Always in love

“It is her. She is the girl that I will marry. I have been dreaming about her forever and finally she has come. She is beautiful, intelligent, kind, funny ...” 

Peter knew that he would have to wait for about thirty minutes before George would need to breathe in and would provide a tiny niche for someone else to participate in the conversation. 

There came the moment. The question had formed itself his mind about five minutes ago and he couldn’t keep it down anymore. “And will you give her the same ring that you wanted to give to Bianca?”

George looked around as if his closest friends had turned into vicious enemies. They were half-smiling but he decided to ignore it. He had known them for ages and he knew that they liked to make fun of him. They were sitting in the pub where they met every Thursday. Tradition that they maintained since the end of their university studies. They were getting old now, or at least in George’s eyes. Bordering on 40th year, Peter had some grey hair, Tom had shaven his head five years ago and George himself was afraid that soon ladies would notice rather his skull then his image of a rocker.

They could be called regulars. They had their favourite table by the big window pane which proudly announced the bar’s name. The waitress always reserved it for them without any need to call her in advance. The main reason for having chosen this table all those years ago was simply privacy. And with coming years it brought another advantage. Smoking inside bars was banned and so now this table was ideal for observing and commenting on the girls who were smoking outside in short skirts trembling with cold with their lips slowly going blue.

“Peter. This is for real. She is my soulmate. You know that as a teenager she was interested in religious history and was drawn mainly to protestantism? Isn’t it a sign that we are made for each other? She even promised that she would accompany me to the church to learn more about our beliefs. None of the previous girls was like this.”

“But they shared your passion for nature or art or science fiction. Bianca was willing to go on long trips with you and she loved camping. I remember her being your soulmate too.”

George reddened “Don’t you mention her again, she betrayed me. Just when I thought that she was the one, she came with this tale that she needed space and time and I don’t know what. I want a mature woman.” 

Tom who preferred not to speak much on the topic of love tried to comfort him. “So will you bring her the next Thursday?” 

The general rule was ‘no women’. When anyone of them started dating, the women needed to acknowledge and accept that he would be drinking every Thursday and that they couldn’t join. But they made an acception for George, mostly because they themselves were interested in what girl he would bring.

George’s face got illuminated with deep contentment. “Of course, I will. I can’t wait for you to meet her. And she’s dying to get to know you too. She would have come today but she wanted you to invite her first. I’m so excited that you would finally meet her.”

“Finally?” Peter looked at George a bit suspiciously. It was impossible that he would be dating for too long without ever telling them.

“We’ve been dating for only six days. Tomorrow will be out first week anniversary! But I have been in love with her for ages. Haven’t I told you? She’s my sister’s friend. I have known and admired her since I was 17.”

Next Thursday, Tom and Peter met as usual a little bit earlier so that they had some time to talk before George would come and occupy the whole conversation. When they were into their second beer, George was still nowhere to be seen. 

“Maybe it’s the girl taking a long time to get ready.”

“It could be. What was her name again?”

“Laura? Lorrie? I think it started with L. But I don’t know. It’s like the twentieth girl that he wants to marry this year.”

“I know. But we should be supportive. Let’s wait one more beer and call him just in case.”

As the waiter brought new beers, the two friends looked at each other and Tom picked up his phone. If something serious was going on, Peter would only mock George reminding him of all the previous to-be brides. Tom was the one who took it upon himself to mediate problems.

“Hey bro, everything alright? We are waiting for you.”

“I can’t come today.” said George after a long pause. Tom had seen him like that and could imagine the scene back in George’s apartment.

“Come on. We’re just three blocks from your place. Get yourself together and you will tell us here. If needed we’ll get you drunk.”

George appeared with his face made of stone. His features all turned strict and straight, his eyes were sending lightnings in all possible directions. 

“Tell us.”

“She’s a bitch. I really believed she was the one.” muttered George as he sat heavily on his chair and grabbed Tom’s beer and gulped half of it down.

“Have you asked her to marry you?” 

“No, but I think that she knew and she backed off just before.”

“Didn’t you say that you would wait with the proposal until we meet her?”

“Yeah, shut up. When I told her to come, she said that it was too soon to meet my friends and I don’t know what.”

“George,” started Peter carefully, “ what if you tried not to marry the next girl that you meet.”

“I’m tired of all this. I’m tired of dating. I want to meet someone to spend my life with. Someone with whom I could grow old. Someone who would be my better half.”

“But you scare all of them! I’d scare the hell out of me too.”

“Alright, I will do what you tell me.”

Peter ordered a new round of beers. He felt exhausted, sometimes George could get the worst out of him. He couldn’t bare how whiny George was. Once he was so heartbroken that he started to cry, right here in this pub. Peter couldn’t remember any other grown-up man crying. It needed to be admitted though that George was taking things better now than all those years ago, he no longer cried, he just got pissed with the girl.

“Well, how about Barbara?”

“Our waitress?” George’s tone showed that he turned all his anger into condescension against waitresses.

“Yeah, and why not? You are a policeman. You don’t work at stock market either. Look, she knows you, she sees you every week and she knows that you are a good-hearted, albeit overly emotional guy. She will not judge you and she will be able to handle you when you get too annoying.”

George looked at Barbara with new eyes. She was a bit chubby, but no waitress ever escaped that destiny. Working at night and having leftovers from the kitchen for dinner at 3am wouldn’t do good to anyone. Plus, that’s something that could be changed. They could do sports on weekends. Her face was pretty and it kept some innocence despite dealing with drunkards every night. She seemed to have an agreeable character and she was sociable. Moreover, she already knew his friends, so that step could be skipped and he would need to introduce her only to his family. 

Peter noticed how George’s energy changed, how suddenly his skin started to perspire hope. “Don’t you dare to ask her to come to meet your parents this weekend! This time you will take it slow. No rings.”

This time it was George who raised his hand to ask for the next round in an unmistakable gesture. He smiled flirtatiously at Barbara when she brought the beers and when Peter and Tom were about to go, he decided to stay in the bar a little bit longer.