Page 26 - #LoveWarrior

Chapter Four
Laughable Love: 1, 2, 3

“Any man who can drive safely while kissing a pretty girl is simply not giving the kiss the attention it deserves.” –
Albert Einstein

Laughable Love: 1, 2, 3 — The Women

Number One
You know those scenes in movies where girls are relaxed in a living room, sweatpants on, with an appetite for
comfort food and alcohol? Well, those evenings are real. This was one of them. Nicole, a friend from childhood had
recently gone through a breakup and couldn’t think of a better way to spend her Friday night than with me, going
over every detail. And I mean every detail. With a bottle of wine in hand, she let herself in and plopped down on my
couch, knowing very well she was walking into an environment where she could speak freely. A glass of red wine in
her hand, a fresh pizza on the oak table in front of us, and an evening with no time restraint, she told me the story, I
remember feeling grateful to her for her honesty and vulnerability – and glad we had decided to have dinner at my
place instead of going out.

To this day, I still chuckle remembering how quickly those two bottles disappeared.

She was a cocktail waitress at a local family restaurant. On one of their busiest nights, a handsome man walked in
with a woman stiffly but closely behind him. They both wore expressions that could give anyone the impression that
they needed a drink.

As Nicole continued, I remember thinking, he came in with another woman? Where is this going? I had known her
only to be a woman of the utmost integrity, but I'll admit, I began to question that here. She continued, "He
proceeded to sit at the bar with her. I was so busy I didn't notice them leave. However, then, a few hours later, he
appeared again. This time alone. Sitting at the bar, he seemed to babysit his beer – on purpose, just waiting for a
chance to stop me in my tracks. Finally, close to the evening's end, he stopped me, asking my name."

I took an extra-large sip of my wine as she continued with how their interaction proceeded, sharing that he had
handed her a damp piece of paper with his name and number written on it. “I had promised to grab a drink with an
old college friend after my shift, so to his disappointment, I couldn't meet him for coffee that same night. As I
enjoyed drinks with my girlfriend, I remember looking down at my phone to see a text from him. The words spelled
out: ‘I miss you already.’ Her eyes shined with streaks of pain and pleasure.

I was thinking I was doing so well with holding my comments back as I kept my lips firmly on the rim of my wine
glass, but my face must have said it all, because she quickly added, “I know, I know, weird!”

I thought, I’m glad she said it!! But I proceeded to swallow my wine and respond, “I’m with you. Okay, what
happened next?”

She continued, “Well, the next thing I know, it’s a few days later, and we’re sitting in my restaurant, having drinks. I
asked him about the girl, and he told me she was a friend from work who struggled with an abusive husband at
home, so he takes her out sometimes to let her vent. I thought, okay, no harm there, right? The rest of the evening,
we spent hours asking questions and getting to know one another.”

I could tell she felt ashamed of what was coming next, because she paused to shove a piece of pizza in her mouth
and take a large gulp of her wine. As she did, I filled the silence: “It sounds to me like you really enjoyed your time
with him! He sounds nice!”

“I did enjoy the evening, yes,” she insisted, “but I’m not proud of what happened next…” She paused. “We spoke
every day after that and all day long via text messaging. I was really starting to enjoy seeing a text from him light up
my phone. So one evening, while I was working, I was even more thrilled to see him walking through the dining

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