Wednesday, March 11, 2009

Kindness

So, yesterday I head to my usual neighborhood bar for happy hour. I meet the usual miscreants (god, I love this word) and suspects. One gin (bourbon in the winter, gin in the summer) later, I am engaged in a conversation with a girl who is sitting two stools down from me. Let’s call her Ms. R. She is pretty but chubby. She says that she has been through Katrina but is here to take care of her ailing dad. She claims to be local but cannot corroborate any local stories or landmarks. She is working hard to engage me, but I am being aloof without being rude. My antenna is up; does she have issues beyond the usual? In short, I would really rather not be engaged in a conversation with her.

Just then, a hot blonde sits down next to R. Think about an older version of Grace Kelly in Rear Window. Smart, elegant, sporty, well coifed, and nice body. My natural rhythms of conversation and flirting take over. I am now talking and engaged with the blond with Ms. R sitting between us. R asks if I would like to change seats. I decline saying that I am fine right where I am. I am about to ask the blond for her card (everyone at this bar has cards). Then, I remember David Mamet.

David Mamet is an American author, essayist, playwright, screenwriter and film director. Several years ago, they gave David the Marcel Proust”questionnaire” (think Bravo’s Inside the Actors Studio). To the question, what is the quality you most admire in a women? He responded: The quality I most admire in a woman is kindness. And that they should look good in blue jeans. I have been thinking a lot about this answer lately. I have tended to date attractive women but they have all not been kind. This is not to suggest that they were mean. Because I believe kindness is a positive action oriented trait. I can’t help but look at attractive women, but I have started to focus on the “natural” kindness of a person. I am trying to decipher that quality in a person sooner rather than later. There were several questions and answers that led me to decide that this blond was not naturally kind. I decided I would not ask for her card.

I paid the check. The regular bartender touched me up. As I was saying my goodbyes, the blond reached into her purse and gave me her card and asked me to email her with my contact information.

2 comments:

Leif Hagen said...

Any luck with "Grace Kelly?"

I saw your comment on the "Daily photo of Bangalore" blog.

Cheerio

Radman said...

LH,

The whole point of the story is that I was not interested in GK...