Lawyering Through Life

Serial Killer

“I am not a serial killer, you know.”

“Excuse me?”

“You can come over and talk to me because I am not a serial killer. You don’t have to worry.”

We’d been eyeing each other for quite some time, but since I don’t make the first move, I had accepted that nothing was going to come of our exchanged glances.

I blinked a few times, trying to process his odd pick-up line, and my confusion must have registered on my face. He finally came over and introduced himself.

“I am B. I just wanted you to know that I am nice and not scary and we should talk.”

“Okay”, I replied and then promptly sneezed.

My head cold made being at a bar barely tolerable but this boy kept me out way later than planned. He was tall, six foot four, and broad, but not bulky. I looked up at him when we talked and I felt small. In a good way. In a way that a girl who is five foot nine rarely feels.

He took my number at some point during our conversation. Finally, the dull ache in my head became too much to bear and I abruptly told him I had to go. Through deep hacking coughs, I told him it was nice to meet him. But that I had enough. Enough of him? No, most certainly not, but that is the impression I gave.

So, not surprisingly, he did not call. I cursed my head cold as it had knocked me off my game and given him the impression that I wasn’t interested. In frustration, I wondered why I met a nice, tall, cute boy when I was at my worst.

This past weekend, I stood with some friends at a nearby bar, watching a band. The bar was crowded, it was late, and the steep cover charge had almost prevented me from going inside at all.

The crowd moved in a blur in front of me, jostling me, and causing me to cling tight to my beer. I didn’t notice people as they went by, until someone stopped and blocked my view of the stage. I sighed and moved slightly to the right. He came closer and said, “Hi, I am B. Can I have a second chance?”

Upon recognition, I rolled my eyes and made room for him next to me so he could get away from the crowd.

“I wanted to call.”

I shrugged as if I didn’t care. “You don’t owe me an explanation.”

“No, I do though. Some stuff came up. I should have called. And after this time, I will.”

I shrugged again, but this time with less indifference and with a smile on my face.

posted by jersey @ 8:59 AM