Date 82 - Trulucky

originally posted Friday, February 10, 2006

Last night's date with P was a long time in the making. We've been chatting for so long that I wasn't nervous at all. I knew it was going to feel more like Old Home Week than a first date. Besides, who's got time to be nervous when I'm working so much that the days run together? Lately it's a good day when I can find a spare 15 minutes to shower.

Recently, all my deadlines have been converging to make the perfect storm. Hurricane Annabelle. Bleh! It was nice to have a fun excuse to put myself together for a change.

I hurried home, took care of the dog, hopped in the shower and contemplated my wardrobe while drying my hair and slapping a little makeup on my face. How is it possible to feel so unfashionable with such a full closet? I knew P was going to be a bit metro sexual so I wanted to look pulled together. Most guys don't care if you're wearing a paper bag (so long as it's revealing in the right places), but I knew P would be more savvy than that. I pulled together an "of the moment" look with some beige suede knee high boots, sassy skirt, sheer silk crepe top and a fitted denim blazer and then high tailed it downtown to Truluck's.

I walked inside and took a quick look around, then saw his friendly wave from the bar. Not only did he look exactly like his pictures, but he has a really warm and engaging smile. I knew we were going to have a fun evening.

A financial analyst from Houston, P was exactly as tall (short!) as advertised. His dark hair, goatee and deep olive complexion made his light blue green eyes captivating... but almost in a freakish way. I think they actually changed color over the course of the evening, but initially I wondered if he was wearing colored contacts. He had a "Mr. Freeze" thing going on.

Well dressed and well mannered, P was warm and friendly. He seemed so sincere in his many compliments that I really believed he thought I was gorgeous. He made me feel gorgeous... like he was so thrilled to be out and be seen with me. My beautiful hair... my soft but piercing eyes... my lovely smile... my exotic look (that was a new one). That may even have been true but I'm savvy enough to know that men who love women are usually expert marksmen with a compliment.

He ordered us a lovely bottle of cab and a plate of seared tuna to start with. Our conversation was all over the place and we were laughing along through dinner. Film, religion (Lutherans in particular), skiing, spirituality, education, ethnicity and language... it was interesting and effortless. I can't believe he forgot to bring the ring... he was supposed to ask me to marry him (we'd been joking about that for some time). After a wonderful filet for him and crab stuffed snapper for me we decided to share a dessert. I've never seen a man look at a dessert tray with such unadulterated lust; this man has a special relationship with chocolate.

Boxing up our dessert for later, we adjourned to Ringside for an after dinner drink but were rebuffed by the lack of live music. P seized the opportunity to kiss me then. It was nice... but with me in the boots it was definitely a Tom Cruise / Nicole Kidman thing happening.

We came back to Truluck's to enjoy the soft piano and have another drink. At which point we got to the topic of politics. Of course, someone so well off from Houston is bound to be a Republican. (sigh) ... and he was doing so well. It's not a fatal flaw, but we certainly don't share the same perspective.

I was a little concerned (but not overly) about the amount of alcohol he was consuming over the course of the evening but he seemed confident and comfortable with it. Scotch before dinner, a bottle of red (minus my glass), port with dessert, and another Scotch. I left him to drive back to his hotel while I headed over to Iron Cactus to meet up with some law students having a charity event there

All in all, it was a very fun and pleasant date. I wish he lived in Austin... or I could find more men of his caliber locally. P wants to go out again. I'm not headed to Houston anytime soon, but if I'm not involved with anyone and he wants to take me out for another nice dinner, I certainly won't object.