Drinking Habits

 

 

 

 

Yesterday was Valentine’s Day, one of my least favorite days of the year starting with the 6th grade which was the year all the people in the class stopped exchanging paper Valentines.  Ever since then the day has been a gut wrenching, ego-shrinking humiliation of witnessing other women be gifted with flowers, candy, jewelry and wined and dined at fancy  restaurants while my day usually ended in a fight with whomever I was dating at the time.  The exception were the years I spent married to the father of my daughter H2.  He was always very good about remembering the occasion with something wonderful starting with the first Valentine’s of our dating life when on February 13th he sent me three dozen long stem white roses in a basket, you know, like the ones opera singers get in old movies after a stellar performance (aka: post Susan’s performance in CITIZEN KANE) complete with a card that said, ” I just couldn’t wait.”  Practical and romantic as roses are probably half the price on 2/13 as they are on 2/14.

Anyway, that has nothing to do with yesterday where I am lacking a lover of any kind other than the vibrating variety.  In a kind of desperate moment, I agreed to meet a man we will call B8 for a drink at my neighborhood hangout which is five minutes away from my house. I say kind of desperate because I think the only reason I agreed to meet him last night is because it was Valentine’s and I just wanted to be interested in by someone. But I have had coffee with this man and he seems nice so what the heck, right?

We meet at 7:30pm. We order.  I am having only one drink so I opt for a glass of bubbly with a glass of water.  He orders a vodka martini AND a beer. This strikes me as an interesting choice.  I have spent way too many hours of my youth in bars with plenty of drunks and married two alcoholics but I have yet to observe a drink order quite like this.  So I ask him why he ordered the beer and he says it makes him drink the martini slower which prevents him from getting drunk as fast.

What do you think of this logic, readers?

 

Second date B#2

OK, There is a lot going on.  When it rains it pours, right?  So you all know about the wonderful time I had with B#3 on Saturday night.  We are going to see another show tomorrow night and I am truly looking forward to it because he is taking me to one of my favorite restaurants in Staunton for dinner before the show at the Blackfriars Theatre at American Shakespeare Center.

Last night I went to see a show (this is what happens when you are a theatre critic, you see a lot of plays) with B#2.  It was a nice evening but he started out the conversation telling how he isn’t ready for a relationship.  That’s cool because we make good friends and there is a deal breaker issue at hand already, his ex-wife.  Ex-wife of B#2 is someone I knew before they got married and I am uninterested in reconnecting with her ever again for any reason.  They have three children which means, if involved seriously with him there would be interaction with her.  Sorry guys, he’s really nice and great to talk with and the children sound lovely but…. I am taking him out of the running.

So here I will introduce B#4 (told you things are jumping).  He is a little younger, someone I knew before I was married to H#2 (husband #2) and spent quite a bit of time with.  He is from an old Virginia family and is a gentleman farmer.  He is politically conservative but has a surprisingly similar spiritual belief to mine, likes art and the theatre, travels quite a bit and  likes sometimes to buy me expensive gifts just because- no strings attached, really. He is sweet natured and appeals to the traditional side of me.  Never married and no kids that I know of.

We went to the theatre on Sunday afternoon.  He took me out for brunch beforehand at a fantastic resort near my house.  He made sure we had a table with a spectacular view and we had such a nice time chatting and catching up that we were late for the play.  Upon return to the resort (to pick up my car) we stopped into the bar and had a glass of wine by the fire.  He was thoughtful and attentive and made me feel just wonderful.

Will provide a full report on second date with B#3 soon.