Friday night.
Here we are, sitting at the Secret Society, alone in the corner with a full view of the room (which is almost entirely men except for myself, the bartender, and two female patrons accompanying a much larger group of men. The only person I know here (other than the bartenders) is the guy from The Wolf who I do not like. I guess I’ll just sit here and wait and —
Literally, right as I was in the middle of that sentence, he got up and came over to me. He’s like, “Come sit with me at the bar!”
I’m so tired of men. I was just like, “Why would I do that?”
“So we can have a chat.”
“About what?”
“Anything you want.”
“Don’t you have a girlfriend?”
“Yes, but why does that matter? I’m asking you for a chat, not to come home with me.”
Oh, I don’t know, probably because the last time I agreed to sit at the bar and “chat” with you, you dragged me into the bathroom, offered me a line of cocaine, and then groped me in front of everyone at the bar. So, yeah, not exactly in a rush to hang out with you again.
“I’d rather sit here alone in the corner and write my book.”
“Seriously?”
“Seriously.”
He looked at me sadly.
“Okay, I just want you to know you look really beautiful today.”
“Okay, thank you, have a nice day, namaste!”
So I sent him on his way back to the bar alone and continued on writing.
Thank you, Universe, for giving me this singular moment of redemption. I really needed this. I could finish this glass of wine right now and not get drunk at all and then head on down the hill back home and I would feel good about the decisions I made tonight. Boundaries!
Wow, I really needed to do that. I’m just so tired of men who think they can just walk all over me. Today, I stood up for myself. I am proud of that.
My life dynamic right now:
Me: I need to escape from my neighbor. I’m going out to the bar.
The Men at the Bar: We are worse than your neighbor!
Me: I need to escape from this bar and get back home to my neighbor.
Wait, no, none of these options are working for me. Maybe I should start thinking about moving again. No men allowed!
Hmm… wow… rejecting that man just now really did fill me with a sense of happiness and pride that is quite unfamiliar to me. Just think, I could walk over there and make a terrible decision right now. Instead, I am sitting here alone in the corner with my notebook and my wine and I’m perfectly happy to exist in this world without men.
Let’s drink to not making any terrible decisions with men today!
HASHTAG: GROWTH! HASHTAG: CHANGE!
Oh wait, oh no, he’s coming back again. I can tell this man is not used to hearing “No.” He really seems incapable of taking a hint.
“What are you doing after this?”
“I told you, I’m working on my book. That’s what I came here to do.”
“Here? Really?”
“Yes, really. I’m a writer and I came here to write a book. That’s what I do. Okay, have a good night. Have fun with your girlfriend. See you again soon.”
*stares at me longingly with what I can only assume is his attempt at a smoldering gaze*
Gross.
OMG, he thinks he’s so smooth. Ridiculous.
Bye Felicia!
Okay, now I have to decide if I should have one more for the road or pack it up and call this night a win. I literally don’t even have to do anything else right now. Don’t have to talk to anyone, don’t have to resolve any stories, don’t have to seek out any new stories, nothing. I can just go home right now and wake up tomorrow with a full-blown self-esteem boost from rejecting this guy. No hangover, no nothing.
Hmm… I don’t think I’ll go home quite yet, but I am done with this bar right now. It’s just a bunch of men, and I am definitely NOT in the mood to deal with a bunch of men. Especially a bunch of strange men I am completely unfamiliar with…
Well, that decides it. We did what we came here to do tonight. Mission accomplished.
The End.