I'm pretty afraid of heart-to-heart chats. There's not a lot of reason behind it, besides my middle-school-rooted beliefs that telling someone you like them is just about the worst thing you can do. Best to make sure no one at all gets any hint of your romantic interest. Just keep the conversation going, and if it ever gets too awkward or personal, do a fucking British accent ASAP, OK, motherfucker?
So tonight there was one looming, unavoidable. Now, you don't have to tell me about avoiding heart-to-heart chats. I've gone weeks, months, avoiding heart-to-heart chats. I've let fertile, sprouting seeds of relationships wither in the hot sun of platonic friendship rather than water them with the heart-to-heart talk that might nourish them. I've spent hours muttering half-slurred Spanish phrases (more on Espa�ol later) in drunken hazes, after attempting the "liquid courage" route to unburdening my soul. But mostly, I do nothing in these situations, and eventually they go away.
Tonight was about the best-case scenario for these sorts of things, considering. I didn't start to feel embarrassed or self-conscious until fifteen minutes after it was over. There was no crying. English was the only language spoken, except a few delightful Latin phrases and a very moving passage from Baudelaire, recited in the original French. After agonizing about it for weeks, none of the bad things I imagined actually came true, except for the one major bad thing, which didn't really happen so much as get revealed. Which didn't so much get revealed as it did get tacitly acknowledged. Which didn't really surprise anyone anyway.
Still, I still feel that the Worst-Case Scenario was not wholly unreasonable.
Worst-Case Scenario
Unnamed Girl: Hey, Sean. Can we talk?
Sean: (blinking quickly) Sure.
Unnamed Girl: Look, I know you like me, sucka. But, it's not going to happen. I like being your friend, and I think you're really funny, but... we both know you're too fat to ride the Sweet-Lovin' Express. (makes choo-choo sounds, mimes train wheels turning)
Sean: (blinking faster, breathing in large heaving gulps) Yes. What you say is yes has some thing true is ok.
Unnamed Girl: So, we're not gonna have sex. Unless I'm really drunk, and I mistake you for one of your roommates. No offense or nothing, jelly roll.
Sean: (trying in vain to create the illusion of spontaneous onion-chopping, blinking like John McCain in a televised interview) None taken is said i many months scared preserve friendship sorry scared not good with people says ok.
Unnamed Girl: Anyway, I'm still going to come over. And we can still be friends. Just as long as you aren't a fucking baby about the whole thing.
Sean: (sobs)
Unnamed Girl: But what did you expect, Sean? You drive a fucking Toyota Corolla. You think I fuck Corolla men? Come on, Sean.
Sean: (sobs continue)
Unnamed Girl: Oh, quit crying, Shamu, or I won't hook you up with any of my slutty Catholic school friends during winter break.
(Pause)
Unnamed Girl: Can we smoke a bowl?
Sean: (tearful nodding)
Unnamed Girl: I'm glad we had this little talk.
Sean: (grasping around on floor for kleenex, dignity): Can I have a hug first?
Unnamed Girl: Maybe next week, love handles. Can we get to smoking already? I've got a date with some middle-aged longshoremen at midnight.
I am very happy that it went well. Obviously not as well as it could have, but also not as horrible I take it. I'll be just down the hall if you wanna chat.
-Gene
sean(e), you're too keane for this shit. on the other hand, congratulations on the future catholic sex. catholics do it for god.
once i convinced this mormon that when it's dark god can't see you. so just as long as you don't do anything bad (sex) during the day it's like you didn't really do it at all. ah mormons. so gullible. i was baptized in the catholic church you know. we really do do (dodo) it for god, that is why we are all the time taking His name in vain during it.
god as intravenous drug.
Plagiarism alert
oh, wow. sorry. i was just thinking "taking god's name in vein."
i try and convince the catholic girls that i meet(they're all catholic girls! thanks columbus!*wink*) that god is not an external thing to be injected like an IV, but rather, a poisonous substance that they must allow me to suck out of their bodies.
then i attach a handful of leeches to their back and walk away.
Fluid injection or fluid removal - it doesn't matter. Those catholic girls give it up anyway.
Dido: you had it right. You just left out the credit. ::forgiving smile::
I don't know about after dark, but I think any good Catholic will agree that Holy Saturday is potentially the freak-nastiest day of the year. Jesus ascends on Good Friday, and his ass ain't resurrected until Easter Sunday. And what the Messiah don't know won't hurt him, y'all.