After hearing about it from a friend, I signed up with a group called Meet Market Adventures. They organize outings and activities for single people. It seemed appealing to me because it offered a great variety of activities from hang gliding to light hiking with a group of people who just happened to be single. You know me, I'm not too hung up on finding Mr. Right/Man-who-can-fill-my-closet-with-shoes, but I do find it hard sometimes to get out for a fun night with pals because so many of my friends are non-single. As it turned out, Lisa thought it sounded like fun too, so she signed up right away and we both got free invites to Friday's Latin dance night, just for being newbies.
Lisa came to my place after her yoga class so we could get ready and go together. I decided to wear my black bermuda shorts, a green, low-cut top and my very sexy green shoes that tie around the ankles. No surprise, I built the outfit around the shoes, but it was a hard call deciding whether to start with the green shoes or my superhero red wedges.Part 2. I'm single because I am a snobby bitch, and that is fine by me.
The event was being held at Tijuana's. The first thing I noticed when we walked in was that there were a lot of women in the room. A blonde one with a clipboard took our names and checked us off. Then we were introduced to the group.
We sat down and I took a scan of the group. Everyone looked older than us by a good five to ten years. I leaned back and nodded as I thought to myself, you know, we're not doing that bad. Sure, Lisa and I are single and not dating with any kind of frequency, but we don't belong here. Lisa and I can at least manage to dress ourselves with a good amount of style. Except one or two, all of the ladies would have made excellent candidates for What Not To Wear. My first impression wasn't that this was a group of people who just don't have the time or luck for meeting people. No, these people were here for some kind of remedial dating class. And there's nothing wrong with that, but I was hoping for something at a little higher level.
The Salsa dancing lessons started off with everyone in three rows practicing the basic steps. Lisa and I were in the back row but I kind of wished we were in the front where it would have been easier to see the instructor. The steps were pretty simple and easy to pick up though. I was happy just to be moving to music again.
Once we had all mastered the steps on our own it was time to partner up and try moving together. The guy I partnered with was tall-ish and slim, wore round wire-framed glasses and had short, light-coloured hair.
He introduced himself and asked me if this was my first event.
"Yeah," I nodded.
"Are you nervous?"
I looked him right in the eye and replied, "no." Well, I wasn't. In fact, I was so not nervous that I was getting arrogant. It surprised me a little, but Lisa too admitted afterward that she felt like she had adopted a bit of a snobbish attitude in there. Sound unflattering? I kind of think that's what we were going for. Everyone has their own defenses.
After the lessons my partner offered to buy me a drink. Lisa and I stood with the guys and chatted a bit. Lisa's guy was actually cute. He was a tall Asian guy from the military who was going to be shipping out to Afghanistan next week. Lisa told me she thought my partner seemed like a good possibility for me as he chatted about his interest in the outdoors. Then he started talking about how he takes kids out and teaches them how to hunt waterfowl. I'm not a friend of PETA, but I don't think I could spend much time with a guy who kills animals for sport.
I pulled Lisa away to visit the ladies room. It was about 10:30 and there was nobody else in the bar. We looked at ourselves in the mirrors, all dressed and glammed. up. It's not often we put on our pretty clothes for a night out together. We were also both enjoying good hair days.
"Do you want go to another bar?" Lisa asked. I was a little surprised. Lisa and I met in college seven years ago, but we've never gone to the bar together. I didn't think it was her thing. I was up for some fun, but it had been so long since I'd gone out for a night of dancing that I wasn't really sure where the place-to-be was anymore. I tried to channel my more adventurous sister for some ideas. I would have called her but she's vacationing in Hawaii for two weeks.
Part III Jill and Lisa go down(town).
We decided to hit Blush Ultra Club on Portage Avenue. It was kind of dead. I headed to the bar to get a drink and asked the bartender if he expected it would get much busier.
"Naw, Whiskey Dix is opening tonight so everyone is going there."
Lisa and I made the best of it though and had fun on the dance floor. It didn't take long for me to spot something I liked, standing in a group on the side. He looked youngish, but everyone there seemed younger. He was standing with a few guys and two girls, but I couldn't figure out if one of the girls was there with him. It seemed like no, but I couldn't be certain. He looked kind of like this guy I know, which was the main reason I was so drawn to him.
Later, when the dance floor was a bit fuller and I had lost track of my handsome ghost, this guy came up to me and asked me to dance. I said sure. I was never the girl who got asked to dance, so whenever it happens now it really does make my inner and awkward teenage-self smile. His name was Jason, and he seemed a little shy himself.
Not long after my dancing partner and I parted, I spotted my mark standing on the sidelines again, still nursing a beer. He was without the girls this time so I was about to walk up to him and coolly ask if he danced. Then I noticed his friend standing beside him. It was Jason. I couldn't find the ice in my heart to go over there and thumb my nose at Jason to flirt with his buddy. Yeah, this snobby bitch still has some compassion.
I went home, alone, but smiling. I had a song in my heart and a few new steps for my feet. I'm 26, I'm single, and I still know how to have fun. I'm that confident, well-styled girl who flirts for fun, knows how to dance and gets singled out by random cute guys. That just rocks.
No comments:
Post a Comment