Dick called a few days later and said he’d like to see me again. I said, “Okay”, not because I was excited by the idea or moved by him in any way, but because I couldn’t think of a good reason not to. It was that simple. A few days after that date, when he asked me out again, I agreed for a second time for the same reason. I don’t remember what we did either time.
That was the beginning of our relationship. I think what drew me to him was his availability and his handiness. He always made himself available and at first he was like a useful robot; well programmed and fully charged. I did appreciate his wit. His sarcasm was well placed and occasionally funny.
I made a point to drink openly around him as if to dare him to confront me. I had to because I knew that he knew I was buzzed sometimes. If I didn’t have a glass of wine in my hand and half a bottle in the refrigerator, he’d know I’d been drinking anyway, so why not be glaring about it? I wanted him to think I was buzzed on my second glass of wine, not on my second glass of my third bottle.
My book, Saturation: A memoir, can be found on Amazon here: https://www.amazon.com/Saturation-Memoir-Jennifer-Place/dp/1461018129
