the tea lounge part 2
In the following weeks I saw Bethany, as I now liked to call her, several times.
I had to talk to her. The voice(s) in my head were demanding it.
Are you a man?
Do it.
What do you have to lose?
She might even be attracted to you.
Convincing, compelling arguments indeed - and yet I just couldn’t bring myself to do it. The more I thought about it the more impossible it seemed…kind of like going to the gym. I mean, what would my opening line be? "Come here often?"
Good god man, you’re a writer.
Then it occurred to me, what was needed, what was needed here, was a gesture, a grand gesture, the grandest gesture. But what? But what? Hmmmmm. Fuck it. I’ll just jump in and figure it out as I go. The next time I see her I’m going to do it. I’m going to do someTHING. I don’t know what it is but it’s going to be someTHING and it’s going to be great.
Yen baby.
Who’s da man?
Who’s da man?
Two months passed since I set my course of action and no Bethany. She had abandoned me. She had abandoned our love.
Learn the lesson man.
Next time carpe fucking diem.
Next time you will walk right up to her, whoever “her” maybe, and talk to her and then…
And then, all of the sudden, there she was, the girl in pink, wearing a lime green sweater.
DO IT.
DO IT.
So this is what I did-
I wrote down http://www.tripnyc.org/tealounge.htm on piece of paper, walked up to her, smiled, placed the piece of paper next to her laptop and walked away. Never saying a word.
Brilliant. How cool was that?
Idiot. How creepy was that? FUCK! Did you see the fear in her eyes?
That wasn’t fear. That was...
That was fear, my friend. You blew it. Not only is she not attracted to you, now she’s scared of you. Good job.
And yet, and yet I did something. I took a chance.
Good for you.
And MAYBE she will read the story and maybe she’ll like it and this will be the story of how we met. What a great story for a cocktail party. Who knows? It could happen. Seriously, it could happen. And the very concept of “it could happen” is hope and hope my friend is a very good thing. Hope can keep you going for a looooong time.
Forty-five minutes later, at an outdoor café I saw Bethany without her laptop but with whom, I can only assume, was her husband and baby girl enjoying what I can only imagine was a fabulous brunch.
A fabulous brunch.
-graham 4/19/ 06