Continuing Part 2.....
When he asked if I could meet him again as he was sorry, I decided to give him a second chance. I told him I had two hours that Friday night for happy hour.
He asked me to pick a place so I picked my usual spot for dates, Jake Melnick's. It is nice and close to where I live and extremely casual. I walk up and see him sitting outside. Perfect.
The first thing I notice is that he is really fancy for a Friday night Happy Hour. He had on a sport coat complete with a flower on his lapel. I thought that was a bit odd since we are all working from home, but rolled with it.
The second thing I notice are his teeth. He definitely had some veneers put in but only on the top. That is why things seemed a little bit off. There was a big contrast when he smiled. BIG.
As I sit down, he said he looked at the menu and there is nothing there he can eat. Now, this is a BBQ place that has many items on the menu. You could get a salad, burger, ribs, flatbread, etc. etc. The way he said it I could tell he was used to more high end places. I said, that is fine, we can just have a drink.
Now, his phone starts blowing up with text messages. He said, sorry, I am involved in a group text right now. I said, oh, I hate those group texts, the second I am on one, I end up stopping notifications immediately.
He said he has a group of friends who he met in Omaha recently and they are trying to find a weekend to return. I said, what is in Omaha? He said, a meeting. Now, we are just barely coming out of the Pandemic so I asked if it was a work meeting? (no one is meeting these days, I was intrigued).
He said, no, it is part of a Divorce group that meets all over the country. Who knew there was such a thing? I felt pretty sure this group was just a place to hook up but he said no, they learn how to re-enter the single world. I said, how long have you been divorced? He said, 15 years. I said, and you still feel the need to meet with a support group? He said he doesn't go all the time, but went this last time because he needed to be a "body guard" for 3 ladies he met recently.
A body guard? I can't let that go. I said, why did they need a body guard? He said, you know, 3 girls traveling alone. I said, first of all, they aren't alone since there are three of them. Second, I don't recall Omaha being a hotbed of violence. I said, do you realize I just traveled for 3 months all over the Southeast by myself?
He said, you don't understand (more mansplaining, please). You have always been single your whole life, you don't understand what it is like to be tossed back out on the street after being in a relationship. They needed my help to navigate a trip. I said, you are absolutely right about one thing, I don't understand. (If this was a movie, I would be putting my hair in a bun, taking my earrings out and fake nails off to go into battle). Since it was IRL, I decided to let it go.
We carried on with some mundane conversations, and, fortunately it was time to go. My 2 hour time limit was up. I was sitting there thinking I can't wait to get home and the Universe absolutely felt my pain. As he was getting ready to pay, a bird hovered right over him and dropped a load on his fancy sport coat. Bless you bird, bless you.
He said, this is good luck, right? I smiled and said, I don't think so. And, we never communicated again.
Lesson learned? Things always work out in the end. You may or may not see it, but, trust it is happening. And, if you are recently divorced, embrace independence and don't rely on bodyguards. Navigating life can be fun and is always an adventure!
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