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  • The New Girl (since some of you asked....)

    I've told a story in here recently about a woman who stood me up twice, and how apparently I dodged some serious damage from it. This is not that story. This is the story that she made possible, by not dragging me down into the Loony Toons swamp of her craziness and stupidity. All names here have been changed to protect the silly.

    (For those not interested in a long and drawn out story, skip to the next thread, or to the end of this one for a very concise summary.)

    For many years, this one couple has been coming to my bar as what I call "tourist regulars": tourists who come in enough that we know them. This particular couple, Liz and Paul, are among the ones I've befriended, and gone out drinking with. I usually know when they'll be coming into town because Liz will text me directly. And they come to town about twice a year--and like me, they enjoy drinking.

    For the last two years, Liz has been going on and on about her friend Diane, and how Diane and I would soooo hit it off. I politely smiled and nodded each time, while mentally rolling my eyes, because I've heard this kind of stuff before. Yeah, yeah....whatever. At the same time, Liz had been telling her friend Diane about their favorite bartender in Key West, yours truly. Diane thought the guy sounded vaguely interesting, but had no idea Liz was trying to set her up, and didn't really pay attention. Interestingly, during this time period, Diane had been on one or two of these trips with Liz and Paul, but for whatever reason, while I had seen those two, Diane had never ever made it into my bar or to any of the meet ups I had with the couple. These things do happen.

    At the beginning of this month, the three of them were back in KW. And Liz reminded me about Diane, who she had once shown me a picture of, which I vaguely remembered. Looked kinda cute in the picture. But, whatever. Shrug. In any case, they promised I'd meet Diane this time. And on that Sunday, we did actually all meet up, and went and hit the town. And while Diane did look better than the okay picture I had seen, I didn't really think much about it initially.

    But the thing is, Liz was absolutely right. Because Diane and I hit it off. Famously. To the point of kissing much of the night, seeming to the annoyance of Liz, who kept saying we were "being gross." In much the same way a four year old would say that to adults kissing. This amused Diane and I, but it did not deter us. We both knew Liz, and knew that she is a bit of a lunatic, though in the best possible way. And apparently she and Paul are not huge on public displays of affection. Diane and I don't share that particular hang up.

    In any case, this all went on well into the night, and about 1:30 am, the three of them went back to their hotel, and I was left to dance down the street. Note: I am not being figurative here. I was actually dancing down the street. (Caroline Street, if you must know.) So I texted my friend Little Red, asking if she was out and about, and letting her know that I had just "spent most of the night making out with the hottest girl imaginable." As it turned out, Red WAS out, and we met up at one of our favorite bars, at which the only other customer was another friend of mine. So it was just the three of us and the bartender there, and I was going on about Diane, until both Red and my other friend told me, "Don't get too attached. You always get too attached." I've heard this before, and they were right. Because this is my history. And usually, being reminded of this, I attempt to reign it in. Usually.

    But not that night. I just looked at them and said, "Hi, have we met? I'm Jester. This is what I fucking do. It may not always work out for me, but this is my nature, and damn it, I'm okay with that!" I was not to be deterred. And I was fucking happy.

    The next day, after some training for an additional job I'm taking on (which, during the breaks, Diane and I were texting back and forth), I met up with the three of them again. And Diane and I picked up right where we left off. As did Liz, providing repetitive commentary of how "gross" we were being. We continued to ignore it. Paul continued to be amused. Interestingly, at one bar, as a group was leaving, one girl stopped and asked me, "Are you two married?" I told her, "No, I just met her last night." She said, "No, really?" I nodded and said, "Seriously. I just met her last night." She seemed incredulous.

    Throughout the night, I'd been on a campaign of persuasion to convince Diane to not get on her plane and stay a few extra days. It wouldn't cost her anything extra, after all, since her flight was on points, and I had a place for her to stay. Yes, it was my place, but she knew that, as I'd made that quite clear. And she didn't seem to have any problem with that aspect of it. And from the early part of the night through the end of the night, around 3 am, it really looked like I was convincing her, as I was very persuasive, and she didn't seem to need much convincing. And they went back to their hotel, and I went back home, thinking I may have actually succeeded in my endeavors.

    Alas, it was not to be. When I finally heard from her again, Diane was at the airport, and I was at work. Apparently there had been some issue back in California with her dog. (Yes, she lives in California. Did I not mention that part? ) And despite my best efforts to convince her not to get on that plane, she did. And she flew away.

    A while later, Liz and Paul came into my bar for some munchies and to say goodbye, as they had to drive up to the mainland to catch their flight. (They live in Colorado, so they were on a different flight than Diane, who flew directly out of KW.) As I talked to them, I told them that I WOULD see Diane again, probably before I saw Liz and Peter again. Peter said that I "sounded a bit stalkerish." I just looked at him and said, "No. I'm just determined."

    And I was. Because, holy shit balls, I was not about to let go of something that seemed so special, even if it turned out to be nothing. Especially because I've seen how much bullshit there is out there. And I won't lie, the level of determination surprised even me. But Diane and I stayed in touch. And within a short time, it became clear that I was not the only one so determined. And that the special feeling was definitely mutual.

