SEARCHING FOR HEATHER. A true story
at this point, i have to believe that i will not hear from the person,
but the story is true and the song i wrote about it is solid.
so, i am already a winner… here is the amazing true story!
searchin for heather… a true story
i am afraid i must out myself here. i internet date sometimes.
there, i said it.
this particular date and i had spoken on and off for a while. we were finally going to meet. the plan was to meet in Davis Square at 7:00PM to grab a low pressure bite to eat. i called her on the phone around 6:00PM to confirm. we had a fun conversation discussing a variety of topics ranging from my growing love for poker to her being a vegan. dinner would be a toss up between thai and american fare. she said she would be running late and asked if it was all right to meet at 7:30PM instead. we agreed on this, then got ready.
i walked into the center of Davis Square at 7:30PM, our agreed upon meeting time and place.
there was a huge rally going on in the middle of the square. the square was very crowded from that group. then, amidst a sea of people, she emerged. it was pretty awesome. she walked right up to me, said hello, and greeted me with a huge, warm, welcoming hug. i haven’t felt a hug like that in forever. she had a great smile, and it was clear we were both so very happy to finally meet each other.
i asked her what the rally was for. she said it was some sort of coalition to stop domestic violence. i joked how that was a shame since i was a such a huge fan of domestic violence. (yes i know, great date line, but it got a laugh)
she then asked if i was hungry (which i was due to the half hour delay). i asked her where she wanted to go. we had been undecided on the phone. she mentioned a great new Tibetan place which I had been meaning to try. I asked her if she had tried the other one in Teele Square. Turns out that was a favorite of both of us. Thai was the other option. I made some hamburger joke (Vegans, you know?) That got no response, surprisingly. So, I just moved on as we walked together towards our Tibetan restaurant.
She asked me how my day was. I talked about work and poker. I said she must love the menu at Tibetan places due to all the Vegan options. At this assertion, she returned a slightly suspicious, puzzled look. She said, “I think you have me confused with some other girl you talk to...”
We continue to walk, but I am confused. I ask her, “don’t you eat vegetarian?” She says again, “You are thinking of someone else...”
Now, I am truly becoming concerned that I have lost my mind, or that this girl is a psycho. I stop her for a minute. We are standing looking at each other. I say, “Ok, now I have to ask you this, because I might be losing my mind...”
me: “we were just talking on the phone before getting together, right?
her: “yes”
me: “and we were talking about where to have dinner, mentioned that Thai place, right?”
her: “yes”
me: “and you were telling me how you were a Vegan and have been for years...”
her: “oh no… ummm.... my name is Heather”
me: “i’m Russell… oh no, we met the wrong people… we are on the WRONG DATE???”
Neither one of us can believe what is happening. I ask her if she was supposed to meet a bald guy. She said she was. I said to her that I remember seeing another bald guy waiting in the square, but i am MUCH cuter. As we were nearing the square, now running late to meet our original dates, i felt like i wanted to know this person more, that this happened for some reason. I left her my info and asked her to email me. I said, “you just have to. nothing like this has ever happened to either of us, and nothing like this ever will again”
I came home after my originally scheduled date and was left wondering what the hell that was all about. I told the story to my female roommate. Even she lost sleep. She sat there in a haze saying, “you HAVE to find this person.” Around 1:00AM I wrote a new song, “Searching for Heather.” I finally got some sleep, but woke up wondering why? How? What? and all those other words that come to us when trying to explain the unexplainable.
