As I write this, I have not heard from The Marine for 10 days. Has he disappeared again? He gave me his word he wouldn't...
Husker Red
Height: 6’3-ish
Age: 39
Met: at an alumni event (we didn’t go to the same school, but I grew up in the town the school is located)
He reminds me of a caricature of some celebrity, I just can’t figure out who!
I am a pretty girly girl, but some of my favorite things to do in New York have to do with sports. One of them involves going to the home of the Husker Alumni Association on game day in the fall. It feels like home. There is nothing like it, to go to an overcrowded bar in Midtown and find that you are overcrowded by Midwesterners in red shirts hollering “GO BIG RED!” I’ve met some great people on game day.
Last September I spent a day with a guy and his sister, who was visiting from San Diego. It was a rare occasion in which I got to The Rogue early enough to find a seat and they were seated next to me. Three and a half hours later we were all feeling pretty good after a win and several beers, so kept the party going. Joined by my friend Willa, we headed around the corner and did karaoke ‘til closing time. He was a terrific guy, Husker Red, but I was trying to make things work with The Marine at the time so even though he had contacted me, we lost touch.
Fast forward to this May. I was at my first game at Yankee Stadium without The Ramone. I’ve always enjoyed going to The Stadium by myself, but The Ramone killed me on it after several wonderful days in the Bronx with his company. So naturally, a week after our break up, I was feeling a little blue. He was supposed to be there with me, and he wasn’t. I had two seats, and only one body to fill them. As I was coming out of the New Era store a pair of familiar shoulders passed by me. The idea of coming up behind someone I think I know and having them turn around and be someone else is not appealing at all. So I watched for a moment to see if the familiarity was founded. Not sure. I found one of the few vendors who sells dark beer and took it to my lonely seat and shot a text to Husker Red, “Are you at The Stadium?” A few minutes later “Yah, are you?”
Somewhere in the first couple of innings my second seat was filled. I immediately thought about how inconvenient the timing was. My first encounter with this guy I was hung up on The Marine. Now I was hung up on The Ramone! And this guy is fantastic! It was his first Yankees game. He wasn’t nearly as excited about that as I was and he was completely amused by my fanaticism. It could have been a great opportunity if my heart wasn’t still being held by someone else. He must have sensed my distraction and returned to his friends after a couple of innings of my antics.
Fast forward again to the present. The Marine and I are supposed to be making a go of it again, even if his dedication is unconvincing at this point and I’ve not heard from him in over a week. I head to my first game of the season at The Rogue. I hadn’t seen so many people crammed into the main floor before so I headed upstairs. The same. The upstairs bar seemed to have some space so I squeezed my way through the sea of red and as I got closer I saw a familiar set of shoulders. The only place in the room where I could be was right next to Husker Red. I’ve mention his shoulders twice now because they are distinctive. Very broad shoulders on an otherwise small frame, muscular, and he holds them high. They’re easy to pick out in a crowd. He seemed fairly excited to see me and, to my surprise, I was really excited to see him. He was by himself for the time being so we played catch up.
Not much to tell on his end. Same job. Same apartment. The news being that his sister (whom I had sung karaoke with a year before) is getting married in a week! Very exciting. So he is preparing to head to San Diego. When he gets back from San Diego? He immediately heads to Europe for two weeks of what sounds like disconnected bliss. No computer. No phone. Just the German countryside and Oktoberfest. I have to say I am a little jealous. I spent several months in Germany with my sister and her family and would love to go back.
Remembering our conversation from the spring he asked about my job search and my long trip to Iowa (I was leaving the next day for 3 weeks in the Midwest when I last saw him). He was excited to hear about my new job, expressing interest in coming by when he returns from Europe. Like most of us who have relocated to major urban areas, he cringed and applauded me for the amount of time I have spent back home in the last six months.
It was surprising when I realized how interested I was in this man. Husker Red puts me at ease. I had spent the whole week stressed out about The Marine, who was in town for work but whom I had only seen for a couple of hours, worried about what is going on there, then suddenly I forgot all about him and was just enjoying the company of someone who felt like an old friend. I’d be lying if I said I didn’t keep thinking about how much I just wanted to run my hands across the shoulders I’m so attached to. But other than a couple of playful pats on the back I kept my hands to myself.
