> Garry, hopefully this is heading toward a round of sincere apologies to > everyone you insulted...? > Amir
Ya , right : Anyway , could not get this awesome looking girl out of my head . Thought of her all week long at work , and wondered why I did not react more quickly , ask her for her phone number , apologize and ask if we could get together some other time . The week went by and Saturday was baseball practice . Back at the coach's backyard we enjoyed some hot dogs and cold Gatorade . Suddenly while sitting there day-dreaming , it hit me . This girl probably was not on crowded Clifton Hill to see the sites . She was flying up that hill like a pro . She _must_ have just gotten off of work and was heading home ! Maybe she does the exact same thing every Saturday around that time ! I look at my watch ... it was around 4:00 PM that I saw her last Saturday . It's 3:00 PM now ... gotta go !! No time to change out of my ball uniform - just drive to Clifton Hill - park halfway up the Hill - keep an eye out for her ... An hour goes by and no beautiful familiar girl . Lot's and lot's of people though , more than last week it seems . Oh well , it was quite an enormous longshot anyway . Just a weak attempt at finding a needle in a haystack . Then , at the foot of the Hill , on the other side of the street it looks like her . She steps out onto the street to pass an 8 mem- ber family , then back onto the sidewalk and is really moving ... it's her ! Out of my car - lock the doors - more money into the parking meter - turn to look for her and she has already passed me . She is in fine form today and I must risk getting hit by cars if I want to catch her , and finally at the top of the Hill , I do . Behind her I gently tap her shoulder as I say "excuse me , miss" . She slows and turns slightly , no look of recognition on her face . I say "excuse me , I know you don't remember me but I was here last week and you were suggesting a nice place to have a drink " . She semi-rolls her eye's and looks away . "oh yes , I remember you now " . The sarcastic tone was to be expected . I go on to tell her that I'd been thinking of her all week and took a chance that maybe she would be here on the Hill again at the same time , that perhaps she had just gotten off work . Before she can answer I apologize for last week and my buddy cutting us off . That I actually did wish to buy her a drink at one of her favorite places , if she had time some day . She said she had to go , to catch her bus , to be home on time for dinner . I offer her a ride then , as it would give us an opportunity to chat . She says no , but I am persistent and apol- ogetic , and plead a little that she not keep my wondering about her again all the coming week too . She laughs and then, finally, agrees to let me drive her home . We walk to my convertible , and I suggest we drive with the top down . She agrees . Driving past powerfull Niagara Falls , a slight mist is falling on us , cool and refreshing . I introduce myself formally , at last , and she does the same . It turns out her Brother & Uncle are members of my Construction Union , who I have worked with on several projects and know quite well . We have something immediately in common and we talk about how those family members are doing . They are doing very well and I ask her if she would make sure to say "hello" to them for me . Almost at her home , I gently pressure her yet again and ask if she would allow me to buy her a very casual dinner tonight , now , and that way we could continue to drive a bit more , perhaps on the parkway , or along the lake on this beautiful summer day . It takes several attempts , but Chris finally agrees , phone's home at a nearby payphone , hops back in the car , and off we drive 'into the sunset' , the first of many , many beautiful evening drives together . Chris . She was my one and only "10" . Garry
