Soup and Alleyways

When Brad first messaged me last month he had just moved to the city from Georgia. Being that he was a newbie, I figured there was a chance he was an untapped catch. If he had just moved to New York he probably didn’t know anyone and wasn’t on OKCupid because he was socially awkward, pervy, or a player, he was on because he wanted to connect with new people. Who was I to deny him that?

He didn’t send a message with winking smiley faces or misspelled messages like the popular, “wat’s up wit u sweeti?”. He sent a quote by Jonathan Franzen, one of the authors I had listed in my favorites. It was a good way of proving that not only was he literate but we also shared a common interest.

I wanted to meet but our schedules weren’t lining up. A few weeks went by when he wrote, “I guess you grew chicken feet. No biggie, life gives you soup and alley ways, but rarely free beer.” It was a weird message but I like weird. I also like sayings and his soup and beer one was floating well with me.

We set a date the following day to grab a drink at a swanky midtown hotel. When I met him outside I was pleased to see he was even more attractive then his photos let on. He picked the place, so I assumed he knew what the scene was like. However, once we walked into the teeming sea of after work suit-wearing yuppies the Georgian fellow looked as though he felt sourly out of place. “Sixteen dollars for two beers?” he yelled over the loud patrons. He wasn’t trying to be rude or sarcastic like James, he was honestly just mystified by New York prices.

We settled into a couch and began getting to know each other. Or at least I tried. It was pulling teeth to get basic details out of him. He liked travel. Who doesn’t? He was starting a new job. I could have assumed that. Based off his hiking boots and fleece I took him for a tree-hugging, dog-petting, granola-crunching type. It was hard to know for sure, he was a master at the concise answer and the glazed over gaze.

I didn’t know if his dazed out look was from his discomfort in the overly hip environment, his disinterest in me, or some really strong weed. As we finished our beers I assumed he wasn’t feeling me and was ready to cut my losses when he finally decided to speak. He apologized, telling me he had a crazy week at work and was totally exhausted and having trouble focusing. He asked if we could do dinner later in the week.

I thought he might be looking for a way to blow me off, I have definitely used the “let’s catch up next time” excuse before. I was ready to forget him, like he said, “No biggie, life gives you soup and alleyways…” but to my surprise, he messaged an hour after the date to set up plans. Granny says if there’s one thing I like about the guy to give him a second chance. There were potentially many things to like about Brad. He may have given me some soup, but sure, I’ll come back for seconds.