    We definitely have a lot of similar interests. Food, beer, cooking, silliness, having fun, a sick sense of humor, and as an added bonus, bicycling. I knew she was a runner, but last weekend it came out that she also liked riding. That floored me. And that resulted in an amusing exchange between my little sister and I the next day. Because I messaged her, "And this girl is even a cyclist!" To which Lil Sis said, "Now, don't take this as a sign from the cosmos that this is The One or anything." I said, "I'm not, you twit, I just think it's fucking cool!" Which it is. (I may or may not have actually called my little sister a twit.) As it turns out, this has re inspired me to get back in the saddle and on the road, and start riding again, as I had been ignoring and neglecting my bikes. Got the best one tuned back up and took it for what I thought would be a short test ride of a few blocks, and went ten miles. Pure joy. Got the tires of the commuter bike aired up, and rode to work for the first time in months the other day. Two out of three down. Will get the other road bike taken care of soon enough.

    So, as we talked, we quickly started floating some ideas of getting together somehow, going over various possibilities. And we are getting together. Rather soon. Okay, really soon. Next Friday, I drive up to Orlando. That day, after she works, Diane will get on a red eye flight, and I will pick her up at the Orlando airport Saturday morning. And we plan on having a lot of fun. Roller coasters. NASA. Beer. Food. Bicycling. Because I'll be bringing up my best bike, and she'll be renting one in Orlando. The idea of riding together has both of us excited, almost more than other things. (I did say almost.)

    And we are treating Orlando as a bit of a test. To see if this really has potential. If Orlando blows up in our faces, well, so be it. We both just walk away. We are, after all, both adults. (In theory, anyway.) And if Orlando goes as we both hope it will, as we both think it can? Who knows. We're both very excited, nervous, scared, and more than anything, happy. Her coworkers have noticed a marked improvement in her mood since she got back from Florida. Mine have noticed my general giddiness. On both coasts, the word "smitten" is being bandied about quite a bit. We're basically two fortysomethings acting like high schoolers. Though with far more intelligent conversation. It's nice to talk to someone I know is on my intellectual level. That's not a knock on many of the other women I've dated, as most of them have been fairly intelligent. But Diane is on a level only one other woman I've been involved with was. And that is pretty damn impressive, at least to me.

    But we are not making any plans past Orlando. We're both thinking past Orlando, but we know that anything could happen. She thinks I could see her in person again and not find her as attractive. I think she could get a better psychiatrist and come to her senses about me. But we're both enjoying the ride, and both looking forward to what is yet to come. Not that we're counting down the days or anything (5 till I'm on vacation, 6 till I see her, 7 till she tries to kill me for the first time). But this one could be a keeper.

    And that brings up the obvious question: how? With me being in Florida and her in California? Well, again, we're not worried about that yet. We'll burn that bridge when we come to it. But I do plan on moving back to Phoenix (was really gunning for this month at the start of the year, but am now perhaps more realistically targeting March/April), and now have even more motivation than before. And Phoenix is just a short flight (or long drive) from NoCal. And she may or may not stay there. There's a lot going on right now. And we both have jobs that we can do anywhere. (Bartender and nurse.)

    But the short version is, at least as far as right now, I'd rather be with this girl who lives in California than anyone in Florida. Even while she is California. If the worst thing that happens is we have to start worrying more about travel plans, well, I'm fine with that. As is she. And as I said, we're both obnoxiously happy. So crazy as it may be to some, I am looking forward to a vacation with a girl I have spent less than 36 hours with. And I'm very much looking forward to this adventure, as it's already been one wild ride.

    Stay tuned. More obnoxiousness may be on the way.....


    (TL,DR: Met a great girl three weeks ago, meeting her in Orlando for four days of fun next week, think this could go somewhere.)

    "The Customer Is Always Right...But The Bartender Decides Who Is
    Still A Customer."


  • #2
    You go Jester! Hope things go exceedingly well for you and Diane, even better than they already seem to be.

    Off topic- WHY do men's bicycles have that ball-buster bar and women's bikes don't? Just always seemed weird to me.
    You're only delaying the inevitable, you run at your own expense. The repo man gets paid to chase you. ~Argabarga

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    • #3
      Those are casual bikes only. Real cycling bikes don't make that distinction, and both men's and women's bikes have it. I'm pretty sure Diane's serious bike has it, and her casual commute does not. As for why casual bikes are like that, my guess is that it goes back to skirts and dresses, but that is only a guess, and I really have no idea.

      "The Customer Is Always Right...But The Bartender Decides Who Is
      Still A Customer."

      Comment


      • #4
        Quoth Jester View Post
        As for why casual bikes are like that, my guess is that it goes back to skirts and dresses, but that is only a guess, and I really have no idea.
        Yep, the ladies bike is made like that to make room for a dress. The bar on a men's bike make the whole frame much stiffer. On a ladies bike, much of your effort is wasted on bending the frame back and forth. Try holding the saddle with one hand and the handlebar with the other. On a ladies bike you can move the saddle sidewise easily, on a men's bike you shouldn't be able to move the saddle sideways more than a few millimetres.

