fate or chance?

Last night was a cascading waterfall of coincidences.  It was like watching one of those huge domino structures someone set up to knock over.  They rapidly start falling over and then BOOM one falls off the table into a scale to start two rows going, then a couple minutes later WHAP a silver ball is rolling, and then KAPLOOIE a torch lights to heat an air balloon....

 

You get the idea.

 

The night started because fortuitously my friend La-La-La had received a card entitling her to free food at a new Chipotle opening on my corner.  This was a fun coincidence as she had gotten this card the other night while walking home from work, yet her job is in SOHO and lives on the UES - thus my hood is pretty darn out of the way.  Meanwhile I, the girl who lives a mere 20 yards from the establishment never got a card.  Lucky for us she did!

 

We partook in the free food and beverage (mmmmmmmmmm good), and on the way out realized that our evening's errands could wait until after we had a glass of wine nearby.  What's the rush?

 

I suggested a neat little spot nearby that I have passed a million and one times but never been to.  It is very well hidden, not easily noticeable, yet quite intricately decorated inside which has always intrigued me.  Oh, and once while walking by I saw Denzel Washington inside, which I found pretty darn impressive.

 

So we enter and commence to drinking.  La-La-La started talking about coincidences, and how her manly-man (we will call him MMM for miracle marathon man, as he completed the Philly marathon a couple weeks ago in 3:15, which I find absolutely AMAZING but he is disappointed with!!) had been talking with her about them the other night.  And then she pointed out an actor she recognized, Johnny Galecki.  She knew him by name, which I found funny, but she explained that she and MMM had looked for him on imdb the other night.  Huh, neat coincidence.

 

He looked great, by the way.

 

Anyhoo, we are having fun and decide to go for glass of wine number three.  At this point we are enchanted by this place.  It is over decorated to the point that it is could almost be tacky, but yet the items are so diverse and interesting the place is intimate and charming.  The bathrooms were a wonder of decoration to the point that La-La-La and I were ready to sign a lease and move in.

 

We are about done with our third glass of wine when we notice someone nearly knocking over one of the many vary large plants in the room.  Thinking it is someone who is drunk we look over, and realize this was our mistake, that in fact it was a blind man.

 

Stevie Wonder.

 

Yes, we were a mere two mere yards away from a LIVING LEGEND.  We immediately were blushing, tongue-tied in awe of him.  This was not so much a coincidence as really really cool.

 

At this point we ordered another glass of wine to bask in his presence. 

 

The place wasn't too busy, so the bartender sat down and joined us in our conversation.  He mentioned that not only was Stevie here, but Earth Wind and Fire was having dinner in the next room.

 

Mother of god what is this place?  This night is just too cool.

 

We continue our convo with the bartender, and we get to the point where we are talking about jobs and such.  He is an actor between gigs, had worked at this establishment once before and had just started back.  Oh, and he used to work for this restaurant called Tuscan.

 

Wha?  Wha???  Wha?????  Yeah, the same Tuscan I worked at for three years.  The only other place I have worked in the city.  Seems he started just after I left, we had barely missed each other.  This would be another coincidence, methinks. 

 

This sparked another glass of wine and an animated discussion of all the people we knew in common and how they are/have been.  Poor La-La-La had to listen to us go on and on and on about all these personalities she has never met.  Until the discussion comes around to the favorite watering hole of Tuscan employees, the local at which I spent many a night closing and drinking until six am, Peter Dylan's.

 

La-La-La perks up.  She knows this bar.  Seems MMM used to frequent it quite often when he worked around the corner, and had introduced her to the establishment on occasion.  Now we all start talking about the place and the bartender Paulie, whom we all know.  

 

The coincidences have come full circle, back to La-La-La and MMM.  We are all linked together through a strange turn of events.

 

MMM shows up, joins the discussion, and the four of us head across the street to continue the party.  We have a few more drinks and I am just stupid drunk.  It is almost one in the morning, dear god how will I get to work the next day/this day?

 

At this point I ask MMM about the coincidence discussion he and La-La-La had the other night, in light of the evening's events.  He clarifies something - that the point of their debate had been that he thinks that coincidences mean nothing, that people just notice them because they stand out, that the myriads of normal events and missed coincidences in effect prove that nothing is connected and by the pure nature of odds funny things are bound to happen.

 

This, my friends, is the best coincidence at all, and a perfect way to end the night.