Scott and I arrived at around 9 p.m. Had anyone heard of such a thing prior to the closing, we would have been laughed at, but considering the circumstances everyone had arrived early. There was a line of about 300 people wrapping around the parking lot and into the entrance alleyway, causing us to consider turning around immediately. Dave convinced us to park and stand in line anyway. An hour later and we were inside, which we decided wasn't too bad.

The crowd kept piling in until there was only standing room, which made for quite the cozy evening. There was much dancing ? up and down, anyway ? and as soon as it started to get too crowded, we left and headed to another club where more dancing took place. It was another night at Tracks, nothing special, nothing outstanding. It was an appropriately mediocre end.

It's been a while since I partied with the girls. I've abstained mostly because I've grown accustomed to early-night turn-ins and have been trying to avoid the drug/club/fag scene altogether. Feeling somewhat obligated to go, though, I ended up agreeing to join them and, subsequently, enjoyed myself.

Being there reminded me of all the good times I had had. I always said I had one of the best nights of my life there, not because of the location, but because of the events that took place and the people I was with.

I was 19 and on one of my last months living in Denver. The past couple of weeks had been particularly bad because my roommate, Ed, and I had been having an ongoing fight. That Saturday, I decided to go to Tracks ? by the graces of Scotty ? to relieve some tension and dance a bit. Dave couldn't make it that night, so I had to go by myself, which was unusual for me at the time.

Upon arrival, I met up with Alan and Kali in Heaven's Lounge, the hip, disco room with the tic-tac-toe dance floor. Jeremy Inman was there, who I had had a crush on for a year or more, and we ended up talking for a good hour. Before I knew it, we were holding hands on the couch and oblivious to the rest of the room.

No sooner had Jeremy and I confessed our mutual attraction for each other, than my roommate Ed stumbled in and, upon finding me on the couch, began apologizing profusely for our fallout over the past weeks. Both of us being slightly tipsy, embraced each other and cried apologies, swearing undying love and loyalty to one another.

Later, Jeremy and I continued into the main room to dance, enamoured with one another, and as I walked through the bar upstairs, the crowds parted mysteriously. There stood Dave beaming at me. I had not expected him to be there, so his arrival was a complete surprise and I was elated to see him and share my recent adventures with him.

Of course, that night has gone through the usual shoe-shine of time to appear sparkling and idealistic in the light of memory, but I remember the highs and lows as though they were last week. By going Saturday night, I had hoped to capture a bit of the light and air from the club to attach to that memory, somehow bring it to life or make it more realistic. But whereas physical location can easily be reproduced, emotions and people and events must always remain ambered in memory.

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