ExposedNYC

One thing about going home for the holidays is that you’re bound to run into people from your past. This is especially true when you’ve spent over twenty years in the same town. You can always try to prepare yourself for this, but sometimes people can take you completely by surprise.

My friend Kate has been dating the same guy for a few months, so I got to see him on my last trip home for my birthday. I also met his cute younger brother on that trip, and of course had the fleeting moment of fantasizing how much fun it would be for us to double date and one day become family. So, I flirted with the brother throughout my birthday, but when I went to give him a good night kiss, he responded with, “I don’t think that’s a good idea.” Naturally, I was offended, but brushed it off quickly, particularly when Kate’s boyfriend reassured me that his brother wasn’t the kind of guy I wanted.

On the day after Thanksgiving, The Girls went out to celebrate the birthday of my friend from Los Angeles. The fact that we’re all around for the holidays usually gives our core group of friends a chance to get together for this event. We met up for dinner, and then headed out to a cute little karaoke bar, because she loves to sing. We met Kate’s boyfriend at the bar, and it turns out he brought his brother out again.

I spent the evening being pleasant and chatting with him. He’s naturally flirtatious, and we were all having a good time, so I thought nothing of it. This was before he leered at me from across the table and said, “You should get in my car and come home with me tonight.” This is less than flattering coming from a fairly drunk man who has spent the evening practically groping most of the girls in our group of friends. I replied, grinning, “I think I tried a similar suggestion last time I was in town and you turned me down. How does it feel to be on the other side?” He laughed it off, and at the end of the night we went our separate ways.

The next night, while looking for a late night bite on the way home, the girls and I stopped into the newest bar/pizza place in our neighborhood, that used to be a Chinese restaurant for most of my childhood. It was packed with people whose faces looked vaguely familiar, and we made a game out of sitting in a corner booth and trying to identify younger brothers and classmates of people we grew up with. One girl even spotted her high school prom date!

I sat back and mostly observed, until a guy came walking over who made a distinct impression on me. He’s a professional soccer player in California, and he was the reason that my friends and I developed a theory that soccer players not only have great legs, but great hands. It’s been years since we’ve run into each other, but I could see the recognition in his eyes the moment he realized I was at the table. We played the polite catch up game for a few minutes, before a sour faced girl strode up behind him to chew his ear off about being at a table full of women. Apparently, he was in town with his new girlfriend, and she was not pleased, so that was the last I saw of him.

One nice thing about the guys in my past is that I don’t have any major regrets. There is no “one that got away”, or an ex that I’ve always wished I could get back together with. I don’t doubt that The One could just as easily be from New York as my hometown, but I am fairly confident that I haven’t met him yet. No matter how many old boyfriends I run into, it may be fun to see how they’ve changed, but it won’t be a life-changing experience.

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