Morning Edition - 11/1/05

NYC’s Halloween Parade; Ho-Hum
Last night I was front and center for NYC’s Halloween parade which runs through the West Village. The weather was astounding – clear skies, temperatures in the 60s and a light breeze coming off the muddy brown waters of the Hudson River. After waiting for the marchers to snake their way up Sixth Avenue, we were set up for disappointment – since most goons and goblins suffered from a lack of imagination this year. Every now and again we were treated to someone who really took the time and put it all out there. We counted at least fourteen Marilyn Monroe’s – a record, even for the west village. Of course, the boys and I were pleased to see that some folks can’t wait to strip down in the name of horror. There were several gym bodies that we bowed-down to – especially when they chose a very skimpy thong and body art as a costume. All-in-all it appears the mixed crowd was happy to frolic and explore together, but weren’t inspired enough to take chances on wearing costumes to capture anyone’s imagination this year.

Second Chance At A First Impression
Last July I enjoyed apple martinis at a local NYC bar where I met two perfect gentlemen who struck up conversation and some heavy flirtation with me. I was interested in one fella, but his pal was much more aggressive and snagged my number before his friend had the opportunity to reciprocate my advances. Well, it just so happens that these guys shared the same rules my friends and I do – that is, you don’t pursue someone your friend has on his/her radar. So, as it went, I was left to date the friend I wasn’t attracted to – we’ll need to name him for this story’s purpose, so we’ll call him Bill. Now don’t get me wrong, Bill was a great guy and we had a ball when we hung out, but I secretly wanted the friend to join us – we’ll now refer to the friend as Jim. As it turns out Bill started coming on strong and without hurting his feelings I began rebuffing and shutting down. It wasn’t long before Bill – who appears to be very perceptive – stopped calling. Frankly, the calling stopped so suddenly it even caught me by surprise. Since I had no intention of taking my friendship with Bill to the next level, I never inquired as to why he stopped calling – I assumed he knew what was up. Well sometimes life has a way of tossing the salad (sort-of speak) and bringing folks back together for another go-round. As one of my friends and I entered a packed bar last night to use the bathroom along the Halloween parade route, someone grabbed my arm and pulled me to him by the waist. I was suddenly face-to-face (more like nose to nose) with Jim. He smiled broadly and asked, “Where have you been?” I was initially speechless, but quickly responded, “Looking for you.” A soft pat on the behind and a slight giggle later and he was asking me, “So, what ever happened between you and Bill? You know he really, really liked you, right?” I said, “It’s a long story and it’s too noisy in here for me to even go there.” Besides, I have a strange feeling you know why your friend and I didn’t work out,” I said, with a sly grin on my face. He now had both his arms around my waist and our eyes were locked for what seemed like an eternity before he said, “Yeah, I think I do.” My friend, who had now come out of the bathroom, tugged at my arm and said, he’d wait for me outside. The interruption jarred me back into reality – the reality that it would be next to impossible to date Jim now that Bill and I weren’t even speaking. I waited for Jim to say something else – something to validate both our intuitions. “I really liked you too, so I avoided hanging with you and Bill. Now I wish I had stayed on top of things,” he said now pulling me even closer; our lips centimeters from each other. As I reached into my pocket to retrieve my ringing cell phone, our lips brushed each other and we both smiled. “Why don’t I take your number and we can talk about all of this without the massive crowds,” I suggested. He whispered his number into my ear as I dialed each digit into my phone. I completely ignored the incoming call from my friends waiting outside the bar. “So, I’ll call you,” I said, returning the cell phone back to my jacket’s inside pocket. “I’ll be waiting for your call and this time, I won’t back up for anyone else.” We were now virtually lip to lip with nothing left to say. It wasn’t until my friend, who returned to the crowded bar to find out what was taking me so long, pulled me back and said, “Uh, either get a room or let’s roll!” that I realized Jim and I were lip-locked, nestled in the heat of the crowd. Both of us laughed as I began walking away while yelling, “I’ll call you!” over the music and conversations that now drowned us both out. I’ll keep everyone posted on the outcome of this little fiasco.

On Blast
So, what’s the T?! Since Bill and I never engaged in any hanky-panky, would it be wrong to date Jim? How do you believe Jim and I should proceed? Is this just a fling that wasn’t meant to be?

Keep passin’ the open windows…