Don't Call by The Secret Handshake
Lately by The Secret Handshake
Bad Cops Bad Charities by PlayRadioPlay
It was a warm winter evening in the city and I was blessed with great weather for my date night with Mr. 34; no elements to ruin my hair, no horrible driving conditions to make my ride to the meeting point difficult. I was rather ecstatic to not have to dress up looking like I was ready to go on an Arctic exploration. It's one of those pitfalls of living in a northern climate. It really puts a damper on looking pretty at times.
After some annoying deliberation, we decided to meet at Real Sports Cafe (Yonge & St-Clair). I say it's annoying because the place I suggested, a quaint, new enough bar & restaurant on St. Clair West was problematic for him. Firstly, it didn't have a website. Oh no, the humanity. Secondly, he allegedly read bad reviews on the place. Contradictory to the many great reviews that I read, I find it irrelevant. Good or bad reviews, it's the company that matters.
My roommates boyfriend was hanging out with me as she was getting ready. I told him all of the above and as soon as it all came out, it became clear to me. We shared a look and straight away, we both started thinking on the same wave length. It's Wednesday. It's game night. He postponed until 9:30 in order to watch the game with his buddies and chose a sports cafe so he could continue to watch sports. The cafe is not conducive to conversation so, he was killing two birds with one stone: ample opportunities to watch his favourite teams and go on a date at the same time. Clever boy.
The initial plans were to meet at Prop for 8:00pm. The plans changed to 9:30pm at this stupid Real Sports Cafe. I'm already kind of annoyed. Initially, he offered to meet somewhere closer to me because he knew that I was busy and this way, a place just a hop and a skip away, made it easier for me to step out for a bit. The change of plans already furthered me away from my place. Which fine, ok, it's only further down the street from me. I can handle that.
Mr. 34 calls. He's at the game. A-HA!!!!!!! We were so right. He's at the ACC, pounding back drinks with his clients. He claims this is all unexpected. I call his bluff. He scurries to try and come up with something. I give him the benefit of the doubt seeing that he is the one who chose Wednesday as our rendez-vous date. I kindly offer to reschedule. He insists on meeting. So the plans are still on. I pump and prep myself up for a date that I've already lost so much interest in.
9 oclock rolls around. I get a darling text from him asking me if I can meet him at Brazenhead since I'm driving. Ok, officially annoyed now.Our conversation went something like this (all from memory)
LC: No, sorry. That's downtown. Let's reschedule.
Mr. 34: We had a plan, let's stick to it? Could we meet ossington, or bloor?
LC: How about we meet at the spot you suggested after you struck down my suggestion?
Mr. 34: Ok. It's just far from me.
LC: Listen, if you're busy tonight, we'll make it another night. I had/have work to do that's why it was nice to be going somewhere close
Mr. 34: We all do.
Ok asshole. I know I'm not the only person in the entire world that has work to do outside of their 9-5 schedule, but where do you get off underestimating or downplaying the extent of the work I need to do? I am starting a business. I'm in my basement studio. You're at the ACC, watching a sports game drinking. If you're going to make it about comparing, let's compare.
He calls. I'm super pissy with him. I insist on rescheduling. He insists on still meeting up. And then, oh and then, as I start talking about how he initially didn't mind a place near by because of my work schedule, he calls me a grandma. I abruptly piped in, in a less than friendly tone, and told him that he didn't know me well enough to call me that. His tone turned less pompous and a little more sincere and he apologized.
At this point, I couldn't care less about the guy. I am completely turned off by this stranger. He all of a sudden turns charming. That wasn't what convinced me to meet him somewhere on Ossington, it was the fact that I had already finished getting ready and I didn't want this ensemble or look to go to waste. I already wasted my night (i.e. no gym, no errands, no work), that I figured I owed it to myself and the things I skipped out on to meet up with him, in spite of his awful, awful appeal.
I chose Levack Block. He replies with "It better be good. Am I allowed to say that not knowing you that well". I giggle in frustration. I shrug my shoulders and simply ask myself where this guy came from and who raised him? Seriously though, who says that. His sarcasm was so unnecessary, if it even was sarcasm. Dude, I don't know you from a hole in the ground. What you say and do in these very precious moments leading up to the date are just as important as the date itself.
I already have my first impression of him. I don't need a face to face encounter to solidify my impression. But, again, I already invested a whole evening towards this date. I'm stubborn as hell, and for the most part, I like to finish what I start. I hop in my truck and drive away.
I'm down the road when I see the time. It's almost 10:30pm. By the time I get there, sit across from this man who I do not want to meet, have a drink, drive back home, it'll be passed midnight. Common sense kicks in, I pull over, I call him, I get his voicemail and tell him I have a flat tire. Ok, so it wasn't the most original, honest thing to say, but he was so persistent all the other times that I needed something that would hopefully shut him up.
He still insisted on meeting and all of a sudden, he's down for meeting near my place only because he thinks I'm stuck on the side of the road somewhere with a flat waiting for a tow truck. Woman in distress, I'll save youuuuuuuuuuuu !!!! That's exactly what he's thinking. Thanks but no thanks. He wanted to come say hello, which I declined and out of pity told him it would be a raincheque on the hello. What I failed to mention was that the raincheque would bounce because it's good for never.
I've said before that you can't get back all the time, effort and money you put into dating. But at least I was done up for my dreams and I woke up with sweet hair.
So, as quickly as we made plans to meet for drinks, those plans came tumbling down. As Jim Carrey says on Bruce Almighty, that's the way the cookie crumbles.
Until then, cheers to a date that never took place.
LCxo
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