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How nervous was I?  I woke in a panic on Wednesday morning but I wasn’t meeting with her until Thursday night.  When I had blood drawn in September, I didn’t start panicking until about 5 minutes before the draw, and needles are my least favorite thing ever invented.  Now I’m panicking 36 hours ahead of time.  Worse than getting blood drawn?  I didn’t think it was possible.

The entire day I wondered why I was so worried.  The date, time, and location were set.  Nothing left to do but meet up with her, have a little conversation with our drinks, and be on our way.  Maybe we would agree that it wasn’t as awkward as we feared and we should try it again sometime.  Or maybe we’ll just be better off from the experience and everything else will seem so much better by comparison.  Either way, it wasn’t life or death.  Finally, by Wednesday afternoon, I had calmed myself down and was able to laugh about it.

Thursday morning was much better.  No panic.  Nothing to worry about.  The work day went fine I suppose.  I got out at a reasonable time.  I got ready and left the house ahead of schedule.  The drive to the bar was pleasant at first, with the radio playing some happy songs to lift my spirits. 

As I got within a couple miles of the bar, that ol’ Wednesday morning panic set back in.  The closest parking spot was two blocks away.  Not a problem.  The temperature was mild and there was no wind, so the walk didn’t bother me.  I just wasn’t looking forward to a packed bar.  When I walked in, every bar stool, booth, and high top were taken.  I walked around the bar to make sure she wasn’t there yet.  Even though we hadn’t met, I was fairly certain I would be able to pick her out of the crowd.  One woman was looking at me like she knew me but it wasn’t her so I moved on.  In hindsight I feel rude.  Maybe I graduated with her or she had dated a friend or something, but I wasn’t really in the mood for small talk.  A little ironic, isn’t it?  I’m here to meet a stranger but I’m not feeling like friendly chatter.

I eventually found a small table in the back.  The very back.  There are only two tables in this section and I am fortunate enough to find one vacant.  Yay.  It is right next to the emergency exit and the bathrooms.  Hopefully there isn’t a ton of traffic here.  It’s an Irish bar, and the Irish are known for having strong bladders, correct?  I don’t know.  So far there aren’t too many people going back and forth.