A Tale of Two Dates

In telling people about my date, many have asked why I would want to go on a second date if I didn't really feel "it" on the first.

To that, I have a story.

October 1994.

I was working at a restaurant. There was a long legged red head who worked upstairs in accounting, who I wanted to go over her figures with. Ynuck, ynuck.

There was also a tiny, pouty brunette who was so much a prick tease that even I got caught up.

I was trying to make it with both of these girls. Neither were giving me much.

Halloween came, and I went to a work party dressed as Frankenstein. Covered in green makeup. I won a bottle of wine.

The long legged girl was dressed in the requisite cat girl/sexy outfit. She came up to me at the end of the night and told me had I not covered myself in green, she would have taken me home.

Now that's just cruel.

Cut to two nights later, as I sit at the bar of a small place where the pouty brunette worked, and drank and drank to just spend some time with her. I knew it wasn't going to happen when I spilled my drink all over the bar, and in trying to catch it, spilled two others. She just looked at me, and I tossed down my money and walked out.

Now, I was feeling a bit "done" with women.

I went over to my friends' house after a bit of shopping. It was on a lark, I was in the neighborhood, and he was the type of guy who I could just drop in on.

MM and his wife were hosting some friends of hers for coffee. They said come on up, and introduced me to them. One was a guy I had once met at their house, SW. He was a real shaggy, lovable loser. The other was a really well put together, raven haired beauty.

She was X.

I sat and had coffee with them, and to entertain (which I must always do, it is my default), I told them the tales of the two women disasters.

They laughed, but the raven haired one seemed to want to analyze my stories. That put me off right away, especially because MM seemed to be siding with her. NOT the job of a wing man.

I decided to focus my powers of prick on her, and I would argue what she had to say. She talked about how she was against the fur industry, but that the fur she was wearing was ok because she had bought it at a vintage store, so it wasn't her paying for the fur to be killed.

I told her that was a gross rationalization. She didn't understand why I would say that.

To her the fur was already there, and she wasn't driving the market.

To me, if you're against fur, you're against all fur. As for driving the market, maybe some girl sees her in her fur, and not knowing it was thrifted, goes out and buys one for herself. Oops, that's driving the market.

Needless to say, when they left neither X or I were sad to see the other go.

Right after they left, MM said he thought X and I would make a good set up.

I though he was crazy. I told him I wanted none of her old town moneyed family ways. He said she didn't come from money. Her parents were educators. I said I thought she was stuck up, and snobbish. He dropped it.

Cut to a week later.

During a Saturday night shift, I am trying to patch things up with the pouty brunette. She is teasing me, but I'm not sure in a playful or hurtful way.

I get a call at the restaurant from MM. He and several people are at a bar by his house, and he tells me I HAVE to come. I tell him I won't get out of work til midnight, but he says fine, just get here.

After my shift, he calls again. I promise I will be there, and grab a cab.

Entering the bar, I see them together. A small group, MM and his wife, the stoner SW, and some girls, and X.

I head to the bar, and do a shot, and join them.

X was wearing a multicolored newsie hat, and seemed to be in a much more playful mood. I sat at the table with her and two other girls and joked around. All the jokes were working. I started to not even notice the other two girls.

MM asked if we wanted to go get some diner food. The bar was closing, and I felt like continuing the talk, so I said I was up for it. X agreed.

We got into a car, just the three of us, and started to drive. At a light near MM's house, he jumped out of the car. X and I were left in the car alone. It was the most unsubtle thing he had ever done.

I told her she didn't have to go, now that it was what it was, but she said she was hungry and I agreed and we went.

I remember setting up traps for her. If she is vegetarian, then that's it. She ordered a bacon omelet. If she doesn't read, then that's it. We were reading the same book, Miller's Tropic of Cancer.

That floored me. We talked for hours, and I remember thinking it was the easiest conversation I had ever had with a girl. During the talk, I asked her out on a date. She couldn't go that night.

Rather than feel rejected, I asked her when she could go, and we found a night. When the meal was over, we got into her car. She offered to drive me home, but I lived across town, and I said no. I rode with her to her house, and got out and caught a cab.

It had been one of the best "dates" I had ever been on. I remember I couldn't sleep that night. I just wanted to see her again. I got up after four hours sleep, and told my roommate all about her. He commented that I seemed smitten.

Such a difference from date one, to date two. I know the first really wasn't a date, but it was an impression, and it was shattered on the next occasion, which also wasn't really a date, but sort of became one.

So, that is why I will go on another with her.

Keep an open mind.