Chapter 6#2 Mr GQ

I loved living in the Big City! I loved clubbing, going to concerts, drinking and dancing all night. I loved treating men like crap only to find out they seemed to enjoy it… or maybe they thought I was funny. I was super sarcastic and I knew the world was my oyster. I spent as many hours as possible with my best friend Natasha. I had a ‘ditch-able’ boyfriend for every occasion. At one point I had 4 different men I dated for different reasons. Mark was a nice guy and he liked to introduce me to his favourite restaurants, we were never intimate but I saw the potential; I was content with him providing me with weed until I found a better dealer (my office caterer, but that’s a different tale).

I dated my boss for 18 months too, but clearly that was because I was stupid. He was married with children and at that time in my life I didn’t care. I wanted to experience all that life had to offer and I wanted to be ‘bad’. I felt that I’d always followed the rules my entire life. I knew it was a bad choice, bad decision, but the sex was amazing (because it was forbidden 'fruit'). I dated an Antonio Banderas look-a-like solely because of his looks, ignoring the fact he was horrible in bed and nearly 20 years older than I was. When I dumped his ass, he started courting me, but it was already too late. He proposed as a last ditch effort to ‘keep me’. I don’t think he understood that he was just Mr. Wednesday Night. I also dated a few other guys in between.

One Saturday I decided to visit a psychic to see what she had to say about my future. I didn’t put much stock in it, but I thought it would be something fun to do. I spent $50 for a 2-hour reading. I won’t lie, everything she told me hit the nail on the head. I saw the psychic in March 2000 and never thought much of it until later that year and as I got older. I know people make fun of psychics, but all that came true. All of it. Here’s how the reading went:

Psychic: I see 3 men in your life right now. I see you leaving them all and choosing another. A tall man with blue eyes. You will marry him.

Psychic: Ahhhh this is far in the future, but never ever work for a man named Larry. Run in the opposite direction when you meet him.

Psychic: I see you living in the area when you’re older with your spouse, you have two children, a girl and a boy, I’m not sure if they’re twins but if they aren’t they are very close in age.

Psychic: You will never be rich, but you will be comfortable.

Psychic (palm reading): This is your lifeline, this broken line indicates a divorce, and this means you will have significant health problems.

In August, Greek town holds a food festival but due to Covid, it hasn’t run in a few years. Natasha and I loved to eat, drink, smoke weed and sit on patios; we always had the munchies so a food festival was definitely where you would find us. This August in 2000 Natasha invited her brother-in-law to join us and another friend of hers, Damon. Damon and Natasha knew each other from a past sales job and had recently reconnected. Damon had a new girlfriend he wanted Natasha to meet. At the time, I didn’t realize I had anxiety or PTSD and my feelings erupted in anger to cover up my jealousy. I was afraid Natasha would like new girl better, but I tucked my feelings away and focused on Jared, Natasha’s brother-in-law.

Jared seemed nice, we chatted while sitting at the bar waiting for Natasha’s friends to arrive. Damon and his girlfriend Jessica arrived an hour later with another guy. I was interested in the other guy; he was tall, wearing pink sunglasses and deeply tanned which contrasted with his platinum frosted hair tips. He wore a white t-shirt, showing off his armband tattoo, blue jeans, and a wide smile. I suspected he was gay. I say that, and I know it sounds bad, but I needed a reason for him being out of my league. All gay guys are hot and gym rats, I have the wrong parts and I *knew* he wouldn’t be interested in me because everyone I did date broke up with me for being “too excessive”. To be sure, I asked Damon if his friend was metro-sexual or gay and he said he had no idea what his friend’s sexual preference was. That confirmed it. Gay. He’s gay and I had no chance.

Knowing I had no chance, allowed me to relax around the hottie and speak to him. I remember asking him if he was dyslexic because he was wearing pink sunglasses. He looked confused so I rushed on explaining that in my Psychology class in university they discovered that wearing pink lenses helped people with dyslexia read text in the correct order. I felt really stupid after that because he looked kinda confused and chuckled saying no, he just liked them. Gay.

We walked back up to Natasha’s apartment and I decided to go home for a nap. I was super exhausted from partying the night before and there was no reason for me to go over and get to know Damon and Jessica, I felt awkward and out of place; I didn’t know or share their memories. The next day Natasha was disappointed that I had decided to stay home and mentioned that Damon’s friend asked where I was and if I’d be coming over. Ohhh he asked about me? Maybe I do have a chance.

In September, Natasha planned her birthday bash (September 8) at a local Cuban place and invited Damon, Jessica and several other people. I showed up with Mark, my ditch-able date because I intended to take Damon’s friend home with me that night and see just how gay he was. Damon showed up with Jessica and his gay friend, I now referred to him as Mr. GQ, brought some hideous looking date with him. Like, seriously? Didn’t he know we were supposed to hook up? Jesus. I spent an hour trash talking his date in my head, picking apart her appearance and noticing ALL her flaws. Once I'd have enough, I told Natasha that Mark and I were heading out and we’d be back to meet her at the club. I was pissed and needed to show off that I could play that dating game too. At least I knew Mr. GQ wasn’t gay and I needed to step up my game!

Mr. GQ started showing up more and more at the venues Natasha and I danced and drank at and we got to know each other casually. Officially, we had our first date on October 27, 2000. We went to the midnight showing of the re-released Exorcist movie. I really wanted to see Regan do the spider walk on the stairs and after that scene I passed out. Mr. GQ took me home and I happily confirmed there wasn’t a gay bone in his body. In all honesty, he never left after that night. I broke up with my boss the very next day. He was disappointed but understood… score one point for honesty. We unofficially lived together from that point until 2003, when we made it official. Mr. GQ always kept an apartment but never slept there. I fed him, did his laundry, and we merged our circle of friends, so to speak. Natasha even dated Mr. GQ’s best friend for a short time.

Later that year the tech crash began and by April 2001, Natasha and I had been let go from the telecom company because they filed under Chapter 11 protection. The President of the Board hired me to help him start a new philanthropic venture but before doing that, I went on my first vacation ever to celebrate my birthday, I would be 27 later that month. I planned a trip to the Dominican Republic with Mr. GQ, Natasha, and Freddy (Mr. GQ’s best friend who was also dating Natasha). The resort was absolutely stunning and we explored many of what the island had to offer. Unfortunately, for Natasha and Freddy, they broke up the first night of the trip but remained friends. We returned to the Big City and Mr. GQ and I decided it would be an amazing job and opportunity to apply to become vacation representatives. I had finally gotten around to fixing up our resumes and faxing them to all the vacation airlines when I heard over the radio that the Twin Towers had been attacked… bad timing.. nobody was traveling and our dream of living an island life went up in smoke.

Mr. GQ was the tall blue eyed man the psychic had told me about in my reading back in March 2000. I mean, look at him, he's gorgeous.