Three Strikes..

and you're out, kid!

Happy Friday to you! My sister is in town so I’m signing off for the weekend, but before I do, I can’t leave you hanging from part one of this new series. I’ve actually never shared my real life publicly like this, so if you’ve followed me for a long time on any platform, just know this is pretty shocking to me as well. Fortune favors the bold, they say. Anyway, before I go and inevitably get baby sis to take more pictures of me like the one above, yeaaaa mama, let’s do it.

Where did we leave off, girls? Right, yes. The kiss. He asks if we can get water from the kitchen, and as I am parched, I happily oblige. The lights are off, and they never get turned on. Us, on the other hand..

He places his glass on the counter and in one swoop, he picks me up and places me next to it. My head is spinning. I actually cannot believe my good fortune in this moment as he begins to unbutton my pants. What the hell is about to happen, and how do I quickly wipe this grin off my face? Oh my gawddddd, I cannot WAIT to tell my girls about this.

Then, right as he bends down, I notice, like the batman signal itself, the street light reflecting through my kitchen window, shining right onto the tiniest of bald spots. Someone may as well have turned all the lights on, because the moment was officially over. Now, before you think I’m vain, I want to back it up. I’m certainly not opposed to a trip to Turkey, but there’s much more context to explore.

In that exact moment, every red flag from this man came to me front and center. All of a sudden I was reminded of how we matched on this app, and when I wasn’t available the evening we matched, he UNMATCHED me. We had already exchanged cell numbers, and that was his excuse when I asked. I’m sorry, that’s beyond weird. Whatever, everyone has their quirks. Maybe I’m cynical, but maybe, actually, my intuition knew what I wasn’t ready to admit. This guy…. ain’t it. I remember he texted me again hours later with his birth chart information, courtesy of his mother, and there was a part of me that felt like this guy surely knew how to manipulate.

We go on this first date. A little wine bar in my neighborhood. It goes well enough to get to the second date, the one from my last Substack essay. I talk to my sister about him and she asks for his political views. Fair question, and typical from an Aquarius. I tell her I’ll bring this up at our next date which was in a few days. The day comes, and I gently ask his views on the walk to the restaurant. He stops, in the middle of the street, and with a smirk says, “You couldn’t even wait till we sat down to ask this..”. Something about it rubbed me all wrong, but I knew it was strike two. I get a text from the hostess I love, at the spot I frequent, “Your table is ready!!!”. I put it out of my mind as we walk through the door.

The dinner is good, great even, but in the moment post-kitchen my mind begins to reel. We were laughing a lot, but upon further inspection, it was me making him laugh. He didn’t make me laugh once. I could have chemistry with a brick wall if I needed. Guys have asked me before if I've ever gone on a bad date, and the answer has always been no, because I AM THERE. I’ve learned over the years that I’m my own favorite company. A close second being my very best friend. Then, my other girlfriends in my little coven. A guy always ends up coming up short in comparison to them.

So alas, let’s circle back to that little circle on this man’s head. That really was the final straw. I feel like the universe was testing me. Hello, GIRL??? Are you home? We’ve given you two signs now, and if you can find a way to somehow justify those, we have to shock you… and that.. they did.

The next morning, I’m sat at my couch with a cappuccino and blueberry scone. My mind, once again, began to wonder. How often are we as women quick to undermine our own intuition when it comes to these men? You already know deep down if someone is for you. Look, this is coming from someone who’s had her fair share of serious relationships. Time is our greatest teacher, and we are nothing without our lessons, those that turn into stories we will eventually pass down. Case in point.

I suppose my question is, for you, dear reader, when was the last time you shut down your own inner voice in order to justify actions or ramblings of a man you were into? Were you actually into him, or did he simply show eagerness towards you? I’m willing to wager, from one modern day woman to another, it has, in fact, happened before. The next question- how do you learn to trust yourself enough to know it faster next time? Time will tell, and with more stories from me to come… no doubt..

Anyway, we end things very shortly after. I even removed as friends on IG to cushion the blow. Yet, I still see him in my story views… weeks later.. less than five minutes after posting.. funny really.

All this to say, I wasn’t too pressed as I knew from the jump, and there was this incredibly cute Harvard grad I was curious about as well.

C’est la vie, as they say! Chat soon x

Brittany