Monday April 7th, 2003
Laundry Day
I got home from work wearing my bright orange shirt, which could only mean one thing. Laundry day.
I went to a Laundromat around the corner from my apartment for my usual two loads of wash and Ms. Pac Man. I had just gotten to the second time the stork drops the baby Pac Man when I heard an exotic soothing accent contrasted against the Spanish soap opera playing in the background. A thin young Eastern European looking woman walked in talking on her cell phone. A safety pin necklace and bowling shoes hinted at an artistic flair.
I get nervous. It's a solid character trait at this point. I have this overwhelming fear of looking like a jackass, it's why I don't dance, but that’s another story.
I wanted to talk to her. Not just for sex although I'd be lying if I said I didn't think she was extremely attractive. She genuinely looked like an interesting person, a person I didn't know, but wanted to. I had never seen her before yet I was already feeling jealous of the person on the other end of that call. Was she talking to her boyfriend? I couldn’t tell. I played two more games trying to think of what I could say.
After loading up her laundry she walked over and started playing a game of Bust a Move next to me. Apparently the joystick was broken and I made some type of joke, I don't remember what I said but apparently she found it funny. We talked all through the spin cycle. I knew my time was short but I had no idea how to ask for her number. She seemed so out of my league I felt some degree of guilt even talking to her. I've only been in this situation a few times, not many of them sober. While I was debating she took out a pen and wrote her number down on a scrap of paper in her purse and gave it to me. This has been the first shred of hope I've gotten in quite a long time. I am no longer Mike the loser. I’m superman. I feel like I can bench-press a car.
Of course if I try the number and it's a pizza shop I'll be a little disappointed but all and all I'm just glad I was able to talk to her and not sound insane.
