Goodness gracious I missed Me. I was actually teary-eyed in the rain (ok, it was actually drizzling) as I left the Court St. movie theater after an impromptu decision to catch a movie. The last time I was in theaters was weeks before the lockdown. February 2020, a friend and I were celebrating Galentine’s Day by catching a screening of The Photograph starring Issa Rae and Lakeith Stanfield. This night I watched Zola.

I’m an introvert, but not a homebody. I’ve missed my monthly outings of movies, concerts and comedy shows. Usually when I do my end-of-year tally, I have dozens of movies and dozens of live entertainment shows ticket stubs.

Since in-person book tours were also cancelled this past year due to covid, my Friday night plan was to snag an autographed copy of the YA story collection Blackout at Barnes & Noble, then walk the Brooklyn Bridge. Not only have I missed concerts and movies, but I’ve missed book tours and bridge walks too.

B&N was closed, so I moseyed up the street to the theater. Damn near every screen was showing F9. That was a giant nope. I had no desire to hear Vin Diesel repeatedly spout the word “family” or to watch Tyrese overact while gripping a steering wheel. The guy behind the window told me Zola had just started previews. Previews! How I’ve missed thee. In-theater previews are way better than the minute and half trailers we see on television.

No corporate discount, coupon, or free ticket. I paid full price. I never do that, but these are different times. I also don’t usually buy food afterwards. If I’m solo aka on a #SherDate, I usually smuggle it in. Anything from a big box of Nerds candy to cheesesteak. On this particular night, I stopped at Shake Shack afterwards and got myself a chicken sandwich to enjoy at home. To my glee, they spelled my name correctly on the receipt.

The movie was all types of ridiculous–in a good way. Based on a Twitter thread of 100+ tweets, it follows a Detroit waitress named Zola (played by Taylor Paige) who gets roped into taking a roadtrip down to Florida for the weekend on a quest to make a quick payday stripping. Riley Keough plays Stefani the customer who entices Zola with the promises of easy money. She leaves out the fact that her pimp and moron boyfriend will also be on the trip.

It was awkward laughing through a mask. The theater was less than half full. I peopled in one of my happy places. ‘Twas a good night.

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