Ironic, I had a classmate ask my advice on how to ask a guy out recently. Do I look like a Advisor to you? Yeah that is what I said too.
I told the young lady, just be herself. " But you are a guy - tell me your most memorable asking out" .
Sigh...
It was January of 1974, I graduated HS in '73. I was hitchiking to work - it was cold at 4:30AM even here in the South. My coat broke, ziper done played out, that morning it was 15* F and the wind was just a kicking.
I borrowed mom' car, and to JC Penny I went. I could not find anything that I liked or in my size. Inventory was poor , between the holidays, and after holiday sale to reduce inventory, I figured I was gonna have to either freeze again the next morning, or borrow a coat. I was watching my money, helping to raise 3 sibs and no dad.
"Try the Catalog Dept" the salesclerk said, I shuffled to the Catlaog Dept.
"May I help you please" < Bolt of Lightening>. Brunette, hazel eyes, and damn -What a mini-skirt....!!
*ahem* " May I help you please ?
This stuff about guys being born handsome, cool, suave, able to ride , shoot and all - it is all BS.
<tongue-tied , stammering, > "Yeah...err...YES MA'AM I need a coat!"
Well Later I was informed what I thought I said and how I said it did not match up to the way I remember it. She said I was
cuteThat will blow a guys John Wayne Syndrome right quick.
There I am in worn out flared jeans, long hair, tennis shoes , busted coat...and this Goddess of Beauty is helping me look thru a Catalog for a coat. She smelled right nice too...I hadn't showered from a l-o-n-g day.
" I think you would look great in this coat , and we can have it in store day after tomorrow, in fact I will call you when it arrives" . Huh <yippie> ..."Yes that will be fine, thank you".
I didn't freeze my scrawney ass off the next morning, I kept warm counting down the hours...
<work phone rings>
" Your coat is in , and I will be working until 9PM tonight."
I spent the bus fare to get home instead of hitch-hiking home, needed to get cleaned up first.
<head down puppy dog eyes> "She is at supper and won't be back until another 30 minutes ..." . 30 l-o-n-g minutes...Time stood still...
WOW! now the first mini- skirt was great - this one was FANTASTIC!
"Hi - you waitng to see me I bet".
"Nah, just got here".
<Damn her supervisor for telling off on me...gals have this giddy laugh when they think guys cannot hear them talk about guys,>
Pitter Patter- be still my beating heart, our hand touched as she handed me my coat. Then with that "head nod, and look" she came around the counter and helped me put in on and " Looks good to me - it fits you well" - starts buttoning the coat on me...what the hell am I supposed to do? I do what guys do best - stand there and look stupid.
Grabs my hand and leads me to a mirror, I ain't recovered from the first time our hands touched...
I don't remember seeing myself in the mirror, she later affirmed there was no way I could have - I was too busy looking at her reflection in the mirror.
Dawned on me, this coat buying business was coming to a end...real fast.
" I have 4 BIGGER OLDER Brothers"
"Huh?"
"You are gonna ask me out aren't you?"
Why do women do that? I mean a guy has a hard enough time trying to be this John Wayne Syndrome bit - without the women-folk messing stuff up.
"&$)*%#@^*&(*&%$$"
Interpreted from tongue-tied, tongue feeing all swollen, sweaty, getting hot in here...
"You wanna get a burger or something sometime?"
Crickets...Head tilt...hazel eyes glistening...arms fold/ unfold...this grin she has...I'm dying here - say something - Yes would be good...
"I have 4 really big older brothers"
"Cool, I am the eldest kid, a boy too" < yeah I know , lame as hell - best I could do>
" I dunno, not a good idea to make a habit to go out with customers ya know...".
Truth is - she like me was poor, trying to make ends meet and dating - she had only dated one other guy , she had graduated in '72. Family stuff and making ends meet more important than dating.
While I am trying to come up with another hip , slick, cool reply...she has to wait on another customer...some lady with a screaming kid...at least I got to see her walk back into the back - sure liked that mini-skirt...
Finally the counter was quiet again. I simply said she had impressed me with her manners with me and other customers, I was not trying to hit on her, and I respected her decison - if she said no to going out " for a burger or something" - I understood.
Her turn to act dumfuzzled. I asked to borrow the phone, called mom and asked if we needed anything on my way home. She overheard this, stlll acting dumfuzzled.
As I was leaving, " I am off tomorrow night, I will be working day after if you happen to be in the mall...". Eyes, damn her eyes - as they say - eyes are the key to the soul. I had no reason to come back - but I did.
" I live in the country" she said. I replied I knew of that area, had hunted out that way. We visited some more about my work, her family while at the Catalog counter...small talk.
"You are the most persistent fellow I have ever met, Yes I will go get a burger or something with you". Honest - I was shocked.
I was making a $1.60 an hour, I was using my money to help mom and 3 sibs. I had Ten dollars - the rest of my money that week had gone to buy medicine for sick sib. I had used some of my holiiday bonus money to buy the coat. The rest of my money was always put back, hoarded - never knew when another emergency was gonna hit.
She sensed, she knew money was tight - she was in the same situation. $2 for gas, I take the '63 SuperSport out to the country, nervous as hell - cause I knew I was gonna meet the family .
"Bang, Bang, Bang".
I show up and her brothers were shooting out back. Family lived all on the same Family Farm- Thank Goodness, this actually eased me being nervous. She came down from the porch and said " come on around back" .
Brothers - yeah they were big . Couldn't shoot for squat. "Wanna try" - looking down on me. Well I had been shooting since forever. I did not impress the brothers - I actually pissed them off and made her Daddy and Momma laugh.
The rifle was laid aside, they made a big mistake - they handed me a shotgun, and loaded up the clay thrower. Even back then, the shotgun was an extension of me. I got cocky, "bet you a dime for ever bird busted ". I really could not afffored to lose. It was not to impress my date - hell I just liked shooting - and had made myself learn shotgunning REAL WELL. I took 18 dimes. Got most of my gas money back. I never missed a target. I offered to pay for the clays - her daddy said " hell no you ain't - you give lessons?.
My date at first...shocked! Then she got real smug and had a real good time of "her date" showing up the brothers.
Daddy said he like to shoot his pistol, Model 10 , I asked if he had a 1911, he had one - but not his favorite. Date shot the Model 10 - dang she was good. I shot the 1911..."one of these dates we are gonna have later - you WILL teach me that gun". *GRIN*
Tired of sisters date spoiiing the fun, brothers piped up -" don't ya'll have someplace to be".
We headed off out the way , toward the big lake. Pulled over to a Mom&Pop Country Store, had meat sliced, bought bread , chips, sodas, and candy bars. We had a picnic on up the way, we plinked with my .22 revolver, we watched the stars and moon.
Come to find out - her supervisor at work had said " that boy allright - he ain't gonna bite". Later her momma and daddy told her the same thing ,and " damn sure fun watching him piss off the boys, where'd that boy learn to shoot?"
Second date. We were both broke, so she and I shot tin cans off the back fence post at her place. She too was a great pistol shooter. Always wanted to learn to shoot a shotgun. I just happened to know the right fellow to teach her. *wink*
Dated that gal for 3 and a half years. Some 25 yrs later we did marry. Just some things don't work out is all. Life is...well life is what it is.
I'll be damned if my classmate did not ask out the fellow, she said she stuttered and stammered. The guy said yes. She took him for a drive and had a picnic out in the country. Funny how some stuff never changes and always works.
Phil
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Topic: Asking someone out - Being asked out (Read 10622 times)