It's the Shade for Me

Just like that I got onboard with the bandwagon. I took the road often traveled. I gave in. A part of me felt compromised, giving in to what everyone else does. Marching to my own beat has always been my motto. The fads, trends, and hype never phase me. We were in quarantine, however. What was I expected to do for goodness’ sake? I needed the face to face, the gentle touches, the in-person laughs. Ironically, I had grown to not need it. This was not good on any level. I am a creative. Sparks make up my life! The chats and video sessions had become mundane. Everything began to fall in sync as the norm. I hope this is all worth it…

My bubbly, sassy best friend convinced me to remove some of my filters. Faye always challenged me. She wanted me out of my comfort zone. Strangely, that comfort was to do what was considered the “norm” or latest “trend” and it was a challenge. In fact, challenging is an understatement. With her advice taken, there was indeed a change in results. I tried dating apps before. They required effort. Admittedly, I probably could have done better. With everything else going on, I gave it a chance. After all, there were not many places I could go to meet new people now or to initiate dates. I updated my photos. First there was Jeff, then Sideways, and Muscle Jock, then Smash. I wondered if guys knew we really wanted to see real names. More prospects came in and quite a few of them held my interest. One in particular, gave me butterflies. He had this unexplainable thing about him. It was infectious…if I had to create a name for it, I would call it “welcomed poison”. I think I may just enjoy this MatchX app after all.

Pierre was cut from a different cloth. He was kind, gentlemanly, but not in a soft way. It was the perfect concoction of macho and he loved wine. That was most important! A couple of our favorites was Merlot and Lambrusco, oh bring on the berries. He knew how to take the lead with a delicate, nurturing touch. With each conversation, I yearned for more. Deep down inside I felt as if Pierre were a romantic, with modesty though, not willing to let the secret out. We talked about everything and I mean everything. His mother was French and his father was of West Indian descent. No details were spared when we talked. He was quite impressive on the eyes as well, this I learned through our video chats. His eyes were like caramel. We scheduled our video calls. It was amusingly welcomed. My cute dresses, vintage blouses, and infamous red lip sticks appreciated this more. “You are beautiful with or without lipstick”, he would say. There goes those butterflies again.

Since there was hardly anywhere to go during our new state of affairs with the pandemic and all, any opportunity to get cute and sexy was like seizing the moment. Like me, he was a wine connoisseur. We often compared wine to our favorite songs. It was mind blowing to me, our similar love for music. Jazz, blues, country, R & B – we often got lost in the tunes. The humor, I could laugh at his jokes for days. Even so, I occasionally held back, not wanting to be vulnerable and caught in the “it’s too good to be true” façade. I couldn’t help it…I liked everything about Pierre. Faye encouraged me to live a little and embrace whatever it was.

“How about this for an idea? Let’s meet, go on a date.” My heart raced. The sounds of each word played in slow motion. A date. He asked me out on a date. We are in quarantine in the midst of a pandemic. A date. Someone once said YOU ONLY LIVE ONCE. With my voice cracking, I managed to let out, “A date would be nice. May I creatively pick the place?”

The day was upon us. I assembled the picnic basket, with wine of course. I was still amazed Pierre agreed to my spot. Since it was outdoors, I knew it would be safe, fun, and memorable. In fact, I was hoping it would become one of our favorite places, together, for more times to come. Overlooking the entire Santa Monica beach of the Pacific Ocean, up on a hill, with lush trees, and sunshine – this would be one for the books. I saw him parking as I was gathering the necessities from the car. Pierre saw me and let off a sultry smile. I blushed. As he approached me with blankets and a tote bag in hand, I did everything in my power to hold it together. This sundress, slight Victorian in style, was making a statement. Wedge heels please don’t fail me now. Standing facing each other, eye to eye, we embraced with a kiss. I stood there. He maintained his stance. The cool breeze blew. I will never forget what happened next. It was the best part, the peak, the epitome of a first date.

“You are beautiful. What shade of lipstick are you wearing?” he whispered.

I replied, “It’s one of my favorites, called A glass of Merlot.”