Dear Friend, I wanna tell you about my stood up date gone awry.

I already knew it wasn’t going to work out. We had rescheduled the first time because of me and the second because of her. Finally I confirm earlier in the day to see if they were still coming and I don’t get a response. I decided what the heck, why not. I’ll go out still. I’ll show up anyways in case they still decide to come.

I leave my apartment at about seven thirty and go. Leaving my complex I’m met by a unlit cop car at the edge of the park and then another, this time with golden lights on top. I walk a little further and there’s even more, ten by my count. Some with lights on some not, zero sirens though. I then see a cluster of cops. At least eight or so crowding on the sidewalk. I skirt into the grass to pass by them and I see they’re all armed with rifles. I don’t live in an amazing neighborhood with at least three separate police encounters in the less than month that I’ve lived here. I hurriedly walk past them and across the street.

Then I see him, as I’m getting ready to cross the bridge into town. The Mandalorian. A student in full cosplay ready for a night on the town. I call out to them and make small talk. Turns out there a little younger than myself and are just out to go walk around downtown. I offer to buy them a drink at the bar I was intending to meet up at for my date and we head in that general direction. We talk about there surprisingly lacking Star Wars knowledge and how there really just attention seeking. I show them the cop raid to be and we arrive at the bar of my choice. The worlds best starting bar due to it’s proximity to three parking garages and two concert venues. We get there, and he gets stopped by people wanting to take a picture with him. I go in, buy him an OJ because he doesn’t drink and then when he goes to give the bartender his ID, tragedy strikes. His ID is expired, by two whole years. The Mandalorian leaves after I get his number and then I’m left with an OJ and my drink.

After looking to see what time it is was a nearby medical marijuana petitioner catches my anime background on my phone. We get to talking about anime and the like. He says he’s just moved locally from Houston and has only been here for 2 weeks and he’s covering the bar scene for signatures. I offer a couple bars as good examples for him to hit up and one registers in his mind. “I haven’t been there,” he says. I offer to take him and we depart. As we depart we pass by people setting up for a comedy show. It’s about eight thirty when we leave and the comedy show starts at nine thirty. We depart for what I consider the best nightclub in town. The guy says he has to move his car and I point out a nearby parking garage. He goes to move his car and it jolts backwards but doesn’t move. I walk to the front of the car and see that it says “NO PARKING, POLICE ONLY”. He is convinced that he got booted. I check the car and don’t see one. I ask him to check his parking break and sure enough it was that. I guide him from outside the car to the nearby parking garage but we came at it from the wrong angle and can’t park there. So I (against my better judgement) get in the car and in doing so snap a clipboard but successfully guide him to a different parking garage.

We arrive at the club and he can’t sign, not a big deal but we sit at the bar for awhile and I finally introduce myself. My bar etiquette is abysmal. I even took a shot before waiting for him. We talk for a while before I leave content to call it a night. I head back out for the night. It’s later at this point about nine thirty when I cross back by the same starting bar. I remember that the comedy show is starting soon and I head inside content to do this and call it a night. I go down the stairs and it’s packed. I head off to a little corner with a couple of people and as I’m sitting I see two buddies I went to highschool with. At the very front. So I go sit with them, like an idiot. I’m at the very very front and I know I’m gonna get crowd worked. The local comedians are very funny and I enjoyed them a lot. BUT. This one local comic self-nicknamed the GIMP decides to call me out for stuff. He’s surprisingly accurate. This gives the final comic of the night the needle he needs and he proclaims “AND IM GONNA SICK THIS GUY’S DICK,” towards the end of his set. Overall it’s a good show and I get to reconnecting with some old buddies.

We proceed to back out for the evening. An additional two hours. One is a bouncer, the other a COSTCO food court employee. I show them around to some of my new found favorite spots. We eventually end up back at the starting bar, oh how legendary. We play some pool, cut-throat. Cut-throat is three player pool and involves someone picking their desired number set and last ball remaining wins. I win this one. Then an Eastern European guy offers to join us so we can do double and I have him join me and we get our shit handed to us.

The night draws to an end and I head home for the night.

In the end, I was alright.