I've never been much of a bar person. It's probably been 20 years since I went out to a bar by myself with no agenda other than maybe, hopefully, wishfully meeting someone.
After a day of major retail therapy and a bit of a nap, I was restless. It's a beautiful, sultry Saturday evening in Fort Lauderdale and I was faced with the prospect of an evening home alone with the TV remote. Cary was out with guy du jour. I saw John last night. And the guy I really wanted to spend the evening with is off trying to figure out his life.
So, I decided to head over to Georgie's Alibi for a drink. It was early -- maybe 8 p.m. when I arrived. I didn't care about being out late with the masses and I really didn't care if I met anyone. My only motivation was simply not to be home alone and to be out among the lavendar brotherhood.
After getting my drink at the bar, I started my first pass through the bar. Along the back wall, seated at one of the banquettes were two guys, one of whom pointing at me and motioning me over. It wasn't that crowded, so I knew that I was the one he was focused on.
As I approached, he seemed vaguely familiar, but I couldn't place him. He shook my hand and introduced me to his boyfriend, Chris. Nice to meet you Chris, but who the hell is your boyfriend, what is his name and from where do I know him?
Boyfriend said, "I left the store and am doing visual at another company."
OK, that narrowed it down. Then I realized, "Oh wait! It's Mark from Bassett."
He helped me on several occasions with furniture and lighting and was really friendly every time I went into the store.
Long story short, we ended up chatting for a couple of hours. It was such a pleasant surprise. Here I was, expecting to stand in a corner, nursing a drink and being all shy and not talking to people. But I ended up chatting with two really nice fellow New Englanders and having a lovely evening.
Mark and I exchanged phone numbers and promises to give each other a ring. I definitely will do that. I'm also planning a pool party for later in the summer, so it will be nice to have two additional, fun people to invite.
Comments