Bob's story

I alluded to this story earlier from my Mississippi trip.I didn't want to tell it right away, but now it is a little less shockingly raw.

The first day of the course was a short day that ended at 3:00. I planned to spend the afternoon lounging by the pool, reviewing notes and tanning my belly. Then I planned to find some people to go for dinner with during the complimetary cocktail hour.

As I was heading to elevator, one of the guys asked me if I would like to join him for dinner. I agreed and we set a time. He gave me his room number. He asked if I wanted to go for a walk that afternoon. I said I wanted to hang out at the pool. We parted ways. One of the girls at the pool asked me if I wanted to go for dinner so I invited her along as well.

A bit before I was supposed to meet the guy for dinner, I headed into the lobby. I had forgotten his room number and didn't want to go knocking on doors. I ran into the guy (Maybe I should give hime a name-how about Al) and told him I'd meet him in the lobby in an hour and mentioned that the other girl would be joining us. He said "I understand, I wouldn't want to go for dinner with just me either". That was when I really realised, he planned to go for dinner with just me. Before that, I half assumed he was asking other people as well.

The three of us went for dinner. We had a nice time chatting. We saw pictures of his four kids and his wife. We heard about the softball team he coached, how he was a boy scout leader for 15 years, the church he went to etc.. After dinner, he asked if we wanted to go to a karoke bar and watch drunk people sing. The other girl declined. We all spent another hour at the restaurant talking. (We all paid seperately)

When we got back to the hotel, he asked what the plan was for the rest of evening. Both of us girls said we planned to go to bed. I thanked him for the invite and a pleasant evening and left.

After this, I kinda avoided him. I couldn't really tell you why. I think he was trying to catch my eye several times, but I always found something else to do or someone to talk to. At one point during the evening "beer and bull" session he came up and asked me "Where the party was tonight" or something. I said I had no idea. He said he thought I was always the center of such things (or something).

The last night a group of us were hanging out in the lobby. Al was there and also talking to his family on his cell. I was completly avoiding Al by now. I felt a little bad but he was kinda creeping me out. He spent most of the course chatting with another young (quite attractive) woman. After a while, we all decided to head to a pub.

At the pub, there was smoky, noisy inside and an empty patio on a warm evening. Most of group elected for the patio and we hung out there talking, laughing and eventually closing down the bar. Al and one of the young (very single) guys ("the player" he named by the patio group) complained about the patio and eventually headed inside. So, I'm pretty clueless. I understood why the single guy had gone in. His motives were clear and he eventually headed off to dance club with a couple girls.

During this time, people from the patio would head in and when they came back out would report on what Al and "the player" were up to. The player and Al (vodka and soda in hand) were chatting to all the women in the bar. I think, even up to this point, I thought maybe Al just liked to talk to young women. I am so incredibly clueless. When he came out to the patio and started discussing loudly and enthusiasticly how he had a vascectomy, so he should be able to sleep with any woman (Did I mention married?, 4 kids? church?, in his 50's?), my last illusions were shattered.

I really didn't know these people existed.