The Matchmaker

I was chillin' at my table sipping a caipirinha at Eclipse di Luna when I first noticed her. Kristie sat to my right in a corner table overlooking the restaurant. We were cracking jokes and making conversation when I first felt her eyes on me. I managed to shake off the liquor long enough to get a good glimpse. She was pretty cute. She stood about 5'4", give or take an inch. I couldn't get an exact measurement because of the heels she was wearing. I held my glass up to my lips and downed the rest of my drink.

The sugar in the bottom of the glass combined with the excessive lime wedges to create a sweet, yet sour concoction. I waited for the waiter to bring me my 3rd drink, while continuing to shoot the breeze with Kristie. Ever my pimp, Kristie pointed out that the woman was looking at me.

"Why is she staring so hard?" she asked
"Who?" I coyly responded.
"The girl in the white and khaki."
"Like you wouldn't stare at me."

That was just a little joke. My friends are under the mistaken impression that I'm some kind of player. Truth be told, I have no game and the only women that make themselves available to me these days are, putting it kindly, unstable. I've never been a player, just extremely conceited, outwardly at least.

"You should go talk to her."
"Nah, I'm good."

The true me was shining through. The one that doesn't talk to strangers, the one that has blown many opportunities because of his fear of rejection, the one that has lame like tendencies. Besides I only had 2 drinks. I wasn't ready to put myself out there.

She was sitting with a group of multi cultural friends. Every hue was represented. There was a white one, a latina, an Asian (I think Korean) woman. And when you added in her caramel complexion, it formed a Rainbow coalition Jesse would be proud of. Her hair was a spiral cascade of curls, one falling after another. It looked very nice, although you can tell she just got out of the salon chair. She wore no makeup other than some shiny stuff on her lips, and her eyebrows were arched ever so slightly. Enough to notice, but not enough that it looked unnatural. Her smile was crooked, lips forming more of a smirk than an actual smile. She seemed to be having a good time with her girls, but she kept looking in my direction, hopefully at me. Not to be presumptious, but I thought to myself: Time to put your game face on.

After about 10 minutes, she got up and approached the table where Kristie and I were dining on tapas. She sat down in an empty chair and spoke.

"Excuse me, I don't mean to interrupt but is your name Rashan?"

She pronounced it correctly, with emphasis on the RA. That's something that most people don't do. Regardless, I wasn't sure how to respond. I chose the truth.

"Yes, it is. How did you know?"
"I know your sister. She used to teach for Decatur city schools, right?"

I noticed she had a slight New York accent. It was not replete with loud, beligerrance of some NYers, but with a definite twinge of attitude.

"Yeah, she did. What's your name?
"Hey, I'm Kim."
"Nice to meet you Kim. This is my friend Kristie"

Pleasantries were exchanged and then she got to the point.

"I just want to tell you that I really enjoy your blog. You should have a career as a writer."
"Wow. Nikki told you about the blog? She didn't mention anything to me."
"I kinda shoulder surfed her one day. And you were just so damn interesting."
"Uh..thanks"

I told you that I don't take compliments very well, but I managed to express my gratitude.

"So how long have you and Kristie been dating?" she asked.
"Ewww... he's like my brother." Kristie replied.
"I was wondering, because you didn't mention it on your blog. I was wondering if that was PHD."

I turned to Kristie who had a quizzical look on her face.

"She's talking about Monica. That was my blog nickname for her."
"Oh, I see. Nah, he's single. What about you?"

I shot Kristie a look like WTF are you doing? She just shrugged and went back to sipping her Sangria.

"You wanna join us for a drink?"
"I really should be getting back to my friends. I just wanted to come say hi."
"Well, okay. You take care."

Kristie continued her role as matchmaker.

"You guys should go out sometime."
"Don't mind her. She's a lightweight with the liquor now a days."
"Well, why don't you call me anyway? Here's my number."

She wrote it on a red book of matches and passed it to me.

"Okay, I'll talk to you soon. Have fun with your friends."
"You too."

I wanted to curse Kristie out for putting me in that situation, but I couldn't. It had worked. I didn't leave the house with the intentions of meeting someone, but I sure wasn't gonna turn the opportunity away. I sat back in my chair, a quiet confidence resting upon my visage, even though Kristie had done all the work for me.

And then I woke up. I grabbed my phone and saw no entry for Kim in it. My mind was playing tricks on me again. It felt so real, but in fact it was just another one of my vivid dreams. Sonofabitch!