Last night was a "date" night with a new fellow I've met. The friend of a mutual friend. I didn't want to talk about it before hand because I didn't want to talk myself out of it. But I was excited at the prospect of meeting someone new. A welcomed respite from the drama of the last few days.
He is a p.e. coach and a history teacher, (and an Auburn fan = score!) so I will call him Coach. Cute, witty, and really smart. And talkative! More so, even than me. I didn't think that was possible.
We chatted through emails for several days, and exchanged a few snapshots, before deciding to meet in person. He had a sporting event that put him in a particular area of town, so we agreed to meet in the cafe of one of the local bookstores nearby. He reminded me that he had been through a back-ground check. I reminded him that my brother was a cop on the SWAT team.
Coach cautioned me not to be too dressed up, because he would be in typical coaches attire: khakis and the school-logo'ed golf shirt. When I saw him, he reminded me of a coach or two from high school. Even if he had been in regular street clothes, I would have pegged him as one. Is there a class in college on how to look like a coach? He was thinner and much more fit than I expected. I was taller than he expected.
He was confident and authoritative, I'm sure from years as an educator. In the two and half hours we sat there talking, subjects ranged from politics to what c-store sold the best coffee. I felt like I should be taking notes because there may be a pop quiz later. It is obvious that Coach enjoys his job, taking interest in all of his students.
He has a son who is around 10, that he loves to pieces. I told him about my children, all of them, and how much they all mean to me. I showed him the latest picture of Julz, the one of her in her scrubs on her first day of clinicals.
He teased me about not knowing how to operate my cell phone. He had asked what kind of phone I had and I told him it "was a black one." (Because it is) I told him that my phone was strictly for taking calls and making calls, and on a good day, the occasional text.
He told me of his years working an inner-city school, before obtaining the job of his dreams, teaching in the school system he had grown up in, an affluent school system in our area. The contrast was stark: going from having to be on his guard every day, to being expected to write up students for the most ridiculous infractions. He had to over see detention that morning, and his detainee was in trouble for not paying the minor fee to attend some event.
We talked about the rising incidents of school violence. He said that he would expect violoence more from the mousy, quiet kid, than from any bully he'd ever encountered. The inner-city kids that were in school, knew they had a chance to make their lives better. The affluent kids just expected their lives to be better.
Before long it became obvious that the bookstore was closing. Employees cautiously swept and picked up around us.
He hugged me and we said our goodbyes.
This "meeting people" thing is getting easier.
+ + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + +
In other news, my visit to the cardiologist reveals that I have lost THIRTY POUNDS!
Everyone was super excited for me. My blood pressure was still high ( 180/90!!) but the sinus meds I am on, could be the contributing factor.
I celebrated by buying a new dress, in a much smaller size.
~En-JOY!
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment