Dont Mince Words

I hadn’t had a date since August and chose to focus on work and health. Those were more productive diversions. I never expected to meet a man the old-fashioned way – in a bar.

A married, former co-worker suggested I go with him to a bar in Montrose that was frequented by NASA/JPL employees. The prospect of meeting a rocket scientist intrigued me, but I wasn’t sure how I’d relate to those guys since I’d never been to a Star Trek convention. But I went figuring a girl’s gotta drink.

I met Real Guy (RG) a couple days before my trip to Hawaii. I knew within 10 seconds of meeting him that he was a guy I could like. He was outgoing, opinionated, funny, and cute. As he played pool, I told co-worker to be my yenta and pass my number on, if RG was interested.

When I returned from Hawaii, I was busy and didn’t return to the bar until I heard that RG had been asking about me. When I arrived, he stopped playing pool. The chemistry was immediate. We sat and talked for seven hours. We went out the following three nights. The conversation and humor overflowed.

There’s not an online dating search engine that can recreate the randomness of this meeting. I’m not sure where this will lead. What I do know is all my online dating profiles are closed. If this doesn’t work out, I’m back to working the bars, or the docks.

Do you know the expression, “You can pick your friends, but you can’t pick your family?” I love my friends. They’ve been there for me in post-birthday recovery.

The Tour du Florida humor hasn’t let up. From RV sales videos to “I’m so sorry for you” shoulder squeezes, they’ve validated my feelings and helped me laugh the trip into a distant memory.

Last Sunday, Circus Boy called me from the road. He lives in a RV and was on his way up I-95 to the next town. “God damn, I’m sitting here driving thinking about your birthday vacation and laughing. I had to call you. I still can’t believe it,” he said.

Wall Street Pete, who helped me celebrate my 35th birthday, checked-in this week and gave me a backwards scream when I told him my birthday itinerary. “You make me feel good about my family. Despite their idiosyncrasies, they wouldn’t do anything so dumb.”

I’m thankful for the friends I’ve picked. We recovered from 9/11 together. We survived college together. We lived through divorces together. You know and love me and I’m grateful.