Club Q by Shila Garcia

SHILA GARCIA

Club Q

It’s been a long day. A long month. A long year, also, it’s only April 12th. A quick trip down memory lane has me sitting on the beach, sipping a cocktail in sunny Florida. The sand is built up around my feet, the slightly chilly, overly salty waves crashing into the seam of my spring dress. Looking out to the horizon I am hopeful that the seasons ahead would bring travel, parties, holidays, a big gulp of normalcy. Now here I sit, on a couch that is covered with dogs, piled what seems like neck high laundry and a pillow from another sleepless night. I’m looking into my dining room which although it’s cute it’s definitely not the sunny Florida skyline I was remembering. As I stare that dining room of mine I notice dead flowers that should have been tossed a week ago at least, it looks like someone left their cup filled with who knows what sitting after dinner last night, none of the chairs are pushed in and for some crazy reason there are crayons on the floor. I let out a long sigh and continue to fold laundry, but I can’t get my mind off the “shoulda” and “couldas” of this year. We’re in the middle of a pandemic and we’re all locked in our houses. We aren’t shopping, we aren’t going to church, we aren’t having weddings or school or brunches. We’re all just sitting and waiting for our daily update on the stupid virus. If you’ve ever read The Hunger Games, or seen the movies, you can relate these feelings to the book/movie minus the fighting…well, leave that part in because people WERE fighting for toilet paper just a month ago. Savages. As I stick yet another pair of leggings, the official uniform of the WFH Mom, in my laundry pile I think of my family and my teenaged son sitting down in his room in the basement. I know this isn’t a good thing for him, in fact, I’m not sure I’ve seen a smile from him in a little while. Poor kid is stuck with his lame parents 24/7. No work, no school, no friends, no parties. I can’t imagine being 18 and locked in the house. His only sense of joy these days are the Amazon packages arriving daily. I should do something for him, I think. I quickly peak into my husband’s office and notice his ears are covered with headphones again, he’s probably tired of hearing me cry about not being able to see my friends. If I were him, I’d probably have headphones on too. I should do something for him too. After I finish laundry, I guess I can throw something together. Maybe I’ll bake one of those breads I see on Instagram, or we can do a puzzle together, I am sure both of those will really brighten my boys’ outlook. Well, it’s now 11pm and I just finished DJing and “bartending” at Club Q, the hottest new dance club in Ogden. Oh, you haven’t heard of Club Q? You thought we were quarantined. Unfortunately, we’re still stuck inside but luckily, we had Club Q open in our very own living room! Yea, that’s right, a dance club right here in central Ogden. Wanting to do something fun and silly for boys I decided to transform our living room into a fun dance club. I sent invitations to my husband and kiddo and hired 3 dogs, also known as Three Dog Day, to be the “club kids”. Lights were hung, disco balls were reflecting the smiles from everyone’s face.

The music was loud and exciting, and the outfits were extremely extra, the only way to show up at Club Q. I poured fake, pandemic themed drinks and overly charged their fake debit cards. We wore wigs, and funny sunglasses. We danced together and with our dogs. We opened the curtains in hopes someone driving by would catch a glimpse and smile or laugh at us. Club Q was pure silliness, but it brought a few hours of smiles and laughs for my family. We’ve all been struggling to get through this weird time. I can see the pain, the uncertainty and the confusion in the eyes of my family. I can hear the sadness in the voice of my friends and family. But we are pulling through together. We are lifting each other up in ways we were not just a few months ago. Flowers are being sent, cards opened, wine delivered and although we aren’t seeing the smiles these gifts are bringing, they are happening behind the masks and behind the closed front doors. We are down right now; we are unsure of what is next but one thing we aren’t skeptical about is our connection to each other. Now is scary but I am grateful for the silliness, the friendliness, the neighborly connects, the themed zoom calls and virtual brunches. I am grateful that I’m getting to know my family on a deeper level and see my friends in a different light. I don’t know what tomorrow will look like, or even what this afternoon will look like but I know what my support looks like, and I know where my love comes from and for now, I know what is filling my cup. FIND the corresponding mural by CADO @noise_ explosion along the Ogden River Parkway at the High Adventure Park

Lights were hung, disco balls were reflecting the smiles from everyone’s face. The music was loud and exciting, and the outfits were extremely extra, the only way to show up at Club Q.