That Night...

“I swear I do not feel like going on this date tonight,” Zara says aloud to herself as she gazes into her own eyes in the mirror. Zara has been on more dates than she cares to count in the past 6 months. One by one, each one seemed to drain her desire to finding true love. Countless guys were either dull, arrogant, ignorant, cheap, emotionally unavailable, or a combination. At 34 years old, Zara was simply over it.

Yet, here she was, on another Saturday night, forcing herself to gather up the energy to face another new guy. After talking to this one over the phone, she already knew that she wasn’t really interested. Stephen was one of those guys who thought much too highly of himself simply because he had a “good job” and decent looks. Being a sapiosexual to the core, Zara grimaced several times during the phone conversation when Stephen failed to adhere to rudimentary grammar rules such as simple subject-verb agreement. What was worse, Zara couldn’t help feeling completely annoyed by his attempts to sound spiritually “deep.” Despite the annoying conversation, Zara figured she would meet Stephen in person before concluding that he was not the right one for her.

At 34 years old with no children and no real prospects, Zara believed it dangerous to simply cut off every guy who failed to make the best first impression. She reasoned that perhaps fireworks didn’t really exist at this age. She just needed to find a man who was good enough. She hated the thought of “settling,” but became comfortable with the idea that she may never again find a man who made her heart leap and her tummy flip. She was determined to leave those fantasies behind her.

Coming out of her daze, Zara asked herself why she didn’t just cancel. Ordering Thai food from her favorite neighborhood spot and binging on random Netflix shows sounded much more appealing than suffering through another first date. She picked up her cell phone to scroll through Stephen’s online profile. They’d met on one of the many dating sites. She exhaled with disappointment.

Still half-dressed, Zara walked over to her bed and sat down to conjure up a viable excuse to give Stephen for cancelling their date. Her phone rang. It was her girlfriend Eve.

“Hey girl. Wassup,” Zara answered.

“Hey boo. I’m thinking about going to our spot tonight. I feel like dancing. What are you up to tonight?” Zara could hear the excitement and anticipation in Eve’s voice. Eve knew how to have a good time and Zara loved that about her. There was never a dull night when these two ladies got together. Eve’s infectious personality had a way of lifting Zara’s spirits.

“I’m down,” replied Zara. “Meet you there about 11?”

“That’s perfect. See you tonight.”

Zara released a heavy sigh as she contemplated her next move. It was already 8:45 and she was scheduled to meet Stephen at 9:30. She decided to keep her plans with Stephen to kill time until she met up with Eve at the bar later.

She got up and finished getting dressed for the evening. Since she had no desire to impress Stephen, Zara’s look for the evening would comfy and cute for a night of dancing. There was no need for body shapers, push-up bras, or tight first date dresses. Not tonight. To be honest, Zara didn’t need to try very hard with her outfits anyway. She was a voluptuous woman and her curves shown with almost anything she wore. Black leather leggings with a royal purple sweater that stopped just below her small waist perfectly accentuated her ample behind without being too raunchy or overly sexual. After looking over the many pairs of shoes in her walk-in closet, Zara decided her knee-high leather biker boots would be perfect for the evening.

“No need for heels. I don’t even like this guy and I plan to dance my ass off tonight,” she said under her breath.

Zara was satisfied with her outfit, grabbed her purse and keys, and headed for the door. She twisted the doorknob and stopped short of walking out.

“Should I put on some face?” she asked herself. She hesitated, then decided to put on some make-up. “At least some lipstick and mascara. I might meet a cutie at the bar tonight.”

Zara lucked up on a parking space on the same block as the restaurant. She thought she’d be late but she walked through the door of the restaurant at 9:30 on the nose.

The restaurant was dimly lit. It had a sort of 1940s vibe to it. As Zara stood in the entrance, she imagined the place used to be frequented by mob bosses and gangsters dressed in pinstripe zoot suits. She could picture the irresistibly sensual waitresses in short cocktail dresses and fishnets serving cigarettes and alcohol. She glanced around the room and eyed a guy watching her descend the stairs into the restaurant. As she walked closer to the table, she could feel his eyes scanning her curves.

