THE CURSE OF THE FOURTH DATE

Coco St. George

In hindsight, showing up in a wedding gown to our fourth date might have been a mistake, as Tracey warned me. A big mistake. Yes, it was a faux pas, but totally justified. Who could blame me? After all, it was our fourth date. And if you know what happens on the third date, then you will understand what my train of thought was.

Besides, he was the one who told me to meet in front of the church. Did I say church? No, it was a Cathedral with a capital C. The Cathedral of Amalfi, Italy, no less. If you have been to the Piazza del Domo in Amalfi, you should know why I say so: a massive medieval building, built in the 9th and 10th centuries, and rebuilt and remodeled several times throughout its history, to include now Arab-Norman, Gothic, Renaissance, and Byzantine elements. An architectonical jewel if you know what that means. And if you haven’t been there, you should visit the virtual reconstruction in SL and see for yourself.

But before I go further, let me tell you where I met him. I met him at a club; one of my favorite places in SL. That night they were having one of those “Best in” contests; I think the theme was red, so “best in red”. Who doesn’t have something red in their inventory? Red hair, red dress, red shoes, and you’re set and poised to win a juicy prize in Lindens. You vote for your friends, your friends vote for you, and everybody splits the loot.

“I voted for you, you know?” he IM’d me after the winners were revealed, with my name at the top of the list thanks to the alphabetical order.

I must admit, as pick-up lines go, that wasn’t the worst I’ve heard. And he was easy on the eye, if not outright cute. He didn’t have the widespread macho-looking avatar, you know? The one with the overly broad shoulders, arms that barely touch the waistline, hips so meager that makes you wonder how they can support the huge torso, and a rather small head with an angry look. A look you would expect to find more in the club bouncer than in the guy asking you out. Anyway, a quick scan to his profile, where he avoided the usual tropes you see everywhere (the eternity feelings for his friends and a death threat to those who dare to cross them), convinced me, and I decided to give him a chance. Next thing I knew, I accepted his friendship request, and we were dancing together. That amounted to our first date, I supposed, since the couple dances at that place didn’t leave much to the imagination.

For our second date, he invited me to the most romantic place I had seen. We took a boat ride where we could cuddle, chat, and get to know each other. If you ask me, we could chat all the same standing on the sidewalk of a dilapidated neighborhood. But, hey, we are visual beings, and our surroundings play a big part on how we understand the world around us. Besides, who was the guy who said that Second Life was nothing more than a glorified, graphic-environment, 3D chat? If that’s true, then we should pay close attention to what we see. And what I was seeing was great. This guy was really interested in what I had to say, made me feel safe and comfortable, and even before we left the boat, I knew something was going to happen between us...

And then came the third date. I am sure I don’t need to make a detailed account of that third time we met. Let’s just say we had fun ensconced in his home, safe from prying eyes. At least that was what his security system made us believe. Little did we know that the camming abilities of his ex could bypass the tightest security barriers and, mainly because she was still in the allowed list, she had no problem TPing right in the middle of the bed. Luckily for us, by the time she appeared, we had finished our business, if you know what I mean (and if you don’t, you shouldn’t be reading this).

I considered it wiser to leave them alone to solve their unfinished business, and control-q’d myself. I left with the certainty that better days were yet to come.

A few days after that, he IM’d me just as I logged in. I thought that was a good sign. He tried to explain the mishap with his ex, but I wasn’t really interested in hearing reasons or causes. So, he has an ex. Who doesn’t? I would be more concerned if he hadn’t had at least one relation before me.

“So, we’re good?”, he asked.

“Sure. What do you want to do?”

He told me he was on his way out, but that he would be back in a couple of hours.

“Do you know Saint Andrew’s Cathedral? It’s beautiful! We can meet there later, OK?”

Of course, it was OK for me. As soon as he went offline, I headed to Marketplace, searching for wedding dresses.

“Don’t you think you’re jumping the gun?”, asked Tracey when I told her the news.

“Why? Isn’t it obvious? We had a good time, and now he wants to formalize it. Why else would he tell me to meet at the church?”

Well, long story short, he chose that place because in front of the church there is a quaint little coffee shop, which he liked a lot and where he wanted to hang out with me. And he thought that, because of its size, the church would be a better landmark.

Yes, we hang out at the quaint little coffee shop, after I made a quick outfit change. But the mood was somehow spoiled and after a mere five minutes he remembered some work he had to do in RL. He blew a perfunctory kiss before he left.

I didn’t hear from him again, and days later I found he had disappeared from my contacts list. Really? No explanation, no official goodbye, no “It’s not you, it’s me” kind of thing? Well, I say “good riddance”! If a guy can’t take a hint (or takes it that badly), I don’t want to have anything to do with him.