It really was just the battery

"Forget about the consequences of failure.  Failure is only a temporary change in direction to set you straight for your next success." 
~Denis Waitley

 I've kept y'all in suspense long enough.  At least the four or five of you who haven't already heard "the rest of the story..." as Pat said LOL!

Date night.  First real date in 17 years.  Or so I thought...

Chris asks me to pick him up.  Sure.  I already know where he lives since I'm trying to buy his house.  No problem.  Running a few minutes late because he asked me to pick up some tomato juice for him to drink while I was getting my wine coolers.  I had to go to two stores to even find any.  After I pick him up,  I have to stop back by my apartment to pick up some paper lanterns I'm bringing to Theresa's house for the bonfire.  Kind of a symbolic thing for all of us girls.  They're really cool.  You light the wick and the fire takes them up just like a hot air balloon.  We all have someone we need to let go on this night.  I thought we could write who/what that was and let our cares off over the lake.  It was supposed to be a night of endings and new beginnings.

We arrive at my apartment.  Chris decides he wants to show me videos of his band on YouTube.  OK.  We're only an hour late to the bonfire at this point, so what the heck.  His band is pretty good.  Of course all of the videos and songs are a few years old, but good nonetheless.  Shows me a few more.  And then onto a few other artists he likes.  And then another.... Oh, and did I mention his friend and he believe in UFO's?  I saw some of those videos too.

Well, an hour and a half later I ask if he wouldn't mind heading over to the bonfire because I'm starting to get hungry.  Reluctantly he agrees.  Pat and Theresa have already texted me checking on me and telling me to quit having "fun" and come on over already.  Ha, ha.  If only.  Not even a hand hold yet.

We get there, introduce Chris to everyone, and head on into an amazing feast of food (of course it's cold by now).  We load up our plates.  He decides to drink one of my wine coolers instead of the tomato juice I drove all over town for.  Well then.  Theresa's next door neighbor keeps us entertained inside.  She started waaaay earlier than us on the partying.  She's a riot though.

Now we head back outside to the fire.  It's just Pat and Theresa by now.  I get to where they are sitting and Chris asks me if I would mind taking him home.  Really?  I just drank two wine coolers and we just got there twenty minutes ago.  He really wants to go home now?  Wow.  The girls just look at me quizzically when I tell them.  I'm sure they think something more was going to happen.

But, of course, he really just wanted to go home.  Said the wine cooler made him sick.  Got out of the truck and went inside.  Said "I'll call you."  Riiigght... No "thank you".  No good nice kiss, hug, handshake, whatever.  I'm still saying to myself "Really???" the whole way back to Theresa's.  Yeah, I went back.  Because no matter what, I am going to have a good time tonight.

The girls are laughing their asses off when I get back.  They can't believe what just happened.  I can though.  This is, of course, my life and pretty much on par for what I would have expected my first date to be.  Not that I don't deserve much, much better, but definitely not unexpected.

We let off the lanterns, writing the cares of the world on our balloons.  Off over the lake they go.  Perhaps they will meet up with Chris's UFO buddies.  Or end up on one of his friend's videos.  At least that's what we think as we are still laughing quite uncontrollably and a bit of tears over what fate has dealt us over the years.  

Finally I head home alone.  I'm sure I'm much better off that way tonight.  Because, like I said, I do deserve so much better.  I mean, I drove, bought the drinks, provided free food, and even shaved my legs!  It can only go up from here, right?  Chalk it up to a learning experience.  Something to look back on and laugh about for the next twenty years or so.  Or, maybe I just needed something new to write about on my blog - aren't artists supposed to suffer for their cause? 

So, it wasn't a sign from God.  There wasn't a great love affair in the plans.  I didn't get the house.  It wasn't a major engine malfunction.  It really was just the battery...