"God, that was amazing," Thomas squeals. "There we were two flimsy faggots, hunting and stalking two terrified jocks. Wow!That was an empowering moment."
After his parties ended, Thomas used to weep himself to sleep. He'd feel like he had given apart of himself away, and he'd retreat into post-partum depression. But Thomas is a lot happier these days. He doesn't cry that much anymore. He can give without feeling empty.
"I feel completelyfulfilled. Not that I'm not going to go out and do more, because I want to do it all. But right now, I'm deliriously happy."
WHEN THOMAS says he wants to do it all, he isn't kidding.
Start with his summer plans. He still has a job playing cocktail piano at Club Cafe. He scored a second job as security guard at the Gardner Museum. (No lie.) He's looking for a third job in the produce section of Barsamian's, because lately he's decided that it's all about fruit.
In his spare time, Thomas will be producing a film version of Zora's Kitchen, a mystery-thriller-farce-revenge tragedy written by his friend Orion Ross '92. He also plans to writea book about Lucille Hart, a wonderful woman from rural Oregon who disguised herself as a man for 40 years. And then there's Paulo...
Those are just his short-range plans. Long-term, Thomas wants to open a disco. And a jazz, club. And a 24-hour bookstore. He wants to be a concert pianist. He wants to produce filmsand theatrical productions. He wants to rewrite West Side Story as a gay romance, the way he believes Leonard Bernstein wanted to do it in the first place. He wants to meet Florence Henderson. And that's not all.
"My ultimate dream is to have a huge island for all my friends to live and work and do their art," Thomas says, chuckling to himself. "They can do films. they can write, they can sculpt, they can bring their families, they can bring their lovers. Nobody would have to deal with any hate. It would be a place where people would be free to do everything, to be everything, to not worry. And it would be fun."
Fun, after all, is what it's all about. It's all about fun, and cheetah-print carpets, and being true to yourself, and sticking up for your friends, and refusing to accommodate hate. It's all about Julio Iglesias, and living life in broad strokes, and opening up to the world, and eggnog. It's all about throwing wonderful parties,and inviting everyone you know.
That's what it's all about.