I used to work at a hospital. I worked in dietary. I was one of the dishwashers. The women from local roller derby team came for physical therapy. I used to run into the women in the hallway.
They were good fun. This was back in the day. They were older women I was still in college. They liked to tease me when I’d walk by while I was doing my work.
Innocence wasn’t the way those women rolled. I’d grown up going to roller derby with the family. We’d go to theCowPalace. By this time the old stars were gone. These were the new stars. I had a lot of respect for their talents.
Takes courage to go out on a date with a woman as big and as strong as you are. I’d imagined it might get dicey if you said yes to a date and found yourself in some kind of corner where you might feel you have to say no. I know a lot of my friends thought I’d died and gone to heaven.
As folklore has it men don’t have any reason to ever say no. No, is a term men usually hear not a word they say.
I was in gymnastics at the time. I trained with both men and women. I asked one of my workout partners out on a date. She told me she couldn’t date a man she trained with. “You don’t want to go out with someone you’ve seen sweating,” she said, “it’s gross!”
I didn’t think I could tell these roller derby skaters that I couldn’t date them because of having seen them sweating
I agreed to a rendezvous with this one beauty from the team. She was broad shouldered, wide hipped, and had a thin waist. She was maybe an inch shorter than me. Not right to ask how much somebody weighs, but likely our weight was close to the same. Her manner was simple. There was a charm and grace to her. I don’t know how much we had in common.
I lost sleep and couldn’t eat. I had butterflies in my stomach. This date was ruining my life. I drove down toHayward. We were supposed to meet at this tavern. I couldn’t get over that she’d asked me out. Couldn’t believe it, my hands sweat, I was worried, scared out of my mind. I needed this thing to be over.
I didn’t see it coming. Best thing ever to happen to me. Got stood up… Finally, I went got a good meal and went home and went straight to bed.
Next time I saw her at the hospital she told me we’d have to try that again. I smiled, pretended. Some of the best affairs in my life turned out to be the ones that I never had.
