TV off.

"I have to go to bed."
"No sunrise?"
"Maybe some other time."
"I'll hold you to that."
"Okay."

We hugged. I went home. On the way I kicked over the same trashcan again. When I got home I was mostly sober. I drank a glass of milk and sat on the couch. After I was done I got undressed and fell asleep in my bed, alone. I had a date with Ebs and Juliet for breakfast the next morning. I didn't want to miss it.