We
were huddled around a table sipping
75¢
long necks at our usual Friday night spot when two girls walked up behind
me. The guys I work and myself frequent the place because the beer is cold
and cheap... And the scenery, well, it rarely disappoints.
Yeah... I know how bad that sounds.
Jay, another first-year employee at Lakeland, introduced the visitors to
our table as friends of his. It was pretty evident that he took a particular
interest in one of the girls, so I turned my attention to the other.
The conversation between us was, at first, quite casual & friendly. You
know, it was the type of conversation two people have when they have to occupy
the same space for a while. It didn't take long, however, to realize that
these girls were going to remain part of our group for the rest of the night.
Seeing that, I decided to get to know my new friend a little bit better.
The result was a lengthy drunk conversation that yielded a name, a phone
number, bits of each other's life history with a promise to meet up later
in the week.
Although I felt as though a connection had been made, I almost expected it
to be like bar meetings of the past -- a little conversation, a little kissing
and little else. So, imagine my surprise when Jay called the next day to
say that the two girls had invited us over to their pad. I had to turn down
the invite because of other obligations, but a double date of sorts was set
up for a week later. Angie with Jay.
Christy
with myself.
January 17, I met up with
Christy
& Angie for a drink at a tavern they frequent. We then joined up with
Jay at a local comedy club.
The occasional excitement of my current occupation not withstanding, I've
obviously led a very sheltered life. For, you see, I'd never been to a comedy
club until that night. Wow. I've been missing out.
The comedians were hilarious and the company... Well, the company was solid.
When
Christy
& I met for the first time, we'd both had a few drinks. We drank a few
more while we got to know each other. So, as we prepared to meet again --
while sober -- I think we both had a bit of uncertainty. The experience at
the comedy club and throughout the rest of our first date put those feelings
aside.
After leaving the comedy club, Jay & Angie pushed us to head back to
the nightclub where we'd been the Friday before. It didn't take long -- or
much of the techno music they began to play at 2 a.m. -- to drive
Christy
& I out to the car to talk. The conversation we had was worth much more
than anything we could have accomplished inside.
About 3:30, it finally became time to head home. Jay & I dropped our
off our company at their car only to find both of their doors frozen shut
in the
17°
weather. They climbed back into the truck and we headed to my apartment to
crash. Jay & Angie scored a frozen pizza for drunk munchies. After we
all ate, the two of them curled up on the sofa and
Christy
& I crawled into bed.
Don't worry. Nothing happened.
The next morning, Jay drove them back to their thawed-out car and what had
become my longest first date ever came to an end.
Evidentally, both
Christy
& I deemed the first date a success and quickly decided to get together
the following Monday. The original plan had been for a stereotypical "dinner
& movie" date. We took care of the dinner part at the Olive Garden, but
changed things up before showtime.
Dinner was filled with some interesting conversation... And I think it was
obvious that we were both anxious to get to know each other better. When
it came time to head to the theater,
Christy
summed things up nicely. She questioned aloud why two people who wanted to
get to know each other better were going to pay good money to sit in a big
room with other people and not talk. How can you argue with that logic?
We ended up renting a movie, but didn't watch it. Instead, we came back to
my place, laid down on the bed and talked... and kissed... and talked...
and kissed some more for four or five hours. That probably doesn't seem like
much of a date, but at the same time, I think it was everything I wanted...
And exactly what we needed.
She ended up crashing at my place again.
What can I say? We're fans of the slumber party.
I was in charge of coming up with the
plan for date 3 last Friday. If you knew me in real life, you'd probably
have an appreciation for how terrible of a decision that was. Under the stress
of deadline pressure, I'm not too bad at making decisions. At any other time,
however, I'm more of a veto kind of guy. You know... you decide something
and I'll veto it if I don't like it. Heh.
I pretended to not have a plan and half-expected
Christy
to suggest something perfect and wonderful. Of course, she wasn't going to
let me off the hook so easily and, as it turns out, my plan wasn't all that
bad. Earlier in the day, I'd stopped by a large evil corporate bookstore
chain to buy
The Book of Questions.
After dinner, we had a couple of cocktails and quizzed each other with some
of the book's 217 questions. The book is full of stuff like question #42:
"How would you react if you were to learn that your mate had had a lover
of the same sex before you knew each other?"* The book sparked some interesting
conversation and allowed us to reveal a little bit more of ourselves to each
other.
And, it what is now tradition, she slept over.
We're establishing trends here, people. Based on current statistics, there
is a 100% chance of someone spending the night, a 75% chance that we'll eat
and a 50% chance that we'll consume alcohol. Soak up those stats, why don't
ya.
* My answer to #42: "I'd ask to see the video, of course."
Last night marked the first time I've
had four dates with a person in damn near three years. The great thing about
last night is that odds seem pretty favorable for a fifth.
A change of venue was in order for our fourth date, so I drove to her place
30 minutes down the interstate. We didn't do too much... Just a little dinner
and some time spent hanging out with Angie, which happens to be her roommate.
I think that's a good sign, though. You know... not having to go do "something"
to have fun with someone.
Christy is about five feet, six inches.
She got's short hair... The kind that doesn't reach the shoulders and sort
of flips out at the bottom. When I met her, her hair was dark. Now, it's
dark with highlights. She's cute either way. She's got a braces smile without
ever suffering through orthodontics. She says she likes me because I remember
obscure things she says... Most people say that I annoy them because I don't
remember things they say. I have no idea what any of this means. Like so
much stuff in my life lately, a lot of different things had to fall into
place for us to meet. She's led an interesting life. If we'd met any time
before now, I'm not sure we would get along as well. She's ticklish. She's
creative. She's 21... yeah... I know. She's closer to my brother's age than
she is to mine. I don't care. She's a college senior. As crazy as it seems,
it feels good to be around college students again. It feels better to know
I'm not one any more.
Christy
& I don't have a whole lot in common. We both like green grapes and Dave
Matthews and, well, we both wear shoes. So far, that seems like enough.
I don't know, but I think I may like this girl... |
