Twenty-Seven

I am on the very brink of leaving my mid-twenties, and entering my late twenties. I'm sure that ten, twenty and thirty years from now, I will look back and think that I was completely ridiculous for feeling like I was getting "old." The scary thing is, it feels like just yesterday that I entered my twenties.

It was a cold January night, back in 2004. My friends and I had dinner in Providence. After dinner, we attempted to go to a male strip club. Much to our dismay, we learned that it had been closed. As a consolation prize, we visited a sex toy store instead. Afterwards, we headed back to school, (The University of Rhode Island) for a house party. My night ended in a random stranger's bed. This was the first time that this had occurred thus far in my life. (Though, I'm quite sure that I had invited atleast a couple of random strangers to my dorm room, twin bed prior to my 20th birthday). Waking up in a complete stranger's house, (a fellow URI student), I thought; Wow. I am REALLY in my twenties now. Is there something wrong that my idea of what people in their twenties did included hooking up and sleeping around?

Twenty-seven. Hmm, I just don't know about you. Something about twenty-seven sounds old, mature, and even mysterious to me. I better get used to this. It's funny life's milestones that you think you will hit by a certain age when you're younger. My parents got married at twenty-four. All of my childhood I thought that I would also be married at twenty-four. As I entered my late teens and early twenties, I realized that would not be happening. And, considering that I don't have a boyfriend, I still have a ways to go on this whole marriage thing. At a recent family gathering, my grandma whispered to me--"It's okay, your aunt didn't get married until she was thirty-six." LAY OFF, GRANDMA.

I suppose that what I'm getting at is this: It is hard to believe another year has gone by, (they go so fast), and that for Little Mimi Girl and Craig David, it's been almost twenty-seven years to the day since they birthed me. That can't be easy for them either! Especially, because I am not their oldest child. I am the second child in line to hit this mark. When will I actually begin to feel my age? (If I have it my way, hopefully never). It also probably does not help that I am mistaken for a nineteen or twenty year old every weekend. (As the bouncer very carefully looks at my ID). I swear, Mr. Bouncer, I'm well beyond legal. Listen, twenty-seven. I'm putting all of my eggs in your basket. Don't let me down. K?