Friday Picture Day: The Girls from Topkapi

When I first moved back here from Arizona where I grew up I lived and worked for my dad, needless to say that did not work out and he fired me and kicked me out of the house (but that is another story).

I lived at this girl Trudy's house on her couch for about 3 months and then we found an apartment together (ah Trudy...that too is another story a good one but not for now). I also had to find a job and I remember Melissa (who was visiting me at the time) and I were at the mall looking around and shopping for her to bring presents back home. As we were walking I saw a sign in a window at an accessories store called Topkapi (they were owned by Claire's) that said help wanted. I decided to go in and speak to the manager about a job. She (Kelly) liked me right away and pretty much hired me on the spot. We became fast friends and she was the manager and I was the assistant manager. The other person that I became very good friends with is Alyssa, who at the time was still in highschool (senior) and this was her afterschool job. I used to take Alyssa to a club called Joy on Thursday nights and we would have so much fun dancing, drinking, talking, laughing, meeting guys. Kelly and I oh we had so much fun, we used to go to all the clubs and party. We used to hang out with these 2 guys from UAE, oh my gawd they had more money then I could ever imagine. They were here for school and one of them had an allowance of $5000.00 a day (yes that is five thousand). If he spent all of it the next day $5000.00 was back in his account, if he spent $100.00 a $100.00 was added back to make it $5000.00. People that is $35,000.00 a week, most people don't make that in a year let alone have that as their fun money. Remind me to tell you of the time we went to NYC to go shopping.

Anyway this picture is from Topkapi around Christmas 1995, from top going clockwise Alyssa, Kelly (in middle) Catrice, Thao & Me. Sometimes when something awful happens, something wonderful emerges from that. I have two very close friends because of the fight my father and I had, so even when things look bad, remember that there truely is a silver lining. I can't believe it has been 12 years, Kelly is now in DC working, and Alyssa just finished her 1st year of law school (I'm so very proud of her). I don't know what happened to Catrice or Thao, I know that Thao wanted to go into broadcastng and was hoping to be an intern for Howard Stern. I hope she was able to fullfill her dream. Catrice quit working there and I never saw her again.