Sinister Man

I think I shall post a personal story, not for the glorification of it all, but for some feedback.

This recant is about men, a popular topic.

I met this man a few months ago, oh sometime last year. It was at a public gathering of sorts. I had little anticipation for this event, for like the many of its kind, I knew it would be the same old boring people, boring topics and the same grand show of egos on display as it had always been.

I had arrived into ostentatious Italianate styled hall where the event was being held. The parking was horrendous. Can you imagine having a wedding hall type of place and your available parking areas are steep driveways next to the it? Try walking down the pavement in high heels without slipping out from under them. It was this pre-entrance experience that put me in the festive mood I needed to enter the function.

Never had I seen more marble floors, door greeters and red runner rugged floors as I did in such a rural setting. The place does stick out like a sore thumb, but then again, it is the mother of all fancy halls for quite a few miles.

I take my seat. Large displays of Italian appetizers filled the table rounds, set with elaborate arrangements and water displays positioned to enhance the lure of salami, mozzarella, olives and all things Italian. Waiters, with pre-pubesant like facial hair, donning white gloves a bit too large for their hands, sported silver platters filled with more southern Italian concoctions. It was truly mesmerizing.

Not having been mesmerized enough to get up and fill a plate endlessly with the room temperature snacks, I sat at my table with those I knew, looking around at the displays deteriorating slowly from the lush lavishness of food to more like the post lunch rush at the self help cafeteria. I was bored.

A few friends of the people I was with sat down: two men and a stunning blond-well a L'Oreal No. 9 blond, but a blond nonetheless. They were quiet, reserved, polite and friendly. I did not pay much attention, but made small talk with the most boisterous of the group, who I will call Fred. Belina, not the real name of the blond, was very nice.

Fred, who I may post more about all on his own, I later found out was married, was making it known somehow that Belina was with him. Belina was oblivious to it all and if I do a post about Fred, you will find out why.

The third person was the man on which this post was created. He was tall, irregularly handsome with steep black eyes. Kind and yet sinister was my first impression. He was very quiet. So much so, I don't remember being introduced to him when he arrived at the table and I had not noticed him much at all, being engrossed in Fred's vibrant and flamboyant personality. Fred was and still is quite entertaining.

So as the night progressed, the sinister quiet man made his way to sit next to me at the table. I don't recall much conversation with him. What I do remember is this-my family was at this event and by that time my mother showed up at the table and proceeded to engage in lively conversation with Fred, whom she met previously at another event. Sinister quiet man also met my mother when she met Fred. Belina I think was a new addition.

So they all are talking, laughing and making jokes. Our table was probably the loudest table at the entire event. My mother is a talker and she can talk to a wall for hours on end. She does not miss any opportunity to address anyone within her hearing range. So naturally, she took up a conversation with sinister quiet man and the both of them where laughing quite heartily with each other.

Sinister quiet man then chooses to use a lull in the conversations that were flying around our table to announce quite emphatically and definitively the following to my mother: "Your daughter is quite beautiful".

Egads! How embarrassing! I could feel the blood rush to my face, flooding it with a hot red glow. I was at a loss for words and began to laugh and laugh. I had not, to my recollection, more than a few sentences with sinister quiet man. I felt affronted and taken completely by surprise, a feeling which does not make me more endearing.

Belina was smiling along with Fred. Fred was encouraging sinister quiet man to the brink of my sanity or at least to my ability to continue to sit at the table. Fred is by nature a show off and was commenting on sinister quiet man's comment which was tolling in my head, over and over and over, taking control of any ability I should have had at the moment to re-compose myself and move the conversation away from sinister quiet man's control.

By this time, Fred was "demanding" that sinister quiet man take me on the dance floor to dance. This was not helping matters at all. Fred continued to spout words of obvious wisdom that sinister quiet man was interested in me.

My mother at this point, not being one to be left out of any conversation, quickly and thankfully, turned all attention to herself and her topic of interest of the moment and diverted Fred into a contentiously friendly discussion about something else.

Sinister quiet man turned to me and held out his hand for mine and asked me to dance with him. I politely begged off and suggested he dance with Belina. Sinister quiet man looked puzzled but I was grateful for his gentility when, not to offend Belina, he asked her and I assured her it was quite alright with me.

Sinsiter quiet man, took the lovely and stunning Belina, onto the dance floor into his arms, and danced with her. He was looking over her petite shoulder, gazing at me. I started to think, as I was seeing him gracefully hold and lead Belina, why, he is not so sinister looking after all.