Mystery
As I sat down after paying for my pint I was taken with how much the pub had changed over the years. Not in a bad way, per se. Just moved along with the times, I supposed. It was no longer the haunt of 16 year olds drinking strong cider and hoping the landlord wouldn't throw them out. And quite right, too, for 16 year olds had no business being in pubs. God, I was getting more and more like my old man
Anyhow, I was into my third sup when a young lady held out her hand and said "Hi, Jeff, it's Louise."
Taken aback, because my name's Paul, I must have looked like a right plonker. "Louise? Daffygirl 75? From the website," she continued.
Then I got it. She must be having a blind date and I'd looked enough like the description of this Jeff guy for her to introduce herself. I shook my head and shrugged.
"Im sorry, Louise. My name's Paul. You've got the wrong guy, I'm afraid."
And in that moment she seemed to be disappointed, though enough girls have been disappointed when it IS me they're meeting. So that meant nothing. But though I've never been confident with women, I then suggested to her that if she took a seat at an empty table, Jeff would turn up. But if he didn't, she was very welcome to sit with me. Because she was really pretty and that would have been nice. And I was brave enough to suggest that because there was no chance of rejection and embarrassment. Either the guy would turn up or he wouldn't. In which case she'd slope off feeling hurt.
After about thirty minutes, though, she introduced herself again, much to my surprise. "Looks like Jeff's stood me up," she said. "Would it be alright if I sat down?"
And in that moment I kind of lost the power of intelligent conversation. "Err.....yea," fell out of my mouth instead. Long story short, we talked for ages. It was relaxed and low key. Because I wasn't on notice to play the part of a sophisticated, witty, sexy guy, I was relaxed and my conversation was the better for it. We talked about tons of stuff and, because it wasn't a date, I didn't fumble or stumble. That said, I was still surprised when she wrote her phone number on a scap of paper and put it into my hand just before she left the pub.
I rang her a couple of days later, worried that the magic of our first meeting was a one hit wonder. As it turned out, though, it was the opposite. It wasn't exactly love at second sight, but over the next few weeks, and then the next month or three, it developed into it. And we moved in together a year later. And I've never been happier.
Anyhow, I was into my third sup when a young lady held out her hand and said "Hi, Jeff, it's Louise."
Taken aback, because my name's Paul, I must have looked like a right plonker. "Louise? Daffygirl 75? From the website," she continued.
Then I got it. She must be having a blind date and I'd looked enough like the description of this Jeff guy for her to introduce herself. I shook my head and shrugged.
"Im sorry, Louise. My name's Paul. You've got the wrong guy, I'm afraid."
And in that moment she seemed to be disappointed, though enough girls have been disappointed when it IS me they're meeting. So that meant nothing. But though I've never been confident with women, I then suggested to her that if she took a seat at an empty table, Jeff would turn up. But if he didn't, she was very welcome to sit with me. Because she was really pretty and that would have been nice. And I was brave enough to suggest that because there was no chance of rejection and embarrassment. Either the guy would turn up or he wouldn't. In which case she'd slope off feeling hurt.
After about thirty minutes, though, she introduced herself again, much to my surprise. "Looks like Jeff's stood me up," she said. "Would it be alright if I sat down?"
And in that moment I kind of lost the power of intelligent conversation. "Err.....yea," fell out of my mouth instead. Long story short, we talked for ages. It was relaxed and low key. Because I wasn't on notice to play the part of a sophisticated, witty, sexy guy, I was relaxed and my conversation was the better for it. We talked about tons of stuff and, because it wasn't a date, I didn't fumble or stumble. That said, I was still surprised when she wrote her phone number on a scap of paper and put it into my hand just before she left the pub.
I rang her a couple of days later, worried that the magic of our first meeting was a one hit wonder. As it turned out, though, it was the opposite. It wasn't exactly love at second sight, but over the next few weeks, and then the next month or three, it developed into it. And we moved in together a year later. And I've never been happier.
