When my girlfriend from college first sent her introductory email, I was curious and somewhat indifferent to be honest. It was a two sentence email. This is Sarah. This is Colombia. That's it. I thought about following up with am email inquiring about Mr. Colombia's background, interests, profession and general proclivities. In the end, I did not. I thought it may be fun to leave everything to the imagination. And to my surprise, my girlfriend didn't send any further information. (She's a lawyer and works long hours, maybe that has something to do with the lack of follow up.) I left it all unprobed. We had initial flirtations in the written form, via friendly email banter as we decided on a day and time to meet. I had absolutely no idea who I was going to meet. I just knew his name and that is all. This was the epitome of blind dates.
I quickly discovered that Mr. Colombia is a lobbyist in San Francisco for a major energy firm. He was sporting a dark navy suit, classic red tie and shiny wing tips, slightly out of place amongst the hipsters sulking in the SOMA where my office is located. I was sitting in the bookstore chatting away on the phone when he walked up to me. He had a wide gracious smile, a very approachable demeanor, a very easy-going, open face even in that damn monkey suit. He was appealing in the way that a politician is, aspirational almost. At the same time there was something playful and mischievous too despite the physical entrapment's of his profession. I could tell that this suit wasn't all business and that made me smile :-)
We walked to the parking garage and chatted. The valet had a hard time finding his BMW amongst the the bevy of beamers... I did veil my eye rolling to be polite.
We went to dinner at a Peruvian restaurant on the Embarcadero called Le Mar. Colombia was truly a gentleman, not for the sake of being a gentleman, but because this was how he was raised. He clearly adored his siblings (he is oldest of three), his parents, his grandmother, his country. He talked about his childhood home, recognized the salsa bands playing in the background, knew all the wines on the menu and how to talk about them, charmingly recounted his travels throughout South America as it related to each dish he recommended we try... my god, I thought I was in a movie dating several decades back! He has certainly not wasted any time on the planet!
Wow, I thought I had been spoiled by my ex before last, but this was surprising. All doors opened before I could think about it, my plate was full every time I looked down, my glass was never empty and eye contact was nearly 100%. I know this is terribly cliche but I did feel a bit like a princess, (I had to say it!)
He charmed the waiters, spoke to the staff in Spanish and made them all laugh. He drew a map of Colombia on his business card showing me the three major mountainous regions of the country. Even when I said (with squinting eye) "have you done this before to get a girl?" he said, "actually I haven't" and I believe him.
We then drove to Blue Plate for dessert. At this point, I finally did let my guard down just a bit. Come on now friends, when he promised "The best dessert in San Francisco" he really did not fail. Warm chocolate baby cake and red wine spoon fed to me over candlelight? Seriously kids, I would have to have a heart of steel to withstand this! And my god, I am a total emotional mushpot after all is said and done. So shit. I knew I was in trouble at this point. But believe me I tried to stay strong and dignified! I asked many questions, provocative, sarcastically, even slightly obnoxious in nature to see if I could provoke him. NOTHING! He remained smooth!
Finally (with my socially awkward terets syndrome) I said, "So, Colombia, are you full of shit or what?" After a long pause, he looked me straight in the eye and said (seriously), "I've lied to women, but I've never lied to a lady."
Oh for the love of god, Mary, Jesus and Joseph! Well, it was at this point that I felt compelled to be honest, what with the father of Jesus involved now. I opened the books about my little project, about the 50 dates, the rule about not seeing anyone more than once etc. He never pushed, never questioned, just smiled and listened. He translated the lyrics to an entire salsa song for me... (topic of which was passion and scorned love, go figure). Then, as casual as a Sunday breeze, "So, what are you doing next weekend?"
Wow, I would get into serious trouble anywhere in Latin America! I kissed him goodnight and tried to look strong, independent and totally unphased by him as I stumbled up the steps. I'm still in a bit of a whirlwind now... and not sure what tomorrow morning's email will bring. Of course, whatever happens, I will keep you all posted. All the best of dating and mating until next time! Tomorrow night is Greece!
Posts
0 comments:
Post a Comment