Scratching Her Vinyl

Yeah I told my friend my concerns because the last few auctions have been lackluster, but things can't be bad all the time. I mean, eventually things have to change for the better, so I'm hoping that's what will happen tonight. And isn’t there a whole thing about “third time’s the charm?” I’m hoping after two duds, maybe this one will be something different.

Ready to go, I get in my car and start making my way to the address Kevin had given me for this auction. He’s planning to meet me there.

While I’m stopped at a red light, I find myself thinking a little more about tonight. Actually, maybe that's my problem. Maybe I’ve been thinking about every one of these events too much, and overthinking has spoiled them.

Maybe I’ve been too picky and that's why nothing has worked out? The whole point of these events is just go out and have fun with no attachments. I’m not looking for anything more than a night. Maybe if I have that kind of mindset tonight I will end up meeting someone.

Perhaps Kevin is right, and I do need to cut loose and have a little fun. And I guess it can’t hurt to try. The light turns green and I continue across town to the venue. I arrive at the location and park my car.

I don't think much of it, I was kind of put out that it was being held at some dinky little shopping center. I'm not too worried about it, though. The people that host these events always go all out to make them very enjoyable. Sometimes you forget where you are until you look at what's happening around you.

I check the time and walk quickly around the strip. I look at each shop trying to find the one that Kevin texted me. I spot it quickly because there is a small crowd of people gathered outside, and when I glance out at the parking lot, I realize I must have just parked on the wrong side.

Regardless, this looks promising. If the crowd is this large, then the event must be going well. Despite the crowd, it doesn’t take long for me to make my way inside. I look around for Kevin and spot him standing not too far from the entrance.

He looks up from his phone and sees me. "Hey! You made it!" He says in greeting.

"Yeah, looks like quite the turnout." I reply, gesturing to the crowd around us.

"Yeah, I was surprised by it, too, but hey, looks like a good bunch, right? Come on, let’s get a drink," He suggests.

He leads the way to the bar where we each order a beer. Once we’ve got drinks, we turn around and scan the crowd to get an idea of what type of people are here tonight. After a while I start to get disappointed. I was hoping to see a little more variety in a crowd this large, but no one catches my attention. All the women here are tan, blonde, thin, your typical model types. They’re beautiful, don’t get me wrong, but they’re just not my type. That sort has never really appealed to me.

Kevin orders us another round of drinks. "I'm glad you showed up. It's good for you to get out, man, you work too hard, " he says.

"Yeah, I’m glad I came out," I agree, though internally I'm regretting my decision a little bit.

I gulp my drink and look back out at the crowd of women. I remember my thoughts on the ride over here. The only way I'm going to have any fun is if I stop being picky. I try to picture ending up with one of them tonight, or forcing some kind of attraction to them, but no matter what I do, it's just not working. In truth, I feel kind of numb and bored. Like I don't want to be here anymore.

It’s not like I’ve lost interest in women. But maybe I’ve lost interest in these auctions.

As we’re nearing the bottoms of our drinks, they start calling the participants towards the stage. Looking over them, it’s just as I feared. Not the slightest glimmer of a spark towards a single one. I'm already trying to come up with an excuse to leave, when a flash of color catches my eye.

I turn to see a woman dressed in a vintage-looking, cobalt-colored dress that clings to a curvaceous figure. She stands out so vividly in the sea of stick-thin blondes, with dark curls are pinned to the top of her head. I don't notice the rest of her face yet because my eyes are drawn to the deep red of her full lips.

She looks like a she’s stepped right off the page of some vintage magazine, pinup-girl perfection. I'm normally not a fan of “retro” styles like this, but it looks so good on her that I can't take my eyes off of her.