Saturday, February 28, 2009

Kissing Lessons

I'm really good at kissing. It seems simple enough; but there's a finesse to it, an art that a lot of guys just don't understand. Let your lips just brush your partner's at first; pull back slightly, whisper something sweet, laugh a little, lightly touch her face, her hair. Start off almost hesitantly - savor it. It's delicious. The anticipation of the kiss is the best part.

So what you don't do, I'm saying, is lean over and stick your tongue right down a girl's throat. Why?? do guys do this??? There's no clearer signal you can give that sex will be perfunctory and mechanical, and that the most lasting impression your partner will bring away is that your ceiling could probably stand to be painted.

I don't mean to complain, though. Last night's was my first kiss in nearly a year. It wasn't a particularly good kiss, but at least somebody wanted to kiss me. Plus it was on a boat under a starry sky on Lake Austin, which is kind of a plus. It's a start.

Lucky me, I have so many friends. You can identify them by their soggy shoulders. I've been so unhappy... Yesterday I officially made the decision to get better, although actually this past week was already a lot better than the weeks before it. Last night, Tony took me to a happy hour reunion of school buddies at Hula Hut, where we met the cute guy with the boat. It was a wonderful night for me, but I'm not sure Tony had quite such a good time: the cute guy's friend was fairly drunk and possessed of a full complement of not-entirely-intelligent opinions, upon which he expounded at great length while his friend was cuddled with me in the driver's seat, showing me how to steer. I wouldn't have gone on the boat with them without Tony. I owe him one - or more.

Robbie came down and took me bowling tonight. I probably bowled the best game I ever have, with a score of - sit down, now - over 100!!! 116, to be precise. I'll have to look into it, but I suspect that might be the highest score possible in bowling. Of course, I had to sacrifice a thumbnail. And the rental shoes didn't smell at all the way I would have liked them to.

We went to Zilker Botanical Gardens, practically overflowing with brides and photographers on this lovely sunny day, then an early dinner at Freddie's before bowling. (I like Freddie's a lot, but I don't recommend the chicken-fried steak - I finally had to spit out a wad into my napkin when it wouldn't go down after chewing on it for three minutes.)

Robbie is a better bowler than I am. Granted that being a worse one would be no small feat. One of his pins fell down and forward, into the gutter along the lane; it lay there for several frames. Finally Robbie rolled a gutter ball that hit the pin and actually kicked it up into the standing pins for the most amazing spare I've ever seen. I had to sit down for a little while. I thought about him - a serious bowler. I thought about how much he would laugh at that. I teared up.

We went to Dominican Joe, Robbie bought me a mocha, and we took our coffee to the park by Palmer and watched the water fountains spraying in their ballet of changing colors, as skaters, bicyclists, and lovers gamboled nearby under a huge earthshine-lit moon. What could be more beautiful? I'm still grieving for kisses that were never possible to begin with; why? With all the friends and love and blessings and beauty that surround me?

It does and will get better. Didn't I just say that anticipation was the best part?

Labels: , , , , ,

4 Comments:

At February 28, 2009 11:59 PM, Blogger 123bookman said...

Never get into someone's boat with someone who is drunk. You could
die. Over 50% of boating deaths in
Texas are caused by people who
are drunk. It's not cool, cute or wise.

 
At March 01, 2009 10:18 AM, Blogger Kevin said...

I don't doubt your statistics, but I doubt many of those accidents are caused by drunk passengers. She didn't say the driver was drunk.

 
At March 01, 2009 1:51 PM, Blogger Beth said...

Thanks Kevin, no, he wasn't, and to tell the truth the only reason I said the other guy was drunk was because he was rather obnoxious and opinionated, not because he was showing any other signs of impairment. Who knows, maybe he's always like that...

I have to say, I was a bit taken aback. Rereading this by the light of day, I think it's chock-full of much more disturbing issues. Yoy!

 
At March 01, 2009 3:04 PM, Blogger 123bookman said...

Sorry, it was late and I thought you said the boat driver was drunk. The drunk passengers generally drown by falling out of the boat or off their water skis. I've lived across from Hula Hut on the water for a long time and have seen the lifeless bodies when they are pulled out of the lake. While I like to think of your lips as being moist and warm, theirs are just moist. Certainly not ones you would want to cuddle with. You have nice alive looking eyes.

 

Post a Comment

<< Home