The First Move

The

First

Move

February 14, 2018

Gloria stared at her phone.  Her mind drifted slowly to the previous evening and the man she had met at the party.  He had been quiet and unassuming when he approached her in the crowd.  He was gorgeous and self-assured, as he spoke tenderly in her ear, mixing wit with disarming observations.  She was fascinated by his scent and his mustache.  He name fit him well…Kent.

The noise at the party had been deafening.  But she heard every word he spoke clearly.  They had exchanged numbers with promises to call, but she didn’t want to leave him.  The chemistry crackled between them as they parted at the end of the evening.  As they said goodbye, he held her hand and pushed her hair out of her eye with the other.

For her, it was a gentle gesture never before experienced and she floated out of the party into the balmy night, oblivious to the surrounding sounds of merriment.

Now, she sat staring at his number trying to make up her mind to call him.  Those rules about letting the guy call first kept intruding on her thoughts.  But, she wanted to see him and she didn’t feel like playing the game.  She resented the power automatically bestowed on men by the nature of their sex.  One thought bellowed in her head,  Why should men be the master in the game of pursuit?  Her friend Sofia was against her making the call.  “Only hungry women make the first move.”  “I’m not hungry,” she said to herself.  I just want to continue the moment without losing the rhythm.

As she sat staring at her phone, she examined the possibilities.  He could be a flirt only.  He could be a numbers man, (one who makes a hobby out of collecting phone numbers and creating anxiety) or he could be a man who was sincerely attracted to her and was now sitting at home thinking about her.  The last thought served as strong motivation as she reached for the phone and dialed his number quickly.  He answered on the first ring, and they ended up talking for four hours, and going out the next night.