Gradually, and Then Suddenly

Dearest Rachel –

One more story for you from the convention this past weekend, although with the understanding that, like the one about Daniel at the restaurant table, the convention merely serves as a backdrop to the real action (and the thought processes that passed through my mind throughout it all). Ironically, it all began just as I finished making by observations about our social dynamic at brunch. So, in a way, this just goes to show that there are times when I just go from topic to topic, with no end of things in my life to write you about.

As you know, I’ve been making a point of texting a greeting every morning to “Lee” as part of our gradual ‘getting-to-know-you’ phase that has run some two or three months now. She lives something of a distance away, and our schedules haven’t really corresponded terribly well. Additionally, she doesn’t like driving (or maybe it’s a matter of dealing with rush-hour traffic), and in turn wouldn’t wish that on me, so any offers on my part to come to her neighborhood have, thus far, been rebuffed. Which has been fine with me, especially over the past month or so; the last couple of weekends have had me out of town, and those before that saw me working the booth. There just hasn’t been the opportunity to try to get down to where she lives and actually meet up for a date.

However, much as I take the time to get in touch with you every day (usually as soon as possible in the morning, so I make sure to have it taken care of), I also try to text her a little something; preferably before she heads off to work in the mornings if at all possible. I’d warned her that it might not be possible while visiting the island, due to the spotty cell service available out there, but I actually managed. So she knows where I’ve been, and when I sent my usual greeting yesterday morning, she asked if I was still there (I think I may have mentioned something about a hotel in a previous tweet), which I informed her I was back in town, but not at home, explaining about the convention that the three of us were at.

The fact that she asked for further details didn’t entirely surprise me, as it’s one of those ‘oh, this is an interesting thing you’re doing; care to fill me in?’ kind of conversation topics one can have with a prospective love interest. It’s a way to get to know them, and the things they’re into. I tried to paint it in broad strokes and not go into too much detail, though, as it’s not a topic that a lot of adults get into. If she accepts it, fine, but I’m not about to try to proselytize her; I barely consider myself a fan these days, for that matter.

But when she wished me a pleasant time as our usual interchange was drawing to a close, I decided to turn around and ask her what her day looked like; what was she planning on doing for the day? It was more out of politeness than some kind of request that she join me or anything, and I’d like to think she recognized that. However, she proceeded to ask me if it was still going on, or if things were winding down. I answered honestly that there was a program that had yet to begin for the day, and which wouldn’t wrap up until four or five (although at that point, I was hoping to head out by two or three, depending on the boys and their plans).

And after several months of little more than gentle affirmations on my part to her, suddenly she was thinking of heading over to the convention and meeting me here. Granted, she mentioned something about it being something she thought her own son would be interested in, but still… she was coming to meet me, after all this time!

It wasn’t exactly the terms I would have wanted for a first date, but sometimes, this sort of thing is out of one’s control. She was on her way, whether I’d planned for it or not.

At least I had a means on making myself stand out; rather than sitting at a quiet restaurant table with a long-stemmed rose in my hand (or something like that), I was walking around the exhibit hall with my black denim jacket, and carrying Daddy-cat on my back. It’s not exactly cosplay, as such, but there’s no denying that it’s a distinctive look.

Eventually, after doing several slow circuits of the dealers’ room, hoping that I would somehow stand out, I got a text from her telling me that this wasn’t working – we were merely missing each other in passing, apparently – and I should just make for the entrance to the exhibit hall. Sure enough, I could see a small lady waving at me as I approached, and I greeted her beside the sculpture of the convention’s logo that stood just inside the archway. It was a slightly awkward moment, as I didn’t know whether to shake her hand or hug her; I’d attempted the former as she went for the latter.

From there we made our way around for a bit. It was more a matter of following her son at a distance than actually taking the convention in ourselves. Unlike Daniel, who grew up with parents who were fans to begin with and was thus steeped in the culture to an extent, her son was the anime fan of the family, and it was clear to me that “Lee” was here more for his sake than hers (apart from the chance to meet me, I guess). It was also clear that he was a little further along on the spectrum than Daniel, as he would approach certain cosplayers for a photo, but had difficulty conveying to them the poses he wanted them to make. At least, the requests weren’t anything unreasonable; in one case, he had a pair of girls dressed out of the Hellsing anime holding him on his knees at gunpoint. He staged it fairly well, and even though it wasn’t a tableau I recognized, it’s been a while since we watched that show, so I might have missed or forgotten something since.

Also unlike Daniel, “Lee” doesn’t seem to feel her son can necessarily be left to operate in such a crowd (which, admittedly, can get pretty overwhelming) on his own recognizance. She would let him wander off about ten yards off – just far enough so that we could still see the hat he was wearing – but no farther. Meanwhile, we hadn’t gone all that far into the main hall when Daniel came up to me, having finished with the last panel he intended to attend (driving home the fact that he can function perfectly well in such an environment. Of course, after so many years of this, he’s rather used to it, even if it does only happen once or twice a year). I performed introductions between everybody, and, after a little more wandering around as a little group, I think “Lee” realized that we were on our last legs after a full weekend of the convention (or maybe didn’t want to burden Daniel especially with following after her son), and suggested that she keep tabs on him while he continued to explore the place, and we could go our own way; we could meet again another time.

So, yeah; it was a sudden meet-up, and only for a surprisingly short amount of time. Shall I give my impression of the situation? Honestly, I think that probably ought to wait for another time, as it’s getting late for today, and despite the limited time together, I did get a few impressions out of the situation that might be topics of their own. I’m not sure whether you’d think they were good or bad, but let me sort them out first. Until then, though, I’d appreciate it if you were to keep an eye on me, honey, and wish me luck. I’m pretty sure I’m going to need it.