Bracelet Boy was not meant to ask for my number. I talked to him for the sole purpose of stealing his bracelet. However, our first date exceeded all expectations. A black button down and slim black tie greeted me as I sat down. Conversation flowed easily from the beginning.
If I could invent the perfect man, he would make art, love good food/drinks, play the guitar, and read all the time. In reality, I hope for one of these qualities in a man. Bracelet Boy, however, accomplished all four. An artist by trade, he plays in a band and debated what makes the best hummus and which vanilla porter rises above the rest. His do-it-yourself taco entre looked delicious, and he sweetly made me a taco without me asking. (Anyone who knows me, knows I love to share/taste food; a man who shares his food wins my heart.)
In addition to food, I devour books. I not only read, but also surround myself with them. Piles of almost overdue library books topple from shelves in my cozy apartment. Our ‘storage room’ goes by ‘the library’ because bookshelves line the walls. I plan to meet my future husband in a book store, marry him in the Boston Public Library, and have future authors, publishers, and literary agents as children.
When Bracelet Boy dropped his love of books casually into conversation, I peppered him with questions to see if his obsession approached mine. We exchanged favorite authors, and soon realized that we had both met Bill Bryson at the same Brookline Booksmith event (best bookstore ever). We also have both read most of his books and spent a solid twenty minutes discussing favorite themes and interesting chapters. As if that wasn’t enough to cause me to fall head over heals for him, he suggested we visit my local bookstore after dinner.
“I can’t believe this,” he exclaimed once in the children’s section, “They have The 500 Hats of Bartholomew Cubbins – my favorite childhood book!” He flipped through the pages, and his facial expression morphed as he relived childhood memories “I can smell my mother’s cooking and hear my brothers and sisters playing when I re-read this. This was my favorite book of all time, and I haven’t seen it in twenty years. My mom used to read it to me over and over.”
The teacher and book-lover in me didn’t stop him when he started to read out loud: “But neither Bartholomew Cubbins, nor King Derwin himself, nor anyone else in the Kingdom of Didd could ever explain how the strange thing had happened. They only could say it just ‘happened to happen’ and was not very likely to happen again.” Who knew Dr. Suess wrote books that didn’t rhyme?
He expressed how much fun he had and how much he’d like to see me again as we hugged goodbye. I love a guy who asks me out on date number two during date number one. I also love a guy who has great date ideas and knows new places in the city. He did both, and asked me to a concert at a new music venue for Friday night.
When Strangers Kiss 