The flag.
It seems to be that every American home should have one and display it with pride. It is common to see them hanging from a specially erected flag pole in the front garden of a house whether it be in Beverley Hills or the Antelope Valley where Don and Mark's house is. Of course my fellow Brits would scoff at such an idea.... who would display a Union Jack in such a manner in the UK after all? It is just not the done thing... you can just imagine the neighbours laughing over their Sunday roast at the mention of your display of patriotism!
I rather like the Union Jack though... it looks far more stylish than the 'Stars 'n' Stripes'. Perhaps I will invest in one on my return to England to hang from my father's bedroom window!
It just so happens that Mark and Don have a flag in their cupboard, or perhaps 'closet' would be more appropriate. The pool party will be upon us within a week and Donaldo is very keen to take the flag outside and show it off to the world. Patriotic? No. This particular flag can be seen hanging proudly from the streetlamps of the main boulevards in San Francisco. It is made up of horizontal stripes but there are no stars. Dorothy sang about it. Yes, I am talking about that bold and jolly gay rainbow flag.
Don had been eagerly skipping around the villa clutching the flag. While Mark and I were relaxing in the pool the flag appeared over the railings of the upstairs terrace followed by the straw hat donning Don and his excited question "Hey guys, what do you think?!". Of course our response was to raise our eyebrows at each other. Considering the view down through the valley I would say "so I take it that you want everyone to know your sexual preference then?". The flag disappeared.
Don came bounding around the pool while Mark was out in Palmdale with a long black plastic drainpipe cluthched in his outstretched hand. On reaching the height of the jacuzzi's terrace which has the best view through the valley he turns to me as I float dreamily, plants the post and says "Hey homey! What do you think? I could hang the flag from this!". I thought this was fantastic news indeed, imagining the flag billowing boldly in the wind from the mountainside for all to see. Worthy of a photograph I felt. "Great idea" I said heartily! What a shame it never came to be! Perhaps Don should wear the flag as a cape at his P.A.R.T.Y?
The Abbey again?! Why certainly! After a strenuous day of floating and dreaming, and helping to prepare for the party next week ( in the form of lighting displays, hanging a certain flag to keep the D happy and doing other general bits and pieces) we decided a few drinks in town were needed to spruce up the feathers for. As usual the bar was packed with a brigade of neatly coiffed LA party posers, and this time I had a decent group of friends around me. It makes a change from being the Mr Drinkaloner at the end of the bar... of course this has never lasted for long but even so it is a pleasure to walk in with friends! And it seems that the three of us are quite a good team together. Inevitably the evening turned into a whirlwind of chatter, bad jokes and stupidity.
By 05.30 Mark and I decided that it was probably about time to stop talking on the terrace and call it a night....
"IT'S A NIGHT!!"
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