Where do I begin

To tell the story

Of how great a love can be

The sweet love story

That is older than the sea

That sings the truth about the love she brings to me

Where do I start

I guess the best place to start would be the beginning.

I first met Jessel when she began work as a new waitress at Alley Cats when the bar reopened after the lockdown ended last year. I was surprised they had hired someone new when some of the former waitresses were still not working. I found that a little off-putting and assumed she had some connection to the bar owner. I also didn’t find her attractive, so I pretty much just ignored her.

Before long, like most of the other waitresses, Jessel began playing in the dart tournaments. She was pretty good for a beginner, but what really impressed me was the effort she put into improving her game. I’d see her practicing throwing before the tournament started, and then watching other games in progress to learn from more experienced players. That dedication is pretty rare, especially from the bargirls.

One night I bought her a drink and we sat and chatted. I learned some of her story–a province girl from Samar, a single mother, and working to support her child back home. That’s actually a pretty common tale amongst the bargirls. Maybe it was because she was new, but I noticed her demeanor was different than a typical bargirl. Jessel was quiet and reserved and did not aggressively pursue customers for drinks. Lots of gals sit near and snuggle or give you a back rub in order to entice you to buy them a drink (most of a bar waitress’s pay is earned through drink commissions, not salary). That just wasn’t Jessel’s style. I liked that about her too.

So, that’s pretty much how it went for a while…I’d watch her play darts, occasionally buy her a drink, and chat and joke around some. Then one night I looked at her from across the bar and I was shocked–when did she get so damned beautiful? As I say, I’d never found her particularly attractive–a little heavier than I like with a baby belly and a bigger butt than I usually go for. So what happened? It occurred to me that as I got to know her I began to see the beauty she carried inside and that changed my entire perception of how she looked on the outside. I actually started thinking she was sexy as hell, even appreciating those ass-ets. *ahem*

And then things started getting weird. Not so much with her, but in my head. I would sometimes dream of her. And in my waking hours, I’d fantasize about her. Not the usual sex fantasies you’d expect from an old pervert like me. Instead, I’d picture us as a couple. Waking up to a kiss, sharing coffee and some laughs, taking a walk together, and then going out and playing darts. Yeah, a significant other to share my life with would be nice, I found myself thinking. Could it be I was falling in love?

But being in love is a pretty scary thought. I’ve been burned so many times that I’m afraid of the fire that comes with love’s passion. So, I tried to ignore my feelings at first, but the more I was around here, the harder it became to do so. I started dropping some hints about my feelings, but she never seemed to take me seriously.

We were Facebook friends and I would send her messages occasionally. She’d usually ignore them. And when she deleted comments I’d leave on her posts, I got frustrated and unfriended her. It dawned on me that whatever I was feeling for her wasn’t mutual.

That’s really not unusual I suppose. That’s why true love is so rare. Two people need to be in the same place emotionally at the same time. That just wasn’t happening with Jessel. I wouldn’t say she started giving me a cold shoulder, but I did sense her pulling back. I couldn’t and didn’t fault her–you can’t help what you feel or don’t feel. So, I had to decide what I was going to do with my unrequited love or whatever in the hell it was that I was feeling. The best (only?) option I could think of was to take a break from Alley Cats.

I stopped playing darts and visiting the bar for two months. That’s how long it took me to “get over” Jessel. When I finally came back I discovered that Jessel had quit the bar and taken a job at the Central Park Reef hotel. Good for her, I said. And best for me too, I thought to myself. And that is where things stood until a week ago Friday.

I came in that night for my usual dose of darts at the tourney. I was very surprised to see Jessel sitting at the bar. I didn’t say anything, just proceeded to my usual table and took my seat. I ignored her for the first hour I was there, being relieved that the darts gods didn’t see fit to pair us up for the tournament. As things played out, I didn’t even play against her. Maybe it was the beers or maybe it was just me being the nice guy that I am, I eventually went over to where Jessel was sitting and said hello. She gave me a big hug. And it felt so nice. A little small talk and I returned to my seat. A bit later I had a beer sent over for her.

She sent me a message on Messenger: Miss U.

I responded: You have no idea how much I’ve missed you.

To which she replied: I love you.

And that’s the story of how I fell in love with Jessel. There is a bit more to tell, including a rundown of our first date yesterday afternoon. I’ll post about that tomorrow.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kUrxm4z9I-c