A long time ago (22 years ago today to be exact) I met this guy from a personal ad. It was the new exciting hi-tech kind of personal ad from the 80's. Back then high-tech in personal ads meant once you read and selected the printed ad which appealed to you in your news paper, you got to call a voice mail number for the ad, hear a message from the ad placer and then leave your own message. So on the heels of a devastating breakup, and looking for a way to waste some time one day, I answered a single ad from a guy who was looking for a smart pretty jewish woman looking to have fun in the city. I told that ad placer's voice mail machine that we must be meant for each other. The ad placer, much to my surprise, called me back a few days later, and I agreed to meet him for lunch because, having had a co-worker who had serial personal ad dated I had heard my fair share of hilarious loser personal ad date stories and I figured I'd get my own personal hilarious story to tell my friends who were more than likely getting tired of hearing me cry and whine about the breakup.
So, on February 2nd 1989, which was an unusually warm day for February, it was in the low 70's and breezy. It was a gorgeous day. I met the guy from the ad down town at this place called Odeon. I got there early and wandered around just taking in the warm air and letting the breeze blow my hair around. I headed for the restaurant with my "You'll know me by my magenta wool coat" folded over my arm a few minutes early to brush my hair, but I saw the unmistakably tall personal ad stranger walking in right before me. He spotted me and my tangled web of hair right inside the door. We had a three hour lunch.
I had an omelette and he had a burger. We chatted non stop the whole time. I was impressed that he was able to take a three hour lunch. I had all the time in the world, I was unemployed. I could tell he had lied about his height in his ad. He wrote that he was 6'5". I could tell that he was taller. He admitted he was 6'6 1/2" and said he thought 6'5 " was more socially acceptable. At the end of our three hour lunch he walked me to subway. I was going uptown to Bloomies to get grandma a birthday gift. I remember turning to him once we got to the subway and saying I was glad to meet him and telling him he should call me.
Once on the practically deserted train, I realized the two other train riders were smiling strangely at me. Then I realized they were smiling at me because I was grinning ear to ear. Instead of meeting the pizza faced jabba the hut I had imagined the personal ad placer to be, I had met a smooth skinned seemingly nice guy. In a couple of weeks me and the personal ad placer will be having our 20th wedding anniversary.
I am smiling, still.
Posted by: The Editor | February 03, 2011 at 06:22 AM
Awwwwww, that is so sweet, really. And hope-inspiring - I know I'm going to pass this post on to a few single folks dreaming of meeting that person who ... well ... clicks with them.
Happy anniversary to you and The Editor, Click!
Posted by: Pippa | February 04, 2011 at 12:20 PM
What a great story, Click!
Posted by: South Beach Steve | February 05, 2011 at 07:13 PM