suit, complete with man-eating grey jacket and pants, was the opposite of what he usually chased after on a Thursday night.
I sat down next to “Nate” at the bar, invading his territory just a little bit. To my amusement, he seemed to get nervous quickly, as if I had challenged him. I avoided eye contact with him until he began to summon up some grit.
“You know, you don’t have to sit so close. You can just ask me if I want a drink.”
His smile lit up when I finally met his eyes. Blue baby-like eyes, but with a seasoned face with a few years of hardship behind it. About my age, maybe a year or two younger, and with just a hint of optimism in his smile. His blond hair was short but full and his six-foot tall frame just the right size; a balance between fit and muscular. Probably the type of ordinary man that wouldn’t be “enough” to merit a one night stand. But even without taking a drink—after all, I said no excuses—I could begin to see a glow in his eyes.
“Well, you make me feel like a charity case,” I said with a pout. “Back in my day, gentleman bought the lady a drink.”
“Oh, all right. I’ll buy you a drink,” he said with a giddy smile. “I was just teasing anyway. Actually, you’re the first really pretty girl I’ve seen come in here in a few…uh…days.”
“Really?” I asked with a thick, closed-lip smile.
“Well yeah! You know how pretty you are. You got to know, right? I mean your boyfriend or husband probably tells you that all the time.”
“I actually don’t have a boyfriend or a husband.”
“No way! For real?”
“For real.”
“Well what the hell are you doing in here?” he laughed. “My name’s Nate by the way.”
“Regina.” Alas, you know I have to use a fake name here, my friend, for obvious reasons.
My instincts told me that he was losing his edge, the more “aww-shucks” moments he gave me. But for once, it didn’t matter. It didn’t matter how he was playing his cards, or where he was steering the conversation. All that mattered was that he was there. He was there and I was there. And that was enough.
“Maybe it’s just the beer talking,” he said with a red-faced chuckle. But you seem really nice. Really nice. I think I’m falling in love with you.”
“Oh really?” I laughed.
“Oh shit. Did I just say that? What the hell is wrong with me?” he said, slapping himself. “I really shouldn’t drink and talk. I end up saying all sorts of stupid shit…”
“You shouldn’t drink so much,” I told him with a smile. “Why can’t you just be yourself and say what you really mean? Do you need the alcohol to do that?”
“Well…no, I think YOU need the alcohol to hear,” he said with a big guffaw.
“Ohhh, I see. So I guess I would be shocked and offended to hear what you really think of me. Is that it?” I said, teasing him with my squinting eyes. “I would run away, because all that hard guy talk isn’t becoming of a lady.”
“Well…” he laughed again. “I mean, yeah. The way guys think and girls think are totally different. You got to admit that.”
“Why is that, Nate?”
“Well…evolution, I guess. Or I don’t know…maybe society.”
“A suppressive society that hates women? Yeah, I’ve read about that before,” I said with a tired nod. “But I don’t know about all that. I just think that women are just as capable of thinking that way, you know, like men do. The mind in the gutter stuff.”
“Ohhh, I don’t think so,” he said with a laugh. “I mean you might feel, you know, horny…” he said cautiously, as if speaking a bad word. “But you really have no idea how we think. I mean if
I sat down next to “Nate” at the bar, invading his territory just a little bit. To my amusement, he seemed to get nervous quickly, as if I had challenged him. I avoided eye contact with him until he began to summon up some grit.
“You know, you don’t have to sit so close. You can just ask me if I want a drink.”
His smile lit up when I finally met his eyes. Blue baby-like eyes, but with a seasoned face with a few years of hardship behind it. About my age, maybe a year or two younger, and with just a hint of optimism in his smile. His blond hair was short but full and his six-foot tall frame just the right size; a balance between fit and muscular. Probably the type of ordinary man that wouldn’t be “enough” to merit a one night stand. But even without taking a drink—after all, I said no excuses—I could begin to see a glow in his eyes.
“Well, you make me feel like a charity case,” I said with a pout. “Back in my day, gentleman bought the lady a drink.”
“Oh, all right. I’ll buy you a drink,” he said with a giddy smile. “I was just teasing anyway. Actually, you’re the first really pretty girl I’ve seen come in here in a few…uh…days.”
“Really?” I asked with a thick, closed-lip smile.
“Well yeah! You know how pretty you are. You got to know, right? I mean your boyfriend or husband probably tells you that all the time.”
“I actually don’t have a boyfriend or a husband.”
“No way! For real?”
“For real.”
“Well what the hell are you doing in here?” he laughed. “My name’s Nate by the way.”
“Regina.” Alas, you know I have to use a fake name here, my friend, for obvious reasons.
My instincts told me that he was losing his edge, the more “aww-shucks” moments he gave me. But for once, it didn’t matter. It didn’t matter how he was playing his cards, or where he was steering the conversation. All that mattered was that he was there. He was there and I was there. And that was enough.
“Maybe it’s just the beer talking,” he said with a red-faced chuckle. But you seem really nice. Really nice. I think I’m falling in love with you.”
“Oh really?” I laughed.
“Oh shit. Did I just say that? What the hell is wrong with me?” he said, slapping himself. “I really shouldn’t drink and talk. I end up saying all sorts of stupid shit…”
“You shouldn’t drink so much,” I told him with a smile. “Why can’t you just be yourself and say what you really mean? Do you need the alcohol to do that?”
“Well…no, I think YOU need the alcohol to hear,” he said with a big guffaw.
“Ohhh, I see. So I guess I would be shocked and offended to hear what you really think of me. Is that it?” I said, teasing him with my squinting eyes. “I would run away, because all that hard guy talk isn’t becoming of a lady.”
“Well…” he laughed again. “I mean, yeah. The way guys think and girls think are totally different. You got to admit that.”
“Why is that, Nate?”
“Well…evolution, I guess. Or I don’t know…maybe society.”
“A suppressive society that hates women? Yeah, I’ve read about that before,” I said with a tired nod. “But I don’t know about all that. I just think that women are just as capable of thinking that way, you know, like men do. The mind in the gutter stuff.”
“Ohhh, I don’t think so,” he said with a laugh. “I mean you might feel, you know, horny…” he said cautiously, as if speaking a bad word. “But you really have no idea how we think. I mean if
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