Wednesday, August 09, 2006

From The Circle To The Back of Her Car...

OK.... So I can't resist... I will try and tell this story one chapter at a time. Fortunately we knew each other less than a year on our wedding day, so at least we can figure it won't be tooooooo many posts!

So sitting down within a few chairs of my she joined our group. She was beautiful, no she was stunning; but she was shy. She joined us, but she did not talk much. Still I savored every word that she did say. I wanted to move over a few seat and start all my playa moves... but I did not. I was as confused as I was twitterpated. Here sat this lovely young lady, and how was I to act when I had heard that message from God so clearly. Additionally, I had been "out of the game" over a year at this point and was I even ready to be back in a relationship. Thoughts about these issues raced through my mind the entire evening as I could not keep my eyes off those amazing deep blue eyes.
Side Note: More about the eyes later... that is an entire LONG story that deserves a post all it's own.
After group our little band of renegades always went out to Fridays. This is the way it was, at least this is the way it had been the previous three weeks since our fellowship had been established. This week however there was a glitch. The new girl had just quit her job at Fridays before moving to Chicago only a few weeks earlier and she did not want to eat at Fridays. If she was going out with us, we were not going to Fridays. The situation demanded immediate attention, standing on a chair I announced to our circle of 8 -10 other people, "in honor of the new girl we are not going to Fridays, we need to go somewhere else." Amazingly enough, somewhere else we did go.
Additional Side Note: As any of you who know me know, I have no problem filling a leadership void, making myself heard, or being generally loud and brash. These people however really did not know me. It was a crapshoot as to how they would respond to the dicatated message of the grungy scrawny guy bellowing orders from on top a chair. One might think I am bragging about my persuasive powers here, but truthfully I just think it is that my wife is hot and just about every other guy wanted to be at the restraunt she wanted to be at.
Steak and Shake was not all I wanted it to be. I mean the food was fair as usual, but I was more concerned about the seating situation. In a best case scenario I would be on one side of the new girl and Kristin or Christine would be on the other side. The actual seating layout was Kevin --Mike -- New Girl -- Jeff and no one else really matters. She had a fellow in the chairs on both sides and I was not in either of them.

Mike was no problem, he was no conversationalist and I never stop talking. I could easily engage her by speaking around Mike. Jeff however was another story.
A Brief Pause For A Side Note Related To An 8 Year Old Argument: My lovely wife claims to this day there was no flirting going on that first night between her and Jeff. She claims that all information in the proceeding paragraph is a figment of my immagination and never occured. In reply I implore you to understand I have seen "While You Were Sleeping" and I know what was going on.
Although I was being quite diligent in my efforts to keep the new girl as the center of attention, to make her feel warmly accepted, and to feel valued by the group; I had an advesary and he had the better seat. Conversation topic after conversation topic, I wooed her with my focalized attentions but still I watched as though his topics were scarce and boorish she was leaning with Jeff. Her body language made it clear, that my wife to be obviously did not get same message I did and my work was going to be cut out for me.

As I watched the leanings I knew I was going to have to bring out my Game 7 skills. I needed an oppurtunity, a moment to be seized that would allow me to be alone with just us to change the tide of her affections. Jeff's presence would have to be eliminated from the equation. The occasion would have to be timed perfectly and presented casually, so I laughed, conversed, and watched for the moment of my execution.

As my timeline was spiraling into inexistence we finished our meals, payed our bills, and headed out to our vehicles; it was now or never, carpe noctum time. I watched her as she said her goodbyes and approached her 2 seat Geo Metro Convertible. Lightbulbs ignited in my mind. My break was here, "Is that a 1992 Geo Metro convertible?" I yelled from my car, running over toward her, "My best in friend in High School had one of those!"

"You gotta let me climb in, it's been forever since I've been in one of those" I pleaded, hoping the desperation of this moment was not showing through.
A Final Side Note: I don't remember all the details of how I ended up sitting in the back of her of car. A fair assumption juding from the condition of her vehicle from all the years I have known, loved and been married to her, is that the passenger seat was so filled with junk that there was no possible room for me to sit. I was however a determined man, and so I surrendered all comfort and dignity to finish execution of plan "Get Alone With The New Girl"
From the backseat of her car I sat talking to her, she was seated comfortably in the drivers seat, and minutes passed like drops of rain and I could tell the mood was certainly leaning my way. I could win this girl as mine on this first night. I had laid out all the charm, and in each passing moment she was eating it up more and more. As we sat and talked I could tell the only thing left to this evening was to have our first kiss. I was pacing myself carefully to ensure the magical moment was perfect. Then when I found the moment, when the time came to make my move for the first kiss a new question crossed my mind, "Is this really what you want to do tonight?"

I knew the answer was no. I knew the answer to my earlier question of whether I was even ready to be in a healthy relationship had ben answered. I had been on the verge of another in a string unhealthy destructive patterns, and I had chosen to walk, to wait, and to leave the wonder as merely wondering.

I said my good nights, got out of her car, and let this lovely new girl go on home. In my heart I knew it had been not a just a good, but a better first night.

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