He looked older than the pictures he posted on his profile but the gray hair sprinkled through his beard actually made him more handsome in person. Zara was pleased. “I’m glad I put on a little makeup after all,” she giggled to herself. Stephen rose from the booth and gestured to shake Zara’s hand as a huge smile spread across his face.

“Zara?”

In the 3 seconds it took for Zara to shake Stephen’s hand, she noted the tartar buildup in his teeth and his jagged, dirty fingernails. After only 3 seconds of meeting Stephen, Zara began to wonder how long she needed to suffer through polite conversation before she could end this first and certainly last date. Zara declined dinner with the excuse that she'd just eaten, had one drink, drank it fast, and concluded the date in record time.

Less than 10 minutes from the restaurant, Zara parked her car right in front of the bar. She wasn’t surprised to get such a great spot because it was still early. Since she she managed to ditch Stephen in 30 minutes, she pulled up to the bar by 10:15. Eve wouldn’t arrive for a while and the bar would be empty, but Zara didn’t mind. She would have time to shake off the disappointment and annoyance from her date.

“All I need is another drink or two and I’ll be ready to dance the rest of the night away,” she thought and smiled to herself. She freshened up her lipstick in the mirror before getting out the car. As she walked toward the bar’s entrance, she nodded to the owner standing in the front smoking a cigarette. Noah, a white guy with shoulder length sandy brown hair that he usually wore up in a “man bun,” smiled as Zara approached. Zara and Eve had been coming to Noah’s bar every first and third Saturday for over a year. Noah got used to seeing them and always welcomed each of them with a warm smile.

“Hey beautiful,” Noah greeted Zara between puffs of his cigarette. “Where is your partner in crime?”

Zara blushed and replied, “She’s coming. I’m a bit early tonight. Felt like getting a head start on the drinks.” Zara lingered for a moment watching Noah inhale the smoke. He always had the coolest demeanor about him. He looked as if nothing in the world could bother him. Zara envied that. She had to admit it, the dating game was becoming much too stressful and, frankly, hopeless. Zara needed to let go of the fantasy. The perfect guy simply didn’t exist.

Noah turned to greet another patron approaching the entrance of the bar. While he was distracted, Zara stood there for a few moments more examining Noah. She wondered if she would have any difficulty getting Noah to help her forget her current state. She slowly looked him up and down. Noah was tall, handsome, mysterious, and quite fuckable. He was the kind of guy women knew would only be for fun, yet the kind of guy women undoubtedly had trouble letting go after the fun had run its course. Zara wondered if a fling would rescue her from her desperate quest to find Mr. Right.

Noah looked up and could see Zara’s lustful thoughts all over her face. He caught her eyes and grinned knowingly. He held Zara’s gaze and silently welcomed her to the challenge. Zara blushed and broke the gaze. She knew such a venture would be silly and, worse, her sacred hideaway would be tainted. Zara held this bar in a very high esteem. It was small and intimate. The drinks were strong and cheap, and the music was always great. She couldn’t risk it over a few rolls in the sheets with the owner. Opting out of Noah’s silent challenge, Zara giggled nervously as she brushed past him into the bar.

“Great,” Zara muttered to herself, “Now I’m horny on top of irritated. I should’ve bummed a cigarette from him.”

Zara ordered a drink from the bar and chose one of the empty booths towards the back as her space for the evening. She sipped her Jameson and cranberry as she grooved in her seat to the old-school R&B music coming through the speakers. Lost in the music, Zara's tension began to ease. Her body started to sway to the rhythm. Music from a time when love was simple just felt good to the soul. There were no cell phones in the 80s. There were no dating sites or social media. People connected in real life. Love was experienced in a deeper way and no one cared how it looked. Time wasn't wasted on taking the perfect selfie so random strangers could gush over how cute you and your lover looked together. #couplegoals wasn't a thing. That's why Zara and Eve loved this place so much. It was like a spiritual haven. Inside the music, the tech world of the 21st century Los Angeles didn't exist. Zara let her spirit drift back to those times.

Before Zara realized how quickly time had moved, she spotted Eve making her way over to the booth to join Zara. Eve was all smiles as she half-danced, half-walked her way over to the booth. Zara knew her girl was ready to party tonight.

"Let the fun begin!" Zara mumbles to herself before she threw back the last of her drink.