Bad Date/Good Night

It was late Monday night/early Tuesday morning as I walked home on Hawthorne. I was alone, evidenced by the echo of my footsteps. Nothing was there to absorb the sound except for an isolated car driving by every so often. As I walked home alone, I realized it had been a great night, even if it had started out terribly.

The date was so bad that I actually employed the emergency phone call in the middle of it. We conceived a believable plot. I embellished it with a true story of me, but placed the emergency caller in the role of me that night. Since I knew I'd never be talking to him again, I didn't feel bad giving away one of my best stories in the name of another friend. Still, I don't think he believed me even though the story was completely true... Just the name of the heroine had been changed.

I got home, still a little buzzed by the one drink. The one drink couldn't get me through the date. He pretended to be smarter than he was, and I found myself doing the eyeroll every time I looked away. His "styled" hair looked more like a grease pit. And his "stylish" outfit consisted of a chunky turtleneck that should have been abandoned by a guy as skinny as he was.

I got home still a little buzzed. I refused to let the awful ending be the end of my night. I decided I was going to go out. I walked the 13 blocks to the almost-dive bar in Mt. Tabor where I immediately met my ambassador for the night. Her name was Tammy. She was practically a regular. She knew the staff by name and most of the clientele as well. We talked about a number of things as she introduced me to many people. She helped me realize it wasn't the lack of education of the bad date as much as his need to prove he was so smart that made him intolerable.

Tammy sympathized with my bad date. She talked to me about good science fiction. I really didn't spend much time alone for the rest of the night. The bar tender was great. She called me by name as I told her good night. People asked if I would be returning soon.

Oh yes, I will. It might not be this year, but I will be back soon. It was too much fun to not go back. To overtake such a bad date, it REALLY had to be a good night.