I've said before that I live in small town. Too small sometimes. We're large enough that everyone doesn't know everyone else but small enough that we're all related if you go back far enough.
There is a social club here. There is no membership; you just have to live within village limits. I haven't been there in years so, for whatever reason, tonight I decided to go.
What a mistake. There was no one there whom I would be interested in. They were either teenagers, old retirees or freaks and geeks. (Freaks and Geeks, remember that TV show?)
One of the geeks is Hal. He likes going around telling everyone he was named after the computer in 2001: A Space Odessey. And he has the movie memorized, too. Every single line of it. It's a scary thing to see.
As I ordered myself a hotdog and a bag of chips I could feel Hal watching me. I sat down at a table and Hal sat across from me, uninvited, and grabbed one of my chips.
"Hello, Fran. How's it shaking?"
"It's, uh, shaking just fine, Hal. What about you?"
"I was thinking of going to a Star Wars convention dressed as Han Solo. Want to come and be my princess Leila?"
I rolled my eyes and sighed. Really a geek sci-fi convention? I just walked through the door.
"I bet you'd look real cute with your hair up in buns."
"OK, sure, Hal."
"No."
He reached forward and try to touch my hand. I pulled back. I only intended to pull back my hand but in reality I stood and then yelled at him, "No, Hal, I don't want to go with you. I don't want to be your geeky princess. And I certainly don't want you to regale me with stories of how you're named after some damn fictional, psycho computer."
The entire room was staring at me. I struggled my shoulders and shook my head.
Hal look mortified. I grabbed my hotdog and left.
I'm never going there again.
There is a social club here. There is no membership; you just have to live within village limits. I haven't been there in years so, for whatever reason, tonight I decided to go.
What a mistake. There was no one there whom I would be interested in. They were either teenagers, old retirees or freaks and geeks. (Freaks and Geeks, remember that TV show?)
One of the geeks is Hal. He likes going around telling everyone he was named after the computer in 2001: A Space Odessey. And he has the movie memorized, too. Every single line of it. It's a scary thing to see.
As I ordered myself a hotdog and a bag of chips I could feel Hal watching me. I sat down at a table and Hal sat across from me, uninvited, and grabbed one of my chips.
"Hello, Fran. How's it shaking?"
"It's, uh, shaking just fine, Hal. What about you?"
"I was thinking of going to a Star Wars convention dressed as Han Solo. Want to come and be my princess Leila?"
I rolled my eyes and sighed. Really a geek sci-fi convention? I just walked through the door.
"I bet you'd look real cute with your hair up in buns."
"OK, sure, Hal."
"No."
He reached forward and try to touch my hand. I pulled back. I only intended to pull back my hand but in reality I stood and then yelled at him, "No, Hal, I don't want to go with you. I don't want to be your geeky princess. And I certainly don't want you to regale me with stories of how you're named after some damn fictional, psycho computer."
The entire room was staring at me. I struggled my shoulders and shook my head.
Hal look mortified. I grabbed my hotdog and left.
I'm never going there again.
