Adventures with Drinking Buddy

On Saturday, Drinking Buddy knocked on the door and suggested lunch/drinks at a nearby bar where we could watch some college football. I was without plans for the afternoon, so it seemed like a good idea.

We actually chose one of the few bars in Chicago that show English League Soccer on a regular basis, which was what was on the TV, but the selection of beer was first-rate and the food was tasty so we stayed. The girl at the bar to my right had ordered a bloody mary and I remarked to Drinking Buddy that that looked like a good drink for us to order. This served as an introduction and we fell into conversation.

Lydia is 24, dirty blonde hair, has a corporate gig but is sufficiently bohemian for Wicker Park. She has worked as a bartender and enjoys sports and we talked and flirted and drank for the next three hours. Before she left, she told me that she goes to that particular bar every Saturday at the same time.

After she had gone, Drinking Buddy asked me if I had gotten her digits. I told him I hadn't asked for them. He responded,

"That makes me think better of you. It's painful for me to watch you hit on girls who are beneath you."

Huh?

Lydia was cute, funny, and seemed like a pretty smart girl. I don't know that she's the type I'm looking for right now as I still have items on my plate and need to straighten out my dating sitch but she was nice and it was fun to flirt with her. In no way did I ever think that she was beneath me.

The reality is, I like to flirt. It's fun. It doesn't necessarily have to go anywhere, sometimes a cigar is just a cigar, but I'm the type of person who will strike up a conversation with strangers in a bar.

Drinking Buddy has very definite ideas about the type of girl he would date---I applaud him for that. Sometimes I end up going for someone who doesn't seem like my type at all. But there's a concommitant to his chosen stance, and it's this: I don't think he's really comfortable in feminine company.

My theory is that women can tell when a guy doesn't really "like" women. Drinking Buddy is a very proud man and I think he dismisses a lot of women because he doesn't want to expose himself to possible rejection, but I don't see him in the company of women very much.

Or maybe he just felt abandoned at the bar....