In the March of 1994 I hosted my first Oscar’s party. I’d seen the idea on an american television show at some point during the previous year and decided I’d like to do it. My partner was going to be away so I’d have the house to myself so I invited all my friends round. It meant most of them taking a day off work or college or uni but this would be a party fit for a queen, and they knew it, so most of them didn’t mind missing a day. It actually turned into two days as they needed the day to sleep as the Oscars weren’t going to be starting until midnight!
It was to be a theme party. One of many I attended or hosted during my twenties, in fact the last theme party I attended was my own thirtieth when the theme was dead celebrities. The theme of this night was “Hollywood!” – a typical Oscar theme really. Quite a few came as Marilyn Monroe and even more turned up as Clarke Gable but there was only one Errol Flynn.
In he walked, smooth and suave, really playing and looking the part. So much so that it took me a few seconds to realise who it really was. Ashley had dyed his hair darker, away from his natural blonde, and grown a real mustache rather than painting one on and in his suit he looked stunning as Flynn. He smoked once a month, if that, but that night he’d gone the whole hog and bought filterless cigarettes but spent the night coughing while trying to keep in character.
I hadn’t told people they had to keep in character but Ashley had decided that if he was Errol Flynn for the night then he really would be Errol Flynn. His partner at the time, Ian, had come as Alfred Hitchcook with cushions stuffed up his shirt to fatten his very skinny figure out. He wasn’t too thrilled to find out Ash was playing the part fully because that meant he go no “attention” all night. Well, not in front of the guests anyway.
Derek, the guy I was seeing behind my partners back (naughty me!), and myself had decided to come as failed actors so dressed as waiters. Derek’s idea of wearing roller-boots didn’t go down too well when he flew across the kitchen and threw lager all over Rita Hayworth (it’s not often you can say that!). An hour later she was paralytic and taken home by her date anyway. Nicola her name was and no one liked her. She hadn’t actually been invited but had invited herself and it was kind of hard to say no to her. It wasn’t really that hard to say no, many people said it to her all the time, she just didn’t seem to hear it!
As people had arrived they’d been given a sheet with the nominations on and had to tick who they thought would win in each category and as the awards ceremony started these were dished out for people to mark. I remember getting very pissed off when Laurence Fishburne and Angela Bassett didn’t win but was pleased that Schindler’s List took Best Picture. I can also remember getting very excited and emotional when Deborah Kerr got an honorary award as I’d loved her as Emma Harte in A Woman of Subsance and so had Ash. In fact the two of us, and just us two, cheered when it was announced. I don’t think Deborah Kerr actually won an Oscar other than that one. I could be wrong, it’s been known! I can’t be bothered to check.
Hours later the ceremony had finished and those that were staying found a place to sleep, those that weren’t said their goodbyes and headed home. Ash & Ian were supposed to be sleeping in the spare room but someone else had beaten them to it so the four of us top & tailed in the massive king size bed Paul (my actual partner) had bought a few weeks earlier. It was hours before any of us actually got to sleep as we lay there laughing and giggling about stupid things, all of us too pissed to care about sleep.
In the morning there were bodies lying all over the place and I hadn’t realised just how many people had actually stayed over. The place was a tip with as many bottles lying about the floor as bodies! I heard Derek get up and get in the shower so i thought I’d join him rather than face the clearing up. The bathroom door couldn’t be locked as the catch had been broken for months so I just tip-toed in and announcing loudly that he wasn’t to drop the soap flung open the shower curtain only to find it was Ash in the shower and not Derek. He joked about me joining him but I left, giggling, and walked into the bedroom to tell Derek and Ian what I’d just done.
I’ve never once questioned why Ash & I didn’t end up together. As close as we were it just didn’t seem right yet I can often recall my mother, and his, talking as though it was a forgone conclusion. I guess fate proved them both wrong.
A few people helped clear up and once the place was back to normal we had something to eat and the headed off to the pub. Darts, cards and drinking games followed and yet another night stumbling home drunk and laughing about what a good night we’d had. Ash & Ian stayed again but this time they got the spare room as there was only the two of them. Ian took Ash back to uni the next morning and Derek took himself back to his halls of residence. The party was officially over, the house was actually clean, so after sorting out some work for later I say back and watched A Woman of Substance on videos that I borrowed (on a long-term basis) from my mother. I have them on DVD now, and To Be The Best, and as I write I’m thinking I may have to go and starting watching them once I’ve posted this!
N.B. It’s been four months since Ash died and I still miss him and I still cry when I hear certain songs. If he’d been alive I probably wouldn’t have spoke to him in the last four months anyway but I always knew I could. Now I can’t and I hate it.
