Being someone who probably watches too many TV shows and movies, I often find myself living out my days as if someone else would view it later. Most of my life is rated PG-13 (or TV-14), and the rest is R-rated, for language and adult situations. In retrospect, the events of yesterday afternoon feel scripted—not in the way that I knew something crazy would happen, but in the way that I feel like stuff like that doesn’t happen in real life.
Anyway, I left the house yesterday, determined to have some fun on my own. While it’s true that under the current circumstances, I do most things on my own, it was Saturday, no one was around and I didn’t want to stay in and play FIFA all day. So I went to the movies to see “Bridesmaids.” The theater was surprisingly full for 11:30 a.m. on a Saturday, and I’m sure I was the only solo dude in there. Either way, the movie was great…raunchy, well-written humor with chicks. I think it’s better than “The Hangover.” Better dialogue, better characters, better acting, better story. I may need to see it again to make sure, but “Bridesmaids” may go in my pantheon of movies.
After the movie, I decided to go to Brick Store Pub in Decatur to have a couple afternoon beers. I hadn’t been in a month or so and just wanted to chill out before I went home. I walked in and saw there were a few seats open at the bar. As I got closer, I saw a girl sitting there alone and to my surprise, I knew her. She was actually someone I never thought I’d see again.
(Background: I met her a couple years ago on Match.com. We went on a few dates and we had a good connection, but she was extremely flaky. Never committed to anything. I’d try to make plans with her, and she’d dance around the ring like Floyd Mayweather. I really liked her. Things felt organic when we hung out, which made how wishy-washy she was so frustrating.
The last time I saw her was last July. We’d gone out to dinner, bought fireworks and drank wine at her place while she lit black snakes. We made out (shockingly) before I left. I invited her to a friend’s party the next day and never heard back from her. From that point on, I stopped calling and tried to forget about her. Every once in a while, she’d “like” my Facebook status, which you shouldn’t be allowed to do after you blow someone off, but that was it.)
So there she was at the bar, eating chicken fingers and sipping on a Bell’s Oberon Ale. When she saw me, we both had the “What the hell are you doing here?” face on. After getting over the initial shock and awkwardness, it was on again. We caught up on each other’s lives with some beers over the next couple of hours. I’ve felt like a prisoner of my own circumstances the past few months, and it was nice to step outside of my life for a little bit.
When we were done, we went our separate ways. I may call her sometime before I move, but I have no expectations of ever seeing her again. That pub in Decatur is not very close to where either of us live, but we happened to be there at the same time. It’s hard to ignore that kind of serendipity, but it might be better for me if I did. I don’t know if us walking away from each other should have been the end of the movie or the beginning of the final act. I’ve gotten smarter about not getting jerked around by women, and it may be best for me to stay the course in that regard. Eh…you never know.
