Another happy hour with the social club has come and passed. I took some advice from the bathroom graffiti tonight and “avenged my dreams”.

SHG showed up. just when I thought she wouldn’t. I got her number, or “A” number I should say. I tried to call it while at the bar. she claims she didn’t get the call. Maybe I didn’t stay on the line long enough for it to connect. It’s possible. I specifically said to her “I hope this isn’t the number to Otto the Junkman that you gave me”. So we’ll see. I’ll try to call her on Sunday. If it ain’t her, or it’ s her and she disses me, then I move on. I’m just glad I “went for it” tonight.

To further complicate matters, Ivy was there, as I knew she would be. The Yenta was there too. There was a t little while there that I was talking to SHG, who was flanked by Ivy AND the Yenta.   Initially, SHG wasn’t gonna let me buy her a drink, then she relented. I think i bought her 2 or 3. Why the change of heart? Was she milking me, or sincerely enjoying my company? We shall see. Time has made me cynical. Experience has jaded me.  But she didn’t dust me.  And she had more than one opportunity to do so.  Hell, I gave her a few myself.

At one point, I was getting a round of drinks and another hottie came up beside me overheard me ordering a Jaeger Bomb, tried to get me to buy her one. (I didn’t know it at the time but Bar Hottie’s crew and our crew would cross paths later in the night) 99.9 times out of 100 I probably would have gotten Bar Hottie a drink too – even if I wasn’t interested in her – just for shits and giggles.  But Friday night, I was on a mission.

That actually spoke volumes to me.  I was starting to ask myself if I really liked SHG, or if I was just interested in her because she was the first woman I really talked to at the first happy hour.  I wondered if she was just a rebound.  As far as I was concerned, there was only one woman in the bar last night.  and the STBX has never seemed so far in my past.

I might have bought Ivy a drink or two – I definitely remember her getting one of her own.  I know I bought one for the The Yenta, but I was blowing her off even as I got it – almost in a “don’t interrupt me, I’m working here” way.

Steeler was another problem.  We rode to the bar with him and his roommate – the plan being that we would take a cab back to his house for the night and go back for Steeler’s car in the morning.  (Here’s where details get a little fuzzy as I was coming down from Samurai-mode and things happened very quickly)  As I understand it, Steeler’s younger brother showed up with his girlfriend and some of her even younger friends. (Mind you, Steeler is about 15-20 years older than his brother).  To make a long story short, Steeler’s brother and girlfriend decided to go home early; leaving Steeler with the girlfriend’s friends (including Bar Hottie) and makes arrangements for The Yenta to drive us home.  While this plan is taking shape, The Yenta is in the bathroom for a good 15 minutes – presumably hurling.  I had had at least 3 people tell me that the Yenta was drunk, which even I had already picked up on.

Phred was pissed. I was only somewhat annoyed.  Of course, I was so gaga over the night’s events that someone could have dropped a kitchen sink on my head and I would not have cared.  That, and things happened so quickly that I almost couldn’t keep up.  So Phred and I rode with The Yenta over to Steeler’s house; got Sis’s car and went home.  For the next hour, both Steeler and the Yenta texted me: Steeler apologizing; the Yenta trying to explain away his actions.

Phred was livid.  She’s done with Steeler.  I may have seen more angry than she was last night – maybe – 5 times in my life.  his biggest problem is that he have his cake and eat it too.  He and Phred are (were) friends.  It seems to be a decision they both agreed to a long time ago.  But whenever there’s a guy that Phred is interested in that he knows, Steeler tries to steer her away from him.  I’d also  assume that he probably says stuff to said guy as well.   It’s one thing to look out for your friend “don’t go out with him.  He’s bad news” but to discourage Phred from dating EVERY guy he knows?  It’s as if he doesn’t want to see her with anybody.

I’m starting to think he does the same thing to me.  Ivy has made it pretty clear that she likes me.  I picked up on it.  Phred told me that Ivy confided this in her.  Now, Steeler claims that Ivy told him at work  (they work together) that she likes me as well.  Recently, Steeler told me that that he thinks the Yenta likes me too.  I don’t buy it in the slightest.  I’ve never gotten that vibe from the Yenta, unless she is the greatest to ever play the game and hides her feelings THAT damn well.  Even so, I don’t trust her, but that’s another story for another entry.  Anyway, he’s been encouraging me to go after Ivy, saying “she’s the type of woman that I’d want to marry.”  Of course, he’s not going after her himself.

And then, as SHG and her friend are getting ready to leave, Steeler starts talking to her for a good 10-15 minutes.  There’s technically nothing going on between SHG and I yet and Steeler did introduce me to her to me as chronicled here.   But it felt weird, especially now, as I reflect on his actions over the last few months.

He hasn’t mentioned talking to SHG – maybe he still will – but I’m already speculating about that.  I know I’ve told him that i was interested in her before – unless he truly doesn’t remember, which I doubt.  I just want to know what they talked about.  did SHG ask about me?  If so, did Steeler try to warn her off of me?  I know we all split up at the bar, but he HAD to have seen that I was talking to her.  I pretty much monopolized her the entire night.