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Sunday, May. 16, 2004 - 10:05 p.m. SMITTEN Several weeks ago I wrote an entry called Blue II. In this entry, I talk about a religious retreat I attended. At the end of the entry, I mention running into a gorgeous retreater that I hoped one day I could ask to coffee. As things unfolded this past week, I have learned that there is an outside chance that day may actually happen. From Tuesday through Friday of this past week, I have been volunteering to help at the student center at the college campus church during finals week. For a couple of these days, a full dinner was provided to the students, free-of-charge, thanks to all of us who volunteered to cook dinner and serve them. One of these days, I was assigned to serve drinks with another young woman, who apparently graduated last December and was resuming graduate study in social work at LSU in the fall. I was not all that attracted to her, so the extent of my contact with her was the type of conversation you would have with any stranger you just met. For the purposes of this diary, I will name her Jan. We introduced ourselves and I told her my name. She then said my name sounded familiar. Next she asked me if I knew her boyfriend, because she likely heard my name through him. I said I did not think I knew her boyfriend, but it is possible I could have met him at one point or another as I had been involved in that church in the past. However, she remained puzzled. Wednesday evening, on came the gorgeous retreater to get her dinner at the student center. I immediately spotted her from behind the drink counter as she walked in and headed toward the serving tables. After she got her food, she walked toward our counter to get her drink. I expected to make eye-contact with her and take the opportunity to make conversation. No such luck. Instead, she apparently did not even notice me, with her attention focused entirely on Jan. On and on they went, talking like old friends as I just kept serving drinks. At that point, I figured that she had not the slightest bit of interest in me, and that this fantasy I had of dating her was a lost cause. After she got her drinks and said good-bye to Jan, she went off to sit somewhere and eat dinner with some people she apparently knew. I volunteered to empty the garbage cans around the center, so I past by her table once or twice while she was talking to her friends, but again, no eye-contact. At this point I was utterly convinced that I should just forget about the whole thing, and for that moment I did. Later that night, as I was wheeling the garbage can through the corridors of the center, out came Jan to tell me how she knew my name. The retreater, who had been talking on and off to her all night, was her roommate. After the retreat, Jan and her roommate went down the list of people involved in the retreat and their phone numbers to identify who everyone was. When they came across my name on that list, the gorgeous retreater apparently told Jan that I was a guy that had already graduated from LSU but remained involved in their church. Jan still found it strange, though, that she still recognized my name. That night passed, and Thursday night passed, and I did not see either Jan or her roommate. I knew that I would likely never get a chance to see the gorgeous retreater again if I did not initiate some sort of contact. I could call the retreater, as I had the same list of phone numbers that she had, but making a spontaneous, unsolicited phonecall to someone I hardly knew felt too awkward. My other option was to wait for the retreat’s reunion next weekend to hopefully run into her again. But I cannot count on that. However, I did know Jan at least somewhat. Calling Jan, knowing that she already had a boyfriend, would be a less awkward if I could find a reason to call her. And if I were lucky, Jan would not be there, and her roommate would answer the phone. The only problem I needed to solve was the reason I had to call her. I have been entertaining plans to start graduate school part-time and know that in order for me to apply, I have to take the GRE. Knowing that Jan was going into graduate school, I knew that the GRE is a test that she probably had to take. So I came up with the excuse that I was calling Jan to see if she had any test-prep materials I could borrow before I take the test. Yes, I knew that this excuse was still somewhat of a stretch considering that such materials are relatively inexpensive and easy to acquire, but it still gave me a reason to call. And so I called, and the gorgeous retreater answered. The only problem was that it was pouring down rain outside and she had her last final to take in an hour, so my call to her had to be brief. I basically asked her what final she was taking, then what her major was, and when she would be graduating. Having done my homework, I already knew the answers to these questions. She and I had the same college major and she would be graduating this semester. I started talking about my job that related to her major, but I cut it short because I knew she had to leave. I then asked her if she was going to the reunion this upcoming weekend, but she said she did not receive a notice on it. She then asked for the message I had for Jan, to which I responded with my GRE excuse. Knowing that she was in a rush to leave, I told her I hoped to see her again, wished her good luck on her exam, and said good-bye. Immediately, I called one of the staff in charge of the retreat to tell her that she had to send out a notice about the reunion. I consulted my older brother about the above story and his advice on how I should proceed from here. Assuming she does go to the reunion, which is not definite, I should go talk to her, surprise her with the real reason I called Jan, and ask if she has a boyfriend. I should then attempt throughout the weekend to get to know her better to see if any sparks might exist. If things go well, the following Monday, I should call her again and ask her to dinner. If she does not go to the reunion, then I will still have to call her and be up front with my motives. This situation would be a bit more difficult as she still hardly knows me. I will likely consult my brother further if this is the case. For the meanwhile, I will just hope she shows up at the reunion. |