In The Presence of The Queen

What can I say? When you are summoned by The Queen of South Beach to be her escorts for a night on the town, you 1. Can not say no or it is off with your social head. 2. Better prepare yourselves for an evening that will hold many, many surprises. and 3. Know that this will be an evening a great, great enjoyment; something you can tell your grandchildren about.

Soul mates in fashion: my husband and the fabulous Henrietta. (A tip to the wise: the new rage coming out of Chanel and other top houses is fitted, cowboy shirts adorned with stones and beads. Get to the nearest tack shop and get a few; take them to that one, special friend who owns a Bedazzler and go to town.)

Before we left for Twist, Henrietta took out a compact which lit up when opened. Noticing my glee, she said, "Oh, yeah; I do everything the right way." Indeed.

Gabriel and his friend (both about 5' 5") were so adorable you just wanted to carry one on each shoulder. Leopoldo dubbed them the "Latino Bookends".

It did not take long for the crowd to succumb to the more sensual aspects of the night. I watched this couple closely before speaking to them; they represented something that has always garnered much of my imagination at Twist: the outwardly straight couple enthusiastically enjoying male strippers. This social entity starts out with the female totally getting into the crowd and the dancers, drinking wildly and kissing anyone who has a pulse. The male stands by, nervously observing everything passing by and equally nervously saying "hello" when you introduce yourself (his not knowing you have been watching). While his girlfriend is gyrating, the boy loosens up a bit as you engage him in banal, non-threatening conversation. And--as if some cosmic key unlocks his inner feelings--the right stripper gets up and they both start to paw at him like a hungry cat at a fresh mouse. I love this stuff.

Valentino, the general manager of Twist, surprised us by being there so late (I don't know how he does it--all day, all night). An ardent Henrietta fan, you can see the glee and admiration on their faces.

Everything considered, a wondrous Twist night.