Fling or Thing?

Or: WOW! That Was Fast!


As I highlighted in my prior post, I recently joined a bunch of groups at Meetup.com. My screen name there is “Tone.” So last Wednesday I went to a Sushi meetup and met Jason, the group’s organizer. He told me that I should join his other groups, the local Dining Out group and the Wine group. I did.

Saturday I showed up at the local Wine Cellar shop for the tasting that the Wine group participated in. I arrived a little bit late, so things were already under way. Shortly after I arrived Jason came in from the next room and greeted me. We chatted for a few minutes and he introduced me to a couple people from the group. Then this woman came up to him and not quite whispered “Is that Tone?”

Jason said, “Yeah. That’s him.”

She said, “You were right.”

Naturally, I was a little confused. She was short, with dark hair, attractive, with a sexy, somewhat dusty voice. She introduced herself to me as Lisa.

And for the rest of the day she hardly left my side. She told me that Jason had tried to get her to come out to the Sushi meetup, but she didn’t want to go. Afterward, he had e-mailed her and told her that she missed meeting the new guy (me), and that I was somebody she would probably like. He then told her my screen name, and she looked up my profile. My photo there is from the spring, when I still had my chin whiskers, and I was experimenting with growing them as long as I could stand it. Lisa wasn’t impressed with my photo.

“He shaved,” Jason had told her. “He looks a lot better.”

That explained their conversation upon my arrival at the wine tasting. And it drove home the point that people seemed to really hate that look I sported!

After that wine tasting we left for another wine store for… another wine tasting…but that place had beer-tasting, too! And after that we all headed over to a restaurant a couple blocks away for dinner. I wasn’t sure where exactly it was, so Lisa offered to let me follow her there. When we got there, Lisa and I, and two other women from the group, were the first of about 12 people to arrive. We four all sat at one end of the tables that had been pushed together. Throughout the dinner Lisa and I chatted, and she often patted my knee or my thigh. I didn’t know what to think of this woman. Was she coming on to me? Was she just touchy-feely friendly? I was attracted to her, but what should I do? I didn’t want to assume she was into me, but I didn’t want to assume she wasn’t. So I just let her pat my knee as we talked. Then when we decided to share a dessert, I saw my chance to try to figure it out. I didn’t care which dessert we got, so I asked her which one she wanted. As I did so I patted her knee. And she grasped my hand and held it the rest of the evening!

Ask me anything you want to know about the moon, because I’ve been there since Saturday night!

After dinner Lisa told me she wanted to give me her phone number, but she didn’t have a pen. I walked her to her car and was going to give her my business card that has my mobile number on it. But then she suggested I get in her car.

There we chatted for a while, and she dictated her phone number to me, which I entered into my phone’s address book. Then I called her so my number would show up on her phone, and she could record it. We hugged each other good-night, and I floated home.

Sunday morning I texted her and told her that I was thinking about her. That touched off a flurry of texts, and then I called her and we chatted for about a half hour. I had another meetup Sunday evening that I had to get ready for, a dinner that I had prepaid, and I couldn’t change my plans that late without forfeiting the money. The Dining Out group was gathering at a place near me, and Lisa was going. After earlier declining attendance at that gathering, I changed my mind at Lisa’s request that I join her there. I got dressed for my dinner meeetup, but I stopped by at the brew-pub where Lisa was with the others from the group. I could only stay about an hour and a half before I had to leave. I sat next to Lisa again, and soon we were holding hands! Needless to say, I didn’t want to go, but I felt obligated to the other group…and to my $28!

So I bid my farewell to the group, and I got up to go. Lisa got up with me and told the others that she would be right back. At the entry door of the brew-pub she stood before me and said she was sad that I was leaving her. And we hugged. And then we kissed! I can’t tell you how much I’ve missed that!

And I can’t figure out how this all happened so fast!

When I got to the area of the dinner meetup I found a little wine shop and bought a bottle. During the early part of dinner I texted Lisa and asked her if I could come over later…I would bring wine. That’s the boldest thing I’ve done in quite a while!

She said, “Maybe.” But it was not to be, as I left the dinner around 8:30, and she felt it was too late (and too soon!), and that we should wait until Wednesday, when we have plans to go out, the two of us alone, together, to get to know each other better. (I’m in Kansas City Monday and Tuesday nights.)

I don’t know yet if this is a fling or if it’s a thing, but either way, I’m going to enjoy this high for all its worth!