A Small Token of My Affection

Tuesday, March 16, 2010
I unfortunately wasn’t able to make date #2 with the gentleman work before my vacation (I tried, dear readers, I really tried) but I did get a very sweet text message around the time he thought I was flying out. In the last email we exchanged after deciding we’d have to wait until I got back to see each other he told me to bring him back a key chain.

I’m sure he was kidding, but I’m thinking about buying him one. I mean, I wouldn’t necessarily have to give it to him if I didn’t want to. And having it might come in adorably handy .

Then again, what if I bought the keychain and never had the occasion to give it to The Gentleman? I’d have this stupid keychain to remind me I’d allowed my sappy side to think it was cute to buy a gift for a man I barely knew. It wouldn’t be the first time.

Years ago, when I was in the midst of on-and-off dating someone (the man who inspired the first haiku, as it happens) I happened upon some personalized panties in a boutique. They were thongs, with men’s names labeled on them. The kind of labels you’d see on a mechanic’s or trucker’s shirt. The kind of labels this man would have on his clothing. I couldn’t help it, I bought those panties, with his name and a little rhinestone, for $28.00 + tax.

Those panties are still wrapped in the tissue paper with the boutique sticker affixed, in the back of my lingerie drawer. I haven’t seen that man since before I bought them. Our together status was influenced mostly be whether or not he was in town; he almost always wasn’t due to his work. By the time he got back, I had learned the travel made him pretty selfish when it came to being a part of his family and friend’s lives. I was in better touch with him than some of his life long friends. It changed how I felt about him, I just gave up on trying to make it work.

Part of me keeps hoping I’ll date a man with the same name and can make use of them. They’re really great, sexy in a not cheesy way, they should not go to waste! And they were expensive! More expensive than the regular panties I wear. Most of me knows eventually I’ll have to throw them away, though, a foolish purchase by a foolish girl.

Still, I like the idea that I wanted to buy those panties for that man. Maybe I should start looking for a keychain for The Gentleman. At least it wouldn't be personalized.

11 comments:

TQ said...

Is the keychain purchase question tied to the age-old question of who pays for how much on a first date? I would love to know how you, and the other commenters (of both sexes) view flowers on a first date: Creepy, Classy, Considerate or Confusing?

(Another well written post, writes this first time commenter)

jo said...

and a keychain wouldn't cost $28.00 + tax. have a good vacation.

Nicole said...

I am laughing out loud over you calling the men's thong underwear things "panties!" I suppose that's what they are. The guy might not have liked you calling them that, though :) I would like to see these panties. I can't picture how they could exist in a non-cheesy way!

Hi TQ and welcome... I guess we follow more than one of the same blogs!

Dater at Large said...

Oh Nicole! Now I am laughing out loud. They panties are women's, not men's! I would never call men's underwear panties.

TQ: Welcome! For me, flowers on a first date are cheesy. But later, they're considerate. And classy.

Plentymorefishoutofwater said...

This is a really funny post. Love your honesty. Follow your heart, buy the key chain.
*Plentymorefishoutofwater - One Man's Dating Diary*

Nicole said...

Now, I am (what's the internet speak?) LMAO! So, the plan was for you to wear sexy panties with said-Dude's name on them? I like that much better than my initial thought of what was going on here. I thought I'd totally missed out on some trend of it being cool for guys to wear skimpy skivvys! Didn't want to admit that I wasn't enlightened...

Glad my denseness provided all us readers some amusement today!

Lifebeginsat30ty said...

Buy the key chain! Can't be more than $5, right? Less than a drink! Would be worth it to see his reaction if you did go on the date ;)

Jenny DB said...

No comment on the keychain, but I'm just hoping the panties have a common name on them , like john or joe.. or maybe joel and you can pick off the L or dane and you can pick off the E for dan, because it would be a shame if you never get to use them!!
I can just imagine, i can only date guys named preferrably Dane but I'll take Dan or Da. (my grandpa was called Da) ha

Dater at Large said...

Jenny: Sadly it's a short name that is decently common but can't really be edited into any other name.

It would make my screening process easier, if I only dated men with that name.

ian said...

Or you could always give a bf the "pet name" of whatever's on the panties.

Nicole said...

Ha to Ian! That might work if the guy's name was "Pumpkin!" But how would you feel if you met a girl and she said, "Ian, hmmm, do you mind if I start calling you George?"