2/24/09 - Date Twenty Three: Confirmed Bachelor

Just like anyone who's dated for any length of time, I've met almost every "type" of person out there. The Sensitive Guy, The Macho Guy, The Renaissance Fair/Theater/Martial Arts Freak, The Dork, The Desperately Lonely Guy, The Nice Guy, The Asshole, The Dirty Hot Guy, The Boring Guy, The User Guy. All types. Last night I met The Confirmed Bachelor Guy. This guy is older (specifically, 37), has never been married, has never been close to getting married, and probably hasn't had a relationship that lasted longer than 2 years (specifically, 1.5 years if I recall that part of our conversation correctly) in his adult life. He curses freely during conversation, doesn't own a home, says the word 'titties' without missing a step or having an ounce of concern that this may be offensive to his date. He untucks his shirt seconds after arriving at the restaurant, saying that he had a really long day at the office and really needs to unwind. He orders either a "man's" drink (specifically, Scotch rocks) or a fancy Belgian beer. He loves his car, jokes with you like you are one of his buddies, and bemoans the fact that all of his 'boys' are now coupled, married, or have kids and things aren't "like they used to be."

Hmmmm. What does a single lady, such as myself, who's really looking to meet someone to have a long term relationship with do with such a fellow? Get slightly wasted on really good gin and laugh at the gruff jokes, of course!!

Ok. I've been corresponding via email with this fellow since the beginning of the year. We made multiple plans to meet up, some more specific than others and through multiple mix-ups and other unfortunate circumstances, these prior meetings never worked out. So, we finally made a plan to hang out last night. We met at this quasi-fancy little spot downtown that I'd been to once before and suggested because this guy was somewhat of a foodie and I thought he'd appreciate the gourmet treats on the menu. Plus, the atmosphere is very chill and beautiful so at least if the date didn't go well, I'd be able to spend an evening in a place with a little ambiance.

He got there late after struggling to find parking, which made me feel a little guilty, but I got over it when the shirt untucking incident occurred. He sat down and the first thing I noticed about him was his 37 year old man beer belly. Not a large beer belly but enough of one that it caused me to have the mental image of him sitting on his leather man couch in his man den watching football games on his large, flat screen man TV, wearing boxers and a holey T-Shirt/college sweatshirt, surrounded by discarded bottles of Miller Light. This mental image was dispelled little by little however, as we conversed and got to know a little more about each other.

This guy surprised me many times during the conversation and ended up being really fun to talk with. Bizarrely, the first topic our meandering conversation touched upon was marriage. We both agreed that eloping is ideal if one chooses to get married, the only roadblock to this being family and their resulting disappointment at not being a part of the blessed event. I began to think that my first impression of this one was a bit premature and that he was maybe more multi-dimensional than he seemed. This proved to be true ... He loves to cook and makes really good food from the sound of it. He doesn't have a large man TV, in fact doesn't really watch TV at all, unless its The History Channel or the Food Network. He was a mix of polite/respectful and too familiar/crude (see reference to the word "titties" above ... I told him after he said that, that I prefer the word "tatas" ... ) which I kind of enjoyed because at least I could correctly assume that he was being himself. And for better or worse, I'd prefer that someone is genuine during a date than putting on some sort of facade just to impress me.

During the conversation which proceeded for several hours without breaks or weirdness, we enjoyed treats, drinks, and some gelato. We rolled out when the restaurant flipped the GET OUT lights on, causing both of us to squint our eyes in response to the sudden brightness. I planned to take public transpo home but when he offered the ride and I confirmed through various complicated questions and a battery of physical tests that he was not drunk, I gladly accepted.

On the drive, he invited me to mess with his XM satellite radio, which I excitedly did and we talked a bit about music and recent concerts attended. We arrived at my building and said goodnight and he leaned over for the kiss ... I thought, what the hell? So, we had a nice little peck and then I got out, making sure that he got a nice shot of my stocking-ed leg upon exit. He'd been staring at my legs all night and I was feeling a little saucy (read: buzzed) at that point so again thought, what the hell? Give the people what they want!!

What to do with Confirmed Bachelor Guy, if that is in fact who he is ... Dunno. It's a puzzle. Guess we'll see whether or not he makes contact and go from there. I sort of hope he does. I sense that this is someone I could have a really good time with ... as long as he doesn't say "titties". :)