Expiration Date

Tonight was my last date with The Tenor - and I waited all summer for the chance to use that pun.  I'm particularly pleased with it.

We decided to end on a classic note and went mini-golfing.  We're both fairly terrible, and were behind a family with small chillins, so it was a chance to spend a lot of time laughing and talking.  I did manage to put a hole in one with my eyes closed, which added an epic flair to the evening.  There was air hockey and basketball hoop-shooting afterwards in the arcade, and I managed to make a decent showing for myself.  We spent our little tickets on candy, enjoying the nostalgia of some fun dip.

We headed over to Coldstone to get ice cream, and after they closed and kicked us out we parked ourselves on a bench and spent the next two hours talking, laughing, petting the random stray cat who adopted us (we named him Snape), cuddling, and enjoying one another's company immensely. 

It's been a fabulous summer together.  So many people didn't - and still don't - understand the whole summer-fling-thing.  I've kind of given up trying to explain it, and I just smile.  We got it.  We were open and up front from the absolute beginning about how and when it would be over, so that everyone knew what was going on.  No one was disappointed or over-invested, there was no lying to ourselves about it.  That's where the difference is: no promises of forever and always, no false expectations, just honesty. I got to date a wonderful boy who restored my faith that good men exist, and that I don't have to settle.  I had a blast, I got a little spoiled, I got a lot of affection.  I made a bunch of fantastic memories that will not be tarnished by a break-up or trials that would inevitably come.  I've invested a lot into a wonderful friendship. 

Yes, I'll miss him.  But I can call him my friend, and that's a blessing.

the beginning of the end

And thus does one of the best summers of my life draw to a close.  Today was my last all-day-date-day with The Tenor - though not our last date, just yet.  We spent it eating subway, talking about wishes, and watching Dollhouse while snuggled up on the bed, half-napping in eachother's arms. 

He's such a sweetheart.  I had a performance yesterday, and he was there in his shirt and tie, wishing me luck, calming my nerves, being my strong support, running errands and being calm and helpful.  He drove all the way out to the ends of the earth for me today to visit while I was housesitting, and even helped feed animals and clean up the scorpion I smashed on the floor.  He brought me a delicious lunch.  He bought me frozen yogurt on Tuesday, after dancing with me until I was dizzy, spinning me around in the air, and dipping me in the most romantic way possible.  He cuddled with me on the couch as we read Hamlet with a bunch of friends.  Last night, he told me he could now die happy, since he has dated a girl who could quote Star Wars in casual conversation.  He was thrilled today when I understood all his talk about his pick-up basketball game.  He was patient with my eccentricities, sympathetic to my stress, and encouraging me when I needed it.  And this is just this week!

As he was getting ready to leave tonight, he looked over and out of the blue said, "Thank you for letting me go.  You are wonderful.  You know it's nothing to do with you, right?"  Most people don't understand our relationship - I certainly have a hard time explaining it.  We're going to miss each other.  We've agreed that, for both of us, this has been one of life's most enjoyable summers.  We knew how this would be, and so, while sad, this will not be heartbreak.  It will be a wonderful friendship, with some very poignant memories.

short and sweet

Friday is all-day-date-day with The Tenor; this week we went to a movie and lunch and spent the afternoon playing board games in the restaurant, talking about Christmas and family traditions and sibling nostalgia. 

Pure, simple, and delightful.

sweet sweet sweet

Apparently, Snow White and I are just fortunate enough to run into boys who are as sweet as sugar.

I took The Tenor out for dinner on Monday (getting it to be my treat is a difficult struggle!  But he gave in graciously.)  We enjoyed our delicious food and conversation and then retired to a practice room, where we sat snuggled up on the piano bench, playing and singing and talking and holding one another. 

As summer starts to draw to an end, I begin to realize how very much I will miss this boy.

He's so sweet.  I normally gad about in flip flops, this being Arizona, and had on a pair of little white heels since I was wearing a dress for our date.  He noticed them when we were getting up, and commented on how cute they were.  Now, I'm not a shoe-a-holic like some girls, so it doesn't matter much to me if you notice them or not.  What gets me is that he comments because he thinks I might want to hear it, and he wants to make me happy.  He does that when I get a pedicure, too, or change my fingernail polish.  It's sweet.

He holds doors.  He puts his hand on my back to guide me through church.  He walks me to my car, and always tells me to drive safely home.  He winks at me.  He holds me.  He's always cheerful, happy and bouncy and yet willing to be serious when the situation calls.  He lets me fall asleep on his lap and keeps others from disturbing me.  He sings to me, and dances with me, and is considerate of my possible whims.  He remembers things, little burbles dropped in conversation.  He learns about me, and acts on it.  He's wonderful.

He calls me sweetheart, and sweetie, and sweetness.  Apparently we agree on what we are - just sweet.

3 more weeks.

Galahad, Part II

I vaguely knew about Galahad long before I met him. Because his sister is my close friend, I'd seen a few pictures of him on Facebook, and I knew that he'd recently come home from a mission in Columbia. As far as I was concerned, that was the extent of his biography.

I met him on July 3rd around 4 o'clock PM. Don't worry. I'm not a crazed stalker. In the words of the Swede, that's just my "attention to detail".

I was standing in the Relief Society room with his sister after church. She and I were the only people in the room when he walked in and asked her a question. I immediately guessed who he was from the family resemblance.

About 20 minutes later, we were sitting around a table at Break the Fast, he on her left and I on her right, when she realized she hadn't introduced us. I hadn't really thought about it since I'd already figured out who he was. It wasn't hard. I said as much to her and discovered that I'd had only a slight advantage over him. He'd heard quite a bit about me, but he didn't know what I looked like.

To be honest, I didn't really notice him much that day. Sure, I thought he was all kinds of cute, but I was too chill to think much about it. There were sloppy joes and celery (I'm easily sidetracked by celery) and gooey brownies, and I was just having too much fun firing off witty remarks to pay attention. There's a certain mood I get in at sit-down church meals. They're when I'm at my cleverest. All I need is a brick wall and a microphone. A few weeks later, his sister told me that his initial impression was that I was funny. Yeah, I get that a lot.

The next time I saw him was Monday, July 11th when I went to the weekly singles activity. It was an unbirthday party for everyone that day. There was a piñata and everything.

It seems to me that Galahad is always the one to start a food fight. He and his friend attacked his sister with cupcakes at that particular shindig.

I didn't participate in many of the activities that night, so the most interaction I had with him was while he was juggling Tootsie pops. One fell and rolled toward me, so I tossed it back. It made me smile.

I was still mostly immune to him at that point. All of the nervousness I felt around him was merely the usual nervousness I feel around boys. It takes me a long time to become truly comfortable around any attractive boy.

Two days later, everything changed.