Party Crashing
The third guy I went out with was B. We met at a trendy restaurant called Lola and he was waiting outside in a blue collared shirt, cargo shorts and flipflops. We drank lemony vodka cocktails and he talked while I asked lots of questions. He works in television, and just returned from Houston shooting an episode about people who convert old shipping containers into homes. He's sailed across the Atlantic, was a chef in Vail for 13 years, and loves the mountains. I talked about living aboard Tranquilo and crossing the Panama Canal. This topic comes up on every one of my dates, as if it's the only thing that's interesting about me. It also provides a simple explanation as to why I'm divorced.
After leaving Lola, we walked around the neighborhood and carried on with the getting-to-know-you. Nearing the Highlands United Methodist Church, I heard live music with a magnetic lure. Around back of the church, a party was in full swing, and the band, which played bluegrass, was really rocking. Normally I'm no fan of bluegrass, but this... We stood and watched the people as they mingled, sipped out of plastic cups, juggled tiny plates. "Let's go in," I said. "Act like we belong."
Once inside the party gates, we found seats close to the band. Eventually, a woman sat down next to me. "Aren't they fantastic?" she said into my ear. "Laura knows the bass player from way back, and now they're famous, they've won a big award." I nodded like I already knew this and hoped she'd go away. "So...." she continued after a few more bars, "Who do you know, Ed or Laura?" She seemed like she wasn't checking our credentials, but I toyed briefly with the idea of telling a story about Ed and me in high school glee club back in the day.
While I'm a good fibber, I lack the talent to sustain a lie, so I just admitted, "We don't know anybody. We crashed the party to hear the band." A little food spilled from her plate as she said, "Oh my god! It's their 10th anniversary! Let me introduce you, they'll think it's fantastic!" As she went off to find the couple of honor, I said to B, "We better get out of here." I snapped a photo of the band and we slipped out the back.
I might go out with B again. He committed an act of transgression with me and didn't balk. This counts for something, thought I'm not sure what.
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