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A very long engagement

A great story that evolved to a movie, the book which it is based on is of the same title "A very long engament", written by Sebastien Japrisot in 1993. The movie stars Audrey Tautou (Amelie). Set in France during the first World War, Mathilde (Tatou) is a pretty but frail young woman who was left with a bad leg after a childhood bout with polio and is engaged to Marry Manech a lighthouse keepers son who is fighting with the Army in the German frontlines. Manech was one of five soldiers accused of self mutilation in an attempt to be sent home. In order to discourage similar behavior all five soldiers were sentenced to Death, the condemned men were sent to die in no mans land between the Germans and the French line of fire. Manech was believed to have died but Mathilde is unconvinced in her heart and sets out on a Journey to find him. This was a successful epic love story, almost three hours long but never failed to satisfy.


The movie in some ways is reminiscent of a certain someone and our frail efforts to meet. I'll refer to her as "Miss Unicorn". We met several months ago over the internet, Yes over the Internet (during the friendster revolution lol). In the movie Mathilde and Manech met when they were really young boys & girls. Manech was drawn to Mathilde and even though she disliked him Manech pursued her, following her to her house after school but doing nothing but annoy her. Manech talked to her about the lighthouse in which his father works and offered to take her there and carry her up the stairs. When I first asked Miss Unicorn out I expected her to say no (we met on the Internet for crying out loud), but in the beginning I had no intentions of asking her out but after a few months of chatting online I felt comfortable enough to ask, chatting & pictures no longer sufficed. The field has been plowed and I was ready to reap the benefits, in a manner of speaking. Hahaha just kidding.


Mathilde was curious of the lighthouse (and perhaps Manech grew on her) and finally agreed to go with Manech, they had a wonderful time and soon fell in love and spent every day together. Years and years later they were engaged to be married after the war. Miss Unicorn and I attempted to meet in several occasions but failed, due to, well lets say certain circumstances. The first time she actually cancelled due to a family affair, which quite honestly I expected (U can call it man intuition) and a few other times were schedule conflicts. I was beginning to think fate had something to do with it. So I decided not to try and defy fate, and just like Manech who hung around Mathilde, I did the same & kept chatting with Miss Unicorn which was always fun and insightful anyway. We chatted about movies, books, ice cream and life in general. But on one fateful day, on the day I finally conceded to the notion of never meeting (after another busted plan to meet a few days before), Miss Unicorn whimsically inquired if I fancied meeting up for dinner that evening. Naturally I was euphoric but kept my composure and simply retorted that I liked the idea, fearing maybe that fate might intervene. So I played it cool, allowing things to conjugate. Miss Unicorn picked the time & the venue and I was happy as a clam at high water.

I half expected some kind of a mishap on my way to Hollywood. A flat tire, earthquake or the freeway to crumble beneath my car while driving so I wouldn't make it to my date, but my short trip came without a hitch. The place was a typical Hollywood Bar Restaurant, trendy but with a Nostalgic touch. She was fashionably late of course, and I expected that and so I hung back at the bar taking in the place and its atmosphere as I order a Coors Light, one of the few American light beers worthy of acclaim.

She arrives in this grunge punkish look and I dig it. There was a pause of awkwardness when our eyes met that quickly dissipated after exchanging our eager pleasantries. She made a comment on my matching colors and I quickly blushed then failed to return the courtesy, perhaps I was still a bit nervous (arghh). Her face was exactly as I imagined it to be (pictures never really do justice), endearing with very good features. The kind of face that needs no make up, if she wore any it was subtle. After saying our hello's we we're taken to our dining table at the corner of the restaurant, a most private spot, we settle into a comfortable chatty groove after getting seated, and so the evening begins. She was charismatic and beautiful, she exemplified wit & care in every subject she pondered, trully a very cool & interesting girl. I only hope I was half as interesting as she was (shit), but the evening was filled with good conversations, real conversations.

When the evening ended I felt normal again. This was the first time I've been out with a girl in the last two years (since being single) without having felt the pressures of expectation and the innocuous task of trying to impress or make a good impression. Maybe it's women's innate nature to conject men in their future as a boyfriend or even a husband. Correct me if I am mistaken but women scrutinize us men even before the first date, right?. But she was anything but this stereo type, so it was cool. And why was I sooo hell bent on meeting this girl anyway? I mean after all the failed attempts wouldn't meeting her be so, I dunno, anti-climactic? Well its simple, it's easy to like a girl for her looks, her body or her breast for that matter, you know the physical attributes, but liking a girl for who she really is, is quite rare & I couldn't imagine not having the opportunity to meet someone whom I've come to like already even without the benefit of meeting face to face first.

Now the real question is, will there be a second date?? Haha..... I don't know if the first one was even a date. All kidding aside, she is one cool ass chick who I wouldn't mind seeing again. But will I pursue her, in all honesty uhmm, probably not. I am not ready for the prospects of dating and the painstaking process of getting to know someone. (You might be thinking this is really stupid) For once I wont ask for a second date and just try to be friends. Well if not then I'll just see Frank at the strip club (kidding), or go clubbing with the boys which I despise the most and wait for Poker night, more normalcy, right Frank??

Posted by: Marc Gabay
Thursday, July 28, 2005