Chapter 905:
Last night I decided we needed to get back to the old date night vibe with something fun, light and adventurous. The internet did not fail me and I located the perfect spot. It had it all: pinball, arcade, darts, foosball, billiards, air hockey, corn hole, shuffle board and more. More included bowling but that is definitely not my thing. This was not however a kid’s place. Libations, live music, food and more could all be found at this very retro cool adult playground. The lady had been here before and was excited to “defeat me” at all of the games. She was a little too confident and so was I.
We hit the arcade and pinball games hard before getting in a couple games of darts. We were both at that age where we could remember arcades but they were dying out in favor of at home video game consoles. Fortunately some of these arcade machines featured the same games we once played at home. Sometimes it’s nice to just do something juvenile that takes you back to a different time and place. After a fair amount of time engaging in digital or flying winged spike throwing competitions with one another, we decided to grab a table and have something to eat.
They had the exact kind of menu one would expect; buffalo wings, burgers, chicken tenders, Philly cheesesteak, loaded fried, onion rings, etc. They also did the wood fired pizza thing and had ample salads available. We ordered our food and another drink as we settled in to our chairs and talked more about guns, housing, work, travel and childhood video gaming experiences. She told me that she had a long talk with her daughter about our relationship and how it was progressing. The daughter who was originally not so keen on things seemed to be in a completely different place with it now. She had fully acclimated to me being around, enjoyed it when I cooked, and wasn’t so young and naïve that she didn’t know what was going on. The lady said she made it clear this wasn’t going to lead to a wedding, but it has the real possibility of being a lot more than what it started out as. The daughter offered the old “whatever makes you happy mom” before moving on to new topics. I talked about how the attorney assured me that the money was inbound from the property developer and the wealth manager was ready to start his work. The lady stepped in and made it known that she wanted to be involved in that meeting, having no real reason to say no I agreed and she seemed happy. We talked more about rental units and housing possibilities for me, the she surprised me by saying “You could probably just stay with me… for awhile anyway… if you wanted to”. It sent an old dark tingle up my spine, but I consciously dismissed it as a nice gesture not an attack on my independence. I just told her that was really nice, and tempting, but I still had time and unexplored possibilities.
After our food had been consumed we returned to video gaming, some air hockey and a game of corn hole, which we called bag toss when I was a kid. She is way more competitive than I had expected her to be and clearly did not like losing. She did not even try and hide her frustration and displeasure with coming in 2nd in a two person game. Good thing she won as much as she lost, otherwise she may have made me take her home early and I would have ended up sleeping alone. We spent our entire evening at this place trying out pretty much everything they had to offer, sans bowling, before we left for her apartment. She threw out a lot of shade on the ride home about that unfortunate game of air hockey where she defeated me handily. I could see why she wanted a boyfriend who was tough enough to handle her but would also treat her with fragility.
Once at her place she invited me up. Her daughter was out and the apartment was empty. The adult playground quickly changed from arcade consoles to human bodies. We are really good at these activities and have learned where all the right buttons, switches and toggles are. There was no competition here; we both came out as winners. After a little post-event cuddling she went to the restroom to get ready for bed and I walked out to the kitchen to grab something to drink and clean the inevitable sink full of dishes. I did not expect to run right into her daughter. Me in my boxer briefs, her fully dressed and looking for some food. Awkward would not even begin to cover it. I muttered something like “Umm sorry, I was just…” before she interrupted with “Don’t worry about it, I’m not 10, I know what you guys were doing.” I turned around and went back to bedroom immediately without saying another word. The lady thought it was hilarious and went out in her robe to make sure her girl wasn’t traumatized. She wasn’t. After a few minutes the lady came back in still giggling and reporting that the daughter said “Not bad for an old guy, but try and keep him dressed or in your bedroom.” The lady reminded her who paid the rent and collected a bottle of water for me. She also told me I she would buy me a robe and clear out a drawer. Now that’s commitment!
