"....In Which Lennon Watches the End of The World In Good Company..."

So, December 21st was the big day when the world ends according to the Mayans and the gullible morons who believed them. For me, it was Friday. It was also Date Night.

I'd already made plans for a date, so if the world ended, I was going to spend it in the company of a beautiful transplant from Atlanta. We met a few months back on my commute to work. She admired my shirt and I admired her gorgeous locs. We talked for a while about psychology and our mutual love for writing, exchanged numbers and kept in touch. Our first date, we had a few drinks at my usual place, went for a walk through the park and talked for hours about everything and nothing all at once. While she's sort of radical in her own way, she's also very old fashioned. Her mother back home kept calling throughout the night and when I told her it was okay to answer it, she picked up and told Mom "I'm actually on a date with a nice gentlemen." This is something I'm not used to hearing women saying about any man....certainly not me (not in a while anyway).

When the chance arose to see her again, I was happy to take it. After all, the world was about to...**stifled laughter**...end. I might not get another chance. As it turned out, she lives three streets down from my house so I walked over and came to her door. Most of my dates usually prefer to meet me wherever we're going, so I'll confess a small thrill at doing things old school. The plan was to take the train downtown and happened across a homestyle-like diner. Once it stirred some memories of her hometown, she insisted we go in for a bite to eat. It wasn't exactly on the itinerary, but I'd never been inside myself, so I figured it wouldn't hurt. We laughed and joked, comparing and contrasting the writer communities in Atlanta and Houston. She told me about how the fallout of a bad breakup had brought her to my fair city. I found myself able to relate better than she knew. Heartbreak and pain can push you in the strangest of directions while you're waiting for the dust to settle until you look up and remember that the dust settling is life taking place.

After lunch, we headed to the movie theater, showing her the beautiful (in my opinion) parts of downtown. The movie theater had a full bar, so we did more laughing before going to see the latest James Bond movie, Skyfall, without confessing to one another until later that we'd both seen it already and just wanted to see it again. Then, there was the kiss....passionate...intense...slightly alcohol inspired. I'm not sure who initiated it, but I know who did absolutely nothing to stop it: both of us. She manuvered her body ever so slightly as if she wanted my hands to travel and explore. I resisted the urge, not so caught in the feeling that I would risk biting off more than I could chew in a public place and yet.....

It was the sort of kiss where you wouldn't even notice if the whole world fell apart in that moment. When I came to my senses, I noticed an older couple trying not to pay attention to us, but the wife seemed oddly compelled to glance over for split seconds at a time as if we were more interesting than the movie. Perhaps, she'd seen it already and didn't want to tell her man. Afterwards, we walked a few blocks from the theater where I showed her the way City Hall lights up after dark. We kissed deeply again despite passers-by. The bus ride home was teeming with smiling, joking and cuddling. We could hear her roommate's unruly guests from across the street as I walked her to her door. Although, I could tell she didn't the night to be over, she didn't stop smiling.

Me: I could come in for a few minutes if you like.

Her: I would like...but you shouldn't. We...

Me: I understand.

Her: I liked this.

Me: I'll tell you....it was nice to spend the end of the world with you.

Her: ......

Me: What?

Her: Do you practice these things you say?

Me: No.

Her: I have no defense for that.

Me: Then, I'll leave while I'm on a roll.

Her: Good night. **kiss**

I have to say.....I understand that I can be a slightly complicated man when it comes to sex and dating, but every so often, it's nice to have a night outside of the worry of trying to end a date with a bang (pun totally intended). If the comet or Cthulu or whatever had come that night, I'm not sure I would have minded.