January 27, 2014

January 27, 2014

 I met her at  Book Soup where I used to work, and she was in the poetry section looking up Decadent poets.  Of course, by now, all of them dead. Nevertheless I wanted to speak to her, but it is always an awkward period of time in trying to talk to a total stranger.  I knew a bit of poetry and actually wrote a book of poems "The Plum In Mr. Blum's Pudding."   Sadly the book is out-of-print, and Book Soup didn't have any in stock.  A perfect tool for a meeting, no?

She was holding the Zone edition of "The Decadent Reader and comparing it with another anthology "The Libertine Reader."  Both excellent by the way.   After she was studying both editions, I told her to go for the Decadent anthology.  She looked at me, and I just kept on talking.

"I was exactly at the same place, and I had to make a choice between the two books.  I chose 'Decadent Reader" and haven't regret that choice to this day."

It was the ice-breaker that I was looking for, and she commented that she was going to follow my recommendation.   I found the book that I was looking for, and ironically enough by the same publisher of the Decadent book, "Masochism," which is by Gilles Deleuze and it includes the short novel by Leopold von Sacher-Masoch called "Venus In Furs."

As we left the store together, I introduce myself, and that was that.  Later that evening I got a message through Facebook from Fanny, asking me if I remember her, even though it was just hours before our meeting.  "Of course."  I located her page on Facebook and requested that she become a friend.  By the next morning she accepted my request, and we have been chatting on a regular everyday level.

Fanny was always seductive, and quite playful with respect to her conversations with me online.  We never actually talked about meeting each other physically, till she brought up the subject.  She told me to go to Mohawk Bend on Sunset Blvd that evening.  The odd thing is that Fanny mentioned that she was on a date that night, but wanted me to sit as close as possible to their table.  Me being me, said "sure."

She gave me a specific time to show up, which was something crazy like 8:15 PM.  I followed her directions, and found her sitting in a small table in the back with her date.  There was an empty table in front of that table, and where I was sitting I was facing her, but behind her date's back. She told me through Facebook that I wasn't to approach her or talk to her at all.  Just basically have my dinner or drink, but stay close to the table as much as possible.  As luck had it, because it was busy that night, I found the perfect table at the perfect amount of distance from their table.

I never did anything like this before, and I had to admit to myself that I was turned on by the whole thing.  Once in a while she would acknowledge my presence with a glance here or there, but obviously her date didn't know what was happening.  She then brought out from her purse a copy of "The Decadent Reader" and showed it to her date.  At this point both of them were holding hands.  By their physical presence I had to presume that they have had intimate moments together.  I can see that I was being drawn in by her to sort of join this intimacy between them.   It made me feel uncomfortable as well as intrigued by how this evening was turning out.

After their meal, she got up with her purse to what I presume was the bathroom.   After five minutes or so, her gentleman friend also got up and sort of wandered towards the same direction.  What I noticed about ten minutes later was the waitress showing up at their now abandoned table and being visually upset.  It seemed that both left the restaurant without paying their bill.  I felt bad about the waitress, who to be honest was quite beautiful, and I offered to pay their bill.   After going back and forth on this, they accepted my money and that was that.

When I got home later that evening, I received a message from her just saying "thank you for the dinner."