I should’ve asked her out when I had the chance. I met her at an Ice-Cream-Parlor. She had that wild blond hair. Platinum blonde, like Loretta Young. She was working the joint. I listened to the background. Ballad of a Thin Man by Bob Dylan was on. I love Dylan and I love that song.
“Did you put this on?” I asked her.
“Yeah, I’ve been listening to Dylan all day.” She said.
You might say I was in love. A hot babe and she likes Dylan. There’s nothing more to