Once upon a time, a girl was interested in a boy. He seemed nice, though how much can one actually know another person through the printed word, right? So she asked him out to a poetry slam in her neighborhood. If he agreed, this would serve as the perfect setting not just in terms of being a public place, and hence safer to meet a total stranger, but also as a spot to discover a bit more about each others artistic and fun leanings.
She Said:
So, there's a Poetry slam being hosted in Bandra. You wanna go?
He Said:
Poetry and me?
Kiddin thy must be
Although fine I am with the time,
Dont think I can stand the rhyme
Now before you judge me as a creep
I will come, but you have to let me sleep
Better still let us give this a pass
And opt for History of India by Vir Das
But seriously, Dec.6th to 11th busy I am,
So gotta skip this poetry grand slam
The 16th onwards, a lot of time I have free,
So lets start with a 1am drive to Fariyas for coffee
And this is when things got interesting.
She Said:
Your words of rhyme
Are a surprising facet indeed
But if not the poetry slam
The History of India, it shall be
And midnight drives, to Lonavala or closer
Will have to wait till i know you better
Cuz I am a damsel, secure i must be
That you're not on an axe-murdering spree
He Said:
An axe-murderere or a psycho, I am surely not to be
But from a damsel's point of view, the logic do I see
So final it is for Vir Das, as the poetry would've made me slumber
And lastly where do we meet and what is your number
She Said:
We will meet where the show is being played
If you tell me when, I'll try not to be delayed
You know my face, and I know your name
Let's pick a spot so we can meet before the same
And if all goes well, and neither is a schlep
A phone number will definitely be the next step
He Said:
I gotta find Tata hall, where the show is hosted
In that great effort my mind will be toasted
And then to imagine a place where we shall meet
Based on a single photo, is quite a feat
Now if you are so paranoid to even give a number
For me to drive to Nariman point, would seem even dumber
If one is a dud and we already plan a flight
Then too much effort let us not put, as a hindsight
Plan something in Juhu/Andheri, boring it may be
If interested are we, then further we can see
So I propose an alternative, to which you are already privy
A bottle of wine, at Versova Ivy
Hmm...
She Said:
If you were to drive, so had I
If an effort had to be made, it was yours and mine
If a 'boring' evening is the best that you can envisage
Then the day is done, even before we start
My safety nets are mine, maybe flimsy at best
If you can't see that, then you failed the test.
And, umm.. if your plan was for tonight, then it was really bad timing
Because a lady needs notice, not a couple of hours of rhyming.
He Said:
One thing is for sure, I do not want to be tested
Although backflips you might do, to keep me interested
Your logic is true and by your safety nets I do abide
But makes no sense for the effort, if your number you cannot confide
Drink we can one and evaluate before we have another
If I can slip away and be home to watch 'How I met your mother'
So the best bet would be the wine bar, if the same is your will
The message you would get clear, if I leave you to pay the bill
Ok, so this is suddenly sounding not so nice...
She Said:
Charming. And yeah, let's not. Enjoy the show - both on TV and on stage. Goodbye
He Said:
I thought you were cool and knew I was kidding
But interesting you are, so I gotta do your bidding
So how about we finally stop this debate
And meet tomorrow, maybe at eight?
I have your pic and you have mine
I'll call out to the one who looks so divine
Now I gotta run and get back to my office
So await will I your reply and stop this maska polish
She Said:
You're probably interesting too, but i sense a brewing skirmish
It's a chemical misfit i think, not maska polish
What was supposed to be a stress-free encounter
Is now looking like uncharted potential disaster
Poetry is great because it reveals feelings better than prose
While one concentrates on rhyming, one's attitude clearly shows
So maybe you're right, i don't have a sense of humour
Or maybe it's you, who's managed to scare off a stranger
So best to leave this be, no harm, no foul
A pity really, but no point taking it personally at all.
He Said:
Agreed. It was nice whatever has transpired.
And no further mails for this is required.
And they lived happily ever after :-)
5 comments:
he is scared that you are a guy... or something else other than your profile pic. Hence the edge in his tone...also his desperation for a phone number (its a pre-check for all guys trying to date women they meet online)
Also when you have told him that you are out catch and release fishing... his defense mechanism went up and his calculating mind told him "its not worth the effort"
You lose !
Hmm.. it's possible that i AM a guy.. It's also possible i'm "catch and release" fishing (what does that mean?). But if he thinks it's not worth the effort, even before we've hit any of the hard spots, when it's still easy going and adventurous... haven't i got off easy? Then how did i lose?
I've been indulging in meeting interesting strangers every now and then... It's scary and mostly entertaining. Some of the nicer ones got my number before hand, but mostly i don't ask for their number, and i don't give out mine. That way, if things get nightmarishly boring, one can leave without ties.
I was just being considerate over all - to him and to me - but did you notice he never offered me his number? Double standards, anyone? :-)
Wow. I read this- from a woman's perspective who lives in the US (i.e. me), 'you' were being such a stick in the mud! Jeez. Even after he gave in a little and said fine lets meet at 8 wherever...you just were playing too hard to get with a guy you don't even know! Thats lame. I mean the dude has a right to your number after all-- its not like he was asking for your apartment address!
Where did you 'meet' this stranger anyway, online? On the Indian version of match.com? I am assuming that since you both only had a picture of each other.
Giving your phone number is harmless. I mean thats the bare 'minimum' requirement girl! The way it works in the US for people like you is this-- if you are so chicken to give your number- ask for HIS! No brainer right? You ask for his, don't give him yours, decide on a place to meet, buzz him if you can't find him in the crowd. Simple.
You clearly made things complicated and played hard to get when it just wasn't warranted. There is no reason for him to humor you, he doesn't have to take this nonsense - he doesn't even know you! Very surprising behavior from you given the kind of blogs you write. I thought you were more adventurous. If you are so chicken (and frankly, stubborn) I think you should give this whole meeting-a-stranger thing a pass.
You suspected that he might be a creep, and he was convinced that you are some paranoid freak.
Anyways, happy new year.
A-girl
Ouch A-girl, hit a nerve? :-)
You know, it's really weird but i think i'm one of those few people who honestly believes it's ok for two people to not get together... and that this isn't a 'game' where one 'plays hard to get' and 'loses'... I don't know what happens in the States, but for me personally, my decisions are based purely on the amount of comfort i derive from individuals. There are No rules, no 'minimum requirement' (LOL!)except that.
But that's just me.
Thanks for writing :)
Hit a nerve? Who hit whose nerve??
Anyway sorry if I was harsh. I was just saying that you made a rather simple thing very complicated.
I just noticed in one of replies, you wrote that he was equally adamant to not give you his number. Is that true?? Well if it is then the guy's leanings were indeed shady- you did the right thing by deciding not to meet him. I would ve done the same :)
A-girl
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