You might notice this is a category I've never used before. And to my knowledge, Mimz is going to be the only person it applies to.
It had been more than a year since I'd talked to Fraz (after she reneged on letting me borrow her vehicle for work). One Friday night, I was outside Lestat's waiting for a band to start playing when Fraz suddenly rode up on her scooter. She said hi and asked me how I was doing. I didn't know how I felt about letting Fraz back into my life. Even though her actions could have caused me to become unemployed, I was able to find a solution and not miss any work. It really had little impact on me in the long run. I just rolled with it like nothing had happened and decided it wasn't worth rehashing.
She told me to save her a seat while she went inside and ordered something to drink. I found a table outside. Sitting nearby was a woman. She was rather cute, had short hair and round glasses. She was holding a book. She sort of smiled at me as I sat down and went back to reading.
Fraz came out and we started catching up. As you may be aware, Fraz can be rather loud. Every once in awhile, the woman would look up from her book and pay a little attention to what Fraz and I were saying. Eventually, Fraz started involving her in the conversation. Somehow, Fraz had gotten the idea I knew the woman because I was sitting so relatively close to her. She told us her name was Mimz. Fraz told her that Lestat's currently had her bird photographs on display. This was something I hadn't noticed, despite my frequent visits to Lestat's. I guess I didnt' always pay close attention to the art they had on the walls. I usually just went there for the music and any events that I got to be a part of. But Mimz seemed to be impressed with Fraz' work.
At this point, the conversation got to be less between Fraz and me and more between the two of them. I started finding Mimz attractive and thought I would have a chance with her. The only bad thing was that she probably thought Fraz and I were a couple. I really didn't know what to do. Mimz left first, leaving me and Fraz together. I gave Fraz my new phone number and expected us to continue our friendship on the same terms that we had before. The only thing was that I knew I wasn't ever going to be able to borrow her car.
I still kept thinking about Mimz. I wondered if she might like me. I remembered that she said something to the effect that she frequently went to Lestat's. I thought there might be a chance she would show up there the next night. On Saturday night, I went over there and ordered something to drink. I hung out for a bit, but I didn't see her. Then I went to the bathroom. When I came out, she was sitting at a table inside. My patience paid off!
I went over and sat down. I said, "Hey, Mimz. Last night, I was trying to pick up on you, but it's something I'm not very good at. I was just wondering how you felt about me." She replied, "Well, I'll admit that I kind of liked you, but I'm not really looking for a relationship right now." "Oh, okay..." "However, I am relatively new to San Diego and I could use some friends, so if you're up to being a friend, maybe we can do that."
I'd been used to being Friend-Zoned my whole life, so it was nice to have a woman be upfront about her intentions. We continued talking.
If I remember correctly, she used to live in Portland and worked at a Starbucks there. When she decided to move to San Diego, she stayed with Starbucks. She wanted to work at a location that wasn't very busy. She soon found out that she had been tricked into working at the one with the highest sales volume in all of San Diego County. (But I don't think there's any such thing as a slow Starbucks, to tell you the truth.)
She told me she was 23 years old. If there was a possibility this was heading toward a relationship, I would have seen my age of 36 as being an obstacle. But since we were going to be friends, she didn't treat it like any big deal. I didn't feel I had anything to worry about.
I gave her more information about Fraz. I told her we had been friends for a few years, but the night before was the first time we'd spoken to each other in more than a year. I told her about the falling out we had and that the last thing I expected was for her to come whizzing up to me. I then said, "At the very least, I hope you didn't think we were double-teaming to try to talk you into a threesome!" Mimz responded, "Actually, that thought did occur to me." (So was she thinking, "I'm not looking for a relationship, but I sure could go for some kinky sex right now!"?)
Then this other guy I'd seen around Lestat's came by and sat down. His name was Jird. It was clear she was familiar with him. He was talking, but it wasn't about anything in particular. And he wasn't being funny or charming or anything. But Mimz seemed to be paying close attention to everything he was saying. Now, I was getting worried.
They decided to go to Rudford's to get something to eat and invited me to go. But we were doing the exact same thing we were doing at Lestat's, except getting food cost more money. I wasn't too thrilled with that. That also means this wasn't a date and I was constantly feeling like the third wheel.
At some point, we all left and I went home. Mimz and I did not exchange phone numbers. She said that when I wanted, I'd be able to find her at Lestat's. I went back a couple of days later, but she wasn't there. A couple more days and I did come across her there. She was talking to someone outside. I got her attention and waved, and she looked back at the person she was with and gave me this really weak gesture of a wave. It looked like she didn't even want me in the Friend Zone. It was more like the "We Happen to Be in the Same General Area" Zone. That's pretty pathetic.
I would still see her from time to time after that. She would attend some of the performances Abed and I did at Lestat's. But it seemed like she was more there to see Hend, a third person who frequently participated in our shows. Mimz and I would talk a little here and there at the shows, but I knew that was all there was going to be.
I never got her last name, so I have no way of tracking her down. But when you're never really friends with someone, that's how it usually turns out.
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