Last night I decided we needed to get back to the old date night vibe with something fun, light and adventurous. The internet did not fail me and I located the perfect spot. It had it all: pinball, arcade, darts, foosball, billiards, air hockey, corn hole, shuffle board and more. More included bowling but that is definitely not my thing. This was not however a kid’s place. Libations, live music, food and more could all be found at this very retro cool adult playground. The lady had been here before and was excited to “defeat me” at all of the games. She was a little too confident and so was I.
We hit the arcade and pinball games hard before getting in a couple games of darts. We were both at that age where we could remember arcades but they were dying out in favor of at home video game consoles. Fortunately some of these arcade machines featured the same games we once played at home. Sometimes it’s nice to just do something juvenile that takes you back to a different time and place. After a fair amount of time engaging in digital or flying winged spike throwing competitions with one another, we decided to grab a table and have something to eat.
They had the exact kind of menu one would expect; buffalo wings, burgers, chicken tenders, Philly cheesesteak, loaded fried, onion rings, etc. They also did the wood fired pizza thing and had ample salads available. We ordered our food and another drink as we settled in to our chairs and talked more about guns, housing, work, travel and childhood video gaming experiences. She told me that she had a long talk with her daughter about our relationship and how it was progressing. The daughter who was originally not so keen on things seemed to be in a completely different place with it now. She had fully acclimated to me being around, enjoyed it when I cooked, and wasn’t so young and naïve that she didn’t know what was going on. The lady said she made it clear this wasn’t going to lead to a wedding, but it has the real possibility of being a lot more than what it started out as. The daughter offered the old “whatever makes you happy mom” before moving on to new topics. I talked about how the attorney assured me that the money was inbound from the property developer and the wealth manager was ready to start his work. The lady stepped in and made it known that she wanted to be involved in that meeting, having no real reason to say no I agreed and she seemed happy. We talked more about rental units and housing possibilities for me, the she surprised me by saying “You could probably just stay with me… for awhile anyway… if you wanted to”. It sent an old dark tingle up my spine, but I consciously dismissed it as a nice gesture not an attack on my independence. I just told her that was really nice, and tempting, but I still had time and unexplored possibilities.
After our food had been consumed we returned to video gaming, some air hockey and a game of corn hole, which we called bag toss when I was a kid. She is way more competitive than I had expected her to be and clearly did not like losing. She did not even try and hide her frustration and displeasure with coming in 2nd in a two person game. Good thing she won as much as she lost, otherwise she may have made me take her home early and I would have ended up sleeping alone. We spent our entire evening at this place trying out pretty much everything they had to offer, sans bowling, before we left for her apartment. She threw out a lot of shade on the ride home about that unfortunate game of air hockey where she defeated me handily. I could see why she wanted a boyfriend who was tough enough to handle her but would also treat her with fragility.
Once at her place she invited me up. Her daughter was out and the apartment was empty. The adult playground quickly changed from arcade consoles to human bodies. We are really good at these activities and have learned where all the right buttons, switches and toggles are. There was no competition here; we both came out as winners. After a little post-event cuddling she went to the restroom to get ready for bed and I walked out to the kitchen to grab something to drink and clean the inevitable sink full of dishes. I did not expect to run right into her daughter. Me in my boxer briefs, her fully dressed and looking for some food. Awkward would not even begin to cover it. I muttered something like “Umm sorry, I was just…” before she interrupted with “Don’t worry about it, I’m not 10, I know what you guys were doing.” I turned around and went back to bedroom immediately without saying another word. The lady thought it was hilarious and went out in her robe to make sure her girl wasn’t traumatized. She wasn’t. After a few minutes the lady came back in still giggling and reporting that the daughter said “Not bad for an old guy, but try and keep him dressed or in your bedroom.” The lady reminded her who paid the rent and collected a bottle of water for me. She also told me I she would buy me a robe and clear out a drawer. Now that’s commitment!