        I hope congratulations are in order

        Comment


        • #5
          Quoth Mikkel View Post
          I hope congratulations are in order
          Waaaaaay too early for anything of the kind. We need to get through Orlando, and see how we deal with each other, in many ways, before we can even start to think about anything worthy of congratulations.

          Unless you mean congratulations for convincing a woman I spent less than 36 hours with to fly across the country and share a vacation with me. That would be a different story. Hell, I'm kinda impressed with that one myself.

          "The Customer Is Always Right...But The Bartender Decides Who Is
          Still A Customer."

          Comment


          • #6
            Sure, that's what I meant

            Comment


            • #7
              Now here's a little ditty about Jester and Diane...
              The Copyright Monster has made me tell you that my avatar is courtesy of the wonderful Alice XZ.And you don't want to annoy the Copyright Monster.

              Comment


              • #8
                Sounds great! Hope you both have a wonderful time!
                When you start at zero, everything's progress.

                Comment


                • #9
                  Well, as you know, Jester, the last gal who I made out with stood me up. So glad it is working out for you. And I'm glad I got to read the story.
                  "Life is tough. It's even tougher if you're stupid" Redd Foxx as Al Royal - The Royal Family - Pilot Episode - 1991.

                  Comment


                  • #10
                    Quoth Jester View Post
                    I was fucking happy.
                    Be careful - that's the first symptom. If you wake up feeling sleepy and grumpy, it would confirm the diagnosis of Snow White Syndrome.

                    Quoth Jester View Post
                    And we both have jobs that we can do anywhere. (Bartender and nurse.)
                    Moore County, Tennessee (just an example - there are a number of others, but this one sticks in my mind). You wouldn't be able to do your job there - it's a dry county.

                    Quoth Kittish View Post
                    Off topic- WHY do men's bicycles have that ball-buster bar and women's bikes don't?
                    Might as well call them Englishman's bikes and Scotsman's bikes - the "diamond" frame is an inherently strong design, so it's used unless the weaker "step through" is needed due to the rider's clothing.
                    Last edited by Ree; 12-23-2015, 11:17 AM.
                    Any fool can piss on the floor. It takes a talented SC to shit on the ceiling.

                    Comment


                    • #11
                      Quoth Kit-Ginevra View Post
                      Now here's a little ditty about Jester and Diane...
                      Two adult kids being groped by each other's hands.
                      They're gonna watch a rocket launch up to the stars
                      Ride roller coasters and drink beer out at the bars.

                      Quoth Victory Sabre View Post
                      Well, as you know, Jester, the last gal who I made out with stood me up. So glad it is working out for you. And I'm glad I got to read the story.
                      Being stood up is not always a bad thing. I'm thrilled Dingaling stood me up twice. Not only did she save me the trouble of getting involved in her shit show, she set me up nicely to meet Diane. This was a good thing. Maybe your girl did the same for you.

                      Stay positive. I do.

                      "The Customer Is Always Right...But The Bartender Decides Who Is
                      Still A Customer."

                      Comment


                      • #12
                        Quoth wolfie View Post
                        Moore County, Tennessee (just an example - there are a number of others, but this one sticks in my mind). You wouldn't be able to do your job there - it's a dry county.
                        I should have said, anywhere we would want to live. As we are both drinkers, dry counties would naturally be excluded.

                        And to be fair, it's dry only in relation to booze. Beer and wine are both allowed and sold there. The only exception, as you know, is the sale of Jack Daniel's, and only at the distillery, in their gift shop.

                        "The Customer Is Always Right...But The Bartender Decides Who Is
                        Still A Customer."

                        Comment


                        • #13
                          I'm getting conflicting opinions from my friends on a small matter related to this, and I'm wondering what you guys think.

                          As I mentioned above, I'll be picking Diane up at the airport Saturday morning. My idea was to show up dressed to the nines: black slacks, black shoes, black dress shirt, hair slicked back, etc. My one friend thinks that's too over the top. Another one thinks it's a good idea, but to be fair, she's all about wearing black.

                          My thought is that the most dressed up she's seen me in person is shorts and a nice polo shirt, other than in pictures.

                          So, too much? Or a good idea?

                          "The Customer Is Always Right...But The Bartender Decides Who Is
                          Still A Customer."

                          Comment


                          • #14
                            Quoth Jester View Post


                            Being stood up is not always a bad thing. I'm thrilled Dingaling stood me up twice. Not only did she save me the trouble of getting involved in her shit show, she set me up nicely to meet Diane. This was a good thing. Maybe your girl did the same for you.

                            Stay positive. I do.
                            Believe me, I do. The only difference is that no one I know, know any single women.
                            "Life is tough. It's even tougher if you're stupid" Redd Foxx as Al Royal - The Royal Family - Pilot Episode - 1991.

                            Comment


                            • #15
                              I think 'to the nines' maybe a bit far. Maybe dress casual.. not as in jeans/et but somewhere between that and 'to the nines'
                              Engaged to the amazing Marmalady. She is my Silver Dragon, shining as bright as the sun. I her Black Dragon (though good honestly), dark as night..fierce and strong.

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