Miss D

I went out to dinner last night with the Boy and one of his girl friends, Drea. I was a little nervous to meet her, as I always am when I meet one of his friends for the first time. All I had been told about her is that she was Italian and somewhat upfront. This didn’t help my situation any, as I am very shy when I first meet someone and I didn’t want to give off the wrong impression.

The three of us met at Old Chicago for dinner. The Boy and I walked in the door and Drea had just arrived. The usual introductions were made, and so far, so good. I could tell I was going to like her company. We found a table in the bar area and ordered a much needed drink and deep dish pizza. After inhaling half of my Honeyweiss and a few slices of pizza, my nerves were finally starting to calm down and I could truly begin to appreciate my new acquaintance and the evening.

I began to loosen up and make more eye contact with Drea. Being shy straight off the bat is not a good thing to have to deal with. The longer you let it hold you back, the harder it is going to be to jump into the conversation and get to know someone. I began to speak more and throw in my two cents, and after a while, I was able to be myself.

Drea is one of the most fascinating people I have met in a long time. She is from Chicago and is here in Minnesota finishing Veterinary School at the U; however, she didn’t go to school here all four years. Prior to transferring to Minnesota, she spent 3 years in Grenada (in the Caribbean) – I never got around to asking her why she decided to come to the frozen tundra. She is now basically done with school and has found a job back in Chicago, so the Boy and I are going to help her move back to the Windy City in January. But I digress…

We got to talking about her experiences in vet school and how excited she is to move back to Chicago. We talked all about the neighborhoods the Boy and I were thinking of moving to when we move out there and which neighborhoods to avoid living in. All the talk about Chicago made me want to move there even more. The Boy kept using the phrase “when we move out there” with such confidence that it made the notion of us actually making this move together more real and that it’s actually going to happen. He wants to make the move with me and that made me feel so good.

We consumed more Schnapps and Honeyweiss, we laughed, we talked more, and I felt like I had known Drea for longer than the 2 or 3 hours that we had been sitting in Old Chicago. It was a comfortable setting.

The evening came to a close and we parted ways. Plans for New Years Eve were made, and we three are going to make filets and baked clams on Saturday night. It was great to meet someone who is so warm and full of life. I’m just sad that I didn’t get to meet her until three weeks before she moves to Chicago!