Wednesday, January 9, 2008
Stood Up
There was a woman that I went out with many years ago. I was told that she was beautiful although I didn't really believe it myself. She made me nervous, not by how she looked but by her legend. More than anything, I wanted to be with someone that people thought was beautiful, and so we arranged to meet for coffee at a place on Jasper.
As it turned out, there were two different locations of the same store on Jasper, and of course I went to one and she went to the other. After waiting there for several minutes, I decided I had been stood up and left. On the way home, my cell phone rang and it was her, upset that I'd stood her up. After we cleared up the confusion, and laughed at the misunderstanding, I picked her up from her home and we went to play pool.
The evening was going well although I never managed to calm my nerves and, because of that, must have said some unusually odd things as I have a tendency to do when I'm befuddled. At the end of the evening, we went to my home where I got her a book that I owned and she wanted to read, and I drove her home. After walking her to her door, we made plans to go see a movie a few nights later.
When I went to pick her up for our second date, I buzzed up to her suite and there was no answer. I thought she must be in the shower, so I went back to my car and waited for a few minutes before going back to try again. Still, there was no answer. After I'd been waiting for about ten minutes, I called her from my cell phone and left a message in a mixture of light-hearted anger and frustration about being stood up. I may have even added something to the effect of her being inconsiderate by not calling to say she couldn't make it.
Over the next few days, I found out that on the morning of our second date, she had been crossing the street and somehow became trapped between a truck and its trailer. She was dragged for nearly a whole block then run over by the trailer's tires. When I left that message on her answering machine, she was in the emergency room being operated on. Oh how that message must have sounded when she finally heard it. ¶ 8:04 PM
As it turned out, there were two different locations of the same store on Jasper, and of course I went to one and she went to the other. After waiting there for several minutes, I decided I had been stood up and left. On the way home, my cell phone rang and it was her, upset that I'd stood her up. After we cleared up the confusion, and laughed at the misunderstanding, I picked her up from her home and we went to play pool.
The evening was going well although I never managed to calm my nerves and, because of that, must have said some unusually odd things as I have a tendency to do when I'm befuddled. At the end of the evening, we went to my home where I got her a book that I owned and she wanted to read, and I drove her home. After walking her to her door, we made plans to go see a movie a few nights later.
When I went to pick her up for our second date, I buzzed up to her suite and there was no answer. I thought she must be in the shower, so I went back to my car and waited for a few minutes before going back to try again. Still, there was no answer. After I'd been waiting for about ten minutes, I called her from my cell phone and left a message in a mixture of light-hearted anger and frustration about being stood up. I may have even added something to the effect of her being inconsiderate by not calling to say she couldn't make it.
Over the next few days, I found out that on the morning of our second date, she had been crossing the street and somehow became trapped between a truck and its trailer. She was dragged for nearly a whole block then run over by the trailer's tires. When I left that message on her answering machine, she was in the emergency room being operated on. Oh how that message must have sounded when she finally heard it. ¶ 8:04 PM
