Breaking The News And Meeting The Parents

So I had to do the deed.

It wasn't as bad as I thought it would be. At the end of the night, Boss came by and we discussed our new assistant's day off. Just before he met with us, he pulled me aside in the back. He was on a phone call with his girlfriend, discussing dinner plans. He motioned for me to "hold on" a moment, and in the break of their phone conversation said:

"Is it me, or does she... (face scrunches up to indicate "pee-yew")?

"Nope," I said. "She does."

To preface this, we had a very familiar encounter with a janitor a few months ago. He was there in the evening, just starting his nightly duty. We were closing up, just the two of us. The poor guy came in, walked the entire length of the back, picked up the trash and left. The whole thing took about 10 seconds. But after he left, his B.O. left us gagging for fresh air. Body odor is a natural thing, but in my line of work, a line needs to be drawn.

Which brings us back to tonight. Boss said he would "take care of it." Translation: You take care of it.

The three of us talked for a moment. He asked her how she was doing and we discussed Wednesday as her day off. Then he left. Bastard. He really meant it for me to have to break it to the poor girl.

So I did. I actually started things by asking if she uses any deodorant or anti-perspirant. She didn't seem offended, so I made up how we work so much physically, and our last assistant needed to be encouraged to "take care of business." Totally untrue. But it got the job done. I even took her downstairs and showed her that she could use any of the women's fragrances to her disposal. I thought I did a pretty good job, considering it was a sensitive subject. Blunt, to the point, but not insulting. We'll see what happens tomorrow.

(...)

On another note, I met PG's parents today. Nice folks. PG was a little more chipper than per usual, and to my surprise actually called on me to come out and meet her folks. I was glad to oblige.

Her folks were pleasant. They were very friendly, and we talked about how her mother was enjoying coming out to see her daughter as often as she did the last year. I briefly joked about how PG doesn't seem to have any time to meet up, seeing as she was "so busy" and all. Her father replied that she doesn't call home as often either and she wouldn't have an excuse after May when she graduates. I thought to myself, We'll see about that.

Boss then came out and met with the group. They talked of Italy, Florida, and traveling. PG was bouncing about, and winking like she used to do with me. Flirting. She seemed a little happier than usual, though I couldn't figure out why. I kept looking at her parents and imagining what we would look like if we were married twenty years later. Would we be as happy as they seemed?

The conversation went on a little bit longer. I kept getting paged 911. The whole freakin' day passes without me getting paged and I'm getting all the calls now while I'm meeting PG's folks! Figures! Boss had to attend to other matters so I took that as my cue to shake hands, dispense a few polite "Nice to meet you"s and head back to the grind. I kinda hoped I would impress them enough to where they might invite me out to dinner some night, but that was just wishful thinking. It was my own selfish plot to try and win her affections, which is probably why it never materialized. Oh well. This would be the only chance I would get for now.

Later, as PG passed me she said, "So, how'd you like meeting your future-father-and-mother-in-law?" Oh. That joke again. "I think we should have coffee first, don't you," I said back with a little smirk. "I know." And we went about our business.

I thought about PG's comment on the way home tonight. I imagined what it would be like, married to her. Kids. Her looking pregnant. And lovely. I thought about whether or not it was meant to be. Then I scolded myself for daydreaming. The reality is we aren't really good friends yet. We're just "sometimes friends." And that isn't enough. I realize that if things could be, then I would have to do my best to let go right now and wait. Just chill. Like I've said before, I tend to jump the gun sometimes.

And I still don't know what it is about her that I like so much. She's so much like the girl next door. But there's something underlying about her that drives me crazy. It's her little quirkiness I find so endearing. I think she's so beautiful, but something inside me tells me that now's not the right time for any of that. Now maybe that means it will never be, but I know it means that my pursuit of this right now could undo any hope of something later down the road.

Maybe in a year or two. Maybe sooner. But not now.

So today was pretty nice, overall. A social issue tackled. And some parents met.