Which, let’s be clear, I’d learned my lesson at that point. I knew Greenville wasn’t interested in seeing me perform disco classics of the seventies downtown. I knew there were many things Greenville didn’t want to watch me do: sing, dance, have joy. But that didn’t mean I couldn’t enjoy some tunes in the privacy of my own headphones in concert with the wind blowing through my hair.

It was a day to be my own bird, so to speak.

And since I was in the mood, and no one was home, I thought I’d make it a whole occasion.

Which meant fashion.

Which meant it was time to pull out my fringe.

Fringe is not essential for disco skating. It’s probably not even recommended because it’s kind of a pain to maintain (you basically lose about a hundred strands of fringe every time you put anything with fringe on, especially if it’s a garment made in the actual seventies, as mine all are). But if you happen to have a full fringe orange silk jacket and green sequin leggings and you’ve already done your English homework?

Why not?

After I fed Monty and Bjorn, I strapped on my skates and headphones, tied my roller-skating scarf (pink with yellow flowers) around my neck, clicked play on my favorite skate track, “You Make Me Feel (Mighty Real)” by Sylvester, the B-side to his 1978 hit, “Dance (Disco Heat),” and sailed out the door.

Sylvester—who I think would have loved this jacket—was briefly a member of the San Francisco drag troupe the Cockettes, a group of performance artists who dabbled in gender play and regular play, before leaving to pursue (and achieve) a stellar career as a recording artist.

“You Make Me Feel (Mighty Real)” is the best song ever. Maybe. I think. Probably. The rhythms thumped through my body right to my fingertips as I shot out the driveway and turned down the road. With a few solid pumps, I picked up speed. I spread my arms out in the wind, feeling the strands of my fringe wings dance in the air.

I slipped past Greenville residents watering their lawns. A man in shorts behind a lawn mower stopped to take off his hat and get a good stare in as I shot past. I did a little shoot the duck past two girls sitting on their front steps.

Why not?

The music switched to “Do You Wanna Funk?” by Patrick Cowley featuring Sylvester.

I did want to funk. Who doesn’t?

I could see the sun sparkling on the gold-sequined wristbands I’d added as a last-minute costume embellishment.

There are people who say you should take off one thing before you leave the house, outfit-wise. First of all, what kind of vague suggestion is that? One thing? So take off your pants? What if you just take off one shoe?

Be more specific!