Around half-time we were joined by two of Red’s best friends. One male visiting from Baltimore and one female with whom he had been roommates in San Diego. Seeing a guy you like with his friends can either be a deal breaker or can sell you completely. There’s the possibility that he will turn into a bumbling, grunting idiot, especially if you are watching a football game. But not Red. He was just as poignant and fun-loving as ever. Maybe even more so. Seeing him with a female friend was even better, and talking to her proved to be informational. She is awesome, for one, and lives a couple of blocks from where I work. But two, she thinks the world of one of her best friends. You can tell that there is great respect and mutual admiration, the kind that is very reassuring if you are about to get involved with a new man. Am I about to get involved with a new man?
I, sadly, had to leave as soon as the game was over so I could get to work. I was sad to leave and wished I could stay but assumed it was for the best. I gave out a round of hugs to his friends (and the new friends I’d made at the bar) and saved the last one for Red. He held me longer and closer than the others and it was hard to not stay there for an inappropriately long time. Earlier I had gotten up to use the ladies room and he had placed his hand on the small of my back to guide me through the crowd. I tried not to read into it too much. He did the same thing again as I was leaving and it kind of got to me. Got to me enough that I couldn’t stop thinking about him.
Much to my surprise and delight I heard from him later that night. The typical “it was great to see you” was exchanged and then an admission. I admitted I was glad that the girl wasn’t a girlfriend, and he admitted that he missed a lot of the game because he had been watching me instead. Butterflies. Tiny butterflies. The idea of waiting three weeks to see him again was not appealing but he didn’t think he was going to have any time before he left for San Diego. Shit!
I was at work when I got a text from Husker Red, “Done soon?” Yes, actually. I was going to be out of work in a couple of hours. He didn’t have a lot of time but wanted to see me. He was at a brewery in Brooklyn listening to a friend’s marital woes and would meet me in Manhattan when we were both done. It was after midnight by the time he was able to join me and I had been sitting, talking to the bartender (a friend of mine) for an hour and a half or so. I was so happy to see him come into the room.
I was happy to see him but sad that he looked terrible. Not terrible as in unattractive, but you could tell that he had just had a really heavy night with his buddy and he was kind of drained. I was flattered that I was the person he wanted to see. We sat, for the first time, like we were on a date. You know the posturing. Both turned towards each other, my legs were crossed between his, hands often times resting on each others' thighs. Though this was really our first date, it seemed very natural and as if we had done it many times before. It was the first time Red had ever seen me out of sportswear and he definitely took notice.
We had only been sitting together for about 45 minutes, but it was already 1:00 and I knew he had to be to work by 7. I wasn’t ready to leave him though. I convinced him to walk to 8th Avenue instead of getting a cab right outside the bar. We walked with our arms around each other for a couple of blocks. Even in heels the shoulders I am so fond of were at a perfect height to rest my head against. And I did. Again, it seemed very natural and as if it had happened this way many times before.
We both got in the cab he hailed so we could spend another 26 blocks together. We discussed the likelihood of seeing each other again when he returns from his vacation and even the possibility of getting together during the few hours he has between his return from San Diego and leaving for Germany. The strong shoulders are matched with angular facial features. He has thin lips. The kind that you wouldn’t expect to offer up the greatest of kisses. But when I encouraged him to kiss me as we approached his building, it was quite the opposite and every bit of tension or worry I’d had melted away.
Though I don’t think either of us wanted him to, he got out of the cab and I headed back downtown to my train. If I would have had to guess I’d assume I’d be confused right now. But I’m not. We talked about the idea of us being together, like really together, when he returns. And I told him he should be safely but completely single while he is away. So I have three weeks, three very busy work weeks, to go about this project as a single woman. When Husker Red comes back I’m going to have to tell him about The Quest. I don’t know what his reaction will be. But I can’t wait for him to come home.
Bonus Features:
*well mannered
*Husker football fanatic
*Midwestern values
*close with his little sister
*great friends
*the shoulders I can’t seem to get enough of
*perfect height
*inviting eyes
How long can this list be?
As-Is Defaults:
*we work very different schedules
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