Bind Date Flashbck number 2

These flashbacks will not be in any particular order. Although I suppose, the ones that were worst will come to mind first.

 

See, some work out. For a while.

 

 

This one was in the era of Single 2.  After my divorce. I was living in a three story house in Queens. I lived in the middle apartment. Three bedrooms, one and one half baths. Usually the landlords floor. He lived elsewhere.  Husband 1 was gone and I had stayed on.

 

Again, I do not remember who set me up for the date.  Which I should think is lucky for whoever it was.

 

He called.  What I recall about our conversation was that he had an antique car, which I liked, a sense of humor, which I liked, and he told me he looked like Louie De Palma, which I hoped was part of his sense of funny. If I had known any better, I would have told him I had malaria.

 

 

 

We set a date for him to pick me up at my house. Since it wasn't someone I had met in a bar and there was no online back then, we didn't have to be as concerned about whacko psychopaths showing up. Well, I'm not so sure about that. We believed that our friends knew the person and that was some kind of safety net.

 

SETTING THE SCENE

 

  The time was winter and it had  already gotten dark.  I was dressed and ready to sit and wait. That's  because I was always early.  That hasn't changed.  While sitting and watching TV,  everything got dark. No lights, no sound. Nothing.    I looked out my window and the whole neighborhood was dark. Not even a street lamp.  oh crap.  I started to get cold since the heat was also out  and put on a sweater. I started to think.

No lights.  How would he find the house number?  I realized the doorbell wouldn't work either. I went downstairs to check.  Not to mention that with no electricity I had nothing to do. I needed a candle to read and when I'm nervous, I can't concentrate. And I'm afraid of fire.

 

Time passed slowly. V e r y      S l o w l y .

 

I stood vigil at the curtains that looked out on the front of the house.  At the appointed time, a car slowed down. It had a search light that was next to the mirror and was looking at the addresses. Odd. But, yes, this was his antique vehicle. It was grey and shaped kind of bomb like. You know, Long slung  in the front and rounder in the back. As I wrote that, I thought that could describe some people I know.  Okay. Back on track.

 

this is not the car, but it's the closest I could find and after 30 years who knows what the hell it really looked like.

THE MEET

 

He got out of the car and my heart dropped. Well, it would have had it not been frozen.  He may not have been a clone for the taxi character but they could have been brothers. And not like in twins where the other brother was Arnold Schwartzinager. Nope, It was like they had the same genetic code.

 

Short, balding, a little chubby and in his case, a face that could stop a clock.

 

He came in as I left the door open.  He knocked, I answered. We said our hellos and went out to a place called Naomi's that had  delicious Israeli food. Funny that I can remember where we ate, but not what we talked about. While driving there he told me how lucky it was  that this model car had headlamps on the side that could be used as search lamps so he was able to find my address.

 

I was probably thinking   "NOT!".   My bad.

I have no idea why, but every time I think of him and that date, I think of him as wearing big floppy clown shoes.  I really, really hope that this is in my imagination and that he didn't actually show up like that. Yet, why is so clear and prominent? 

As you may have guessed, it wasn't a great date. I tried to be polite and we talked throughout dinner and then I had him bring me home.  The rest, as often is of memories, is a blur. For all I know he might not have liked me either. Unfortunately, I hadn't cared.

 

I can't remember what he did for a living. I can't remember anything except the blackout, the car and the Danny DeVito guy.

Not much of a story really. Except it shows that I was, and am still shallow about certain things. I am not proud. I did get better as I aged, but the rest of the world did not.  We still make judgments about who people are with.

 

Promos and Theory

 

I am going to make sure that I do not write only about the bad dates. I had some good blind dates and first dates.  Or at least I thought so. Except there were times I thought things had gone well and the guy didn't call me. Obviously I'm not everybody's cup of tea either. Thankfully some called. As they say "What goes around comes around."

 

 

Theory.  Why do people set up their friends? They love them and want them to be happy.

 

Reality. They apparently don't know what will make their friends happy.

 

 

I know. I'm as shallow as the next guy. I might not have liked him after I got to know him, but I would have given someone like him a chance. That is of course, if he'd have  given me a chance.