Apparently I have "It"

Last night, Lucy was dying to go to one of the local bar’s karaoke night, and for once, I didn’t mind going. Something about being out in the fresh air, having time to take a break from work and re-energize myself actually made me a bit excited about it. I even borrowed one of Hannah’s dresses, curled my hair, and put on some make-up. 

Everyone staying in the cabin came along with us. Marie and I were the designated drivers, for obvious reasons. It was a really nice evening, believe it or not. Everyone, well, everyone except for Ben, made a fool of themselves on stage, there was some dancing and talking, and it was the best night out I’d had in years.

In fact, I was even noticed by someone, and that was a bit of an interesting story. While Harvey and Lisa were singing a duet of “I Got You Babe,” one of the bartenders came over and gave me a drink. At first I said I didn’t order one and he told me it was from the man in the red shirt at the bar. I said I wasn’t having any alcohol tonight, and he said that the man had sent me over a virgin martini.

It’s been a while since a stranger bought me a drink. This was probably the first time ever, actually, now that I think about it. I looked over hesitantly to the bar, expecting it to be an old, balding guy with no game, but he seemed like a perfectly normal guy. He was mid-thirties, probably, handsome, and put together. And something happened to me that hasn’t happened in a long time. I was flattered by his attention. 

Everyone at the table was looking between me and the man who sent the drink. Lucy winked and said he was cute, and asked if I was interested. I said I didn’t know, maybe?

But, honestly, I was looking for a reaction in Fred. And for a moment, when the drink first appeared, he seemed surprised, and then he looked at me as if he saw a fraction of the girl I was eight years ago, just for a moment. Someone less worn down, with greater hope for the future.

Hannah told me to go over and talk to him, and though I wasn’t sure, the chorus of everyone but Harvey and Lisa (who were still singing) and Fred encouraging me to go made me stand up to go talk to him. But then, as luck would have it, a fight broke out in the bar and the man who sent me the drink intervened to break it up, which got him in the fight. When things calmed down, the manager kicked out the two men who had started the fight and the man who sent me the drink, so I never got to talk to him.

About twenty minutes after the scuffle, Marie exclaimed that she finally realized who that man was. It was that boy Eliza had a crush on all those years ago, wasn’t it? The one whose father’s business was going to start working with our dad’s, but when the father died suddenly of a heart attack and he took over, halting all business connections between our two companies, and then marrying someone else, thoroughly crushing Eliza’s heart.

I really couldn’t tell if it was the same man, but if so, thank goodness nothing happened to avoid that awkwardness. And I still got the compliment that he was interested enough in me to send me a drink. So yes, all in all a really fun night. 

Another thing, so you’re all aware, making posts this week has been pretty hard, to find time to get away to write, and Christmas coming up won’t make things any easier, so I think I won’t post anything here until the New Year when things calm down. 

Happy Holidays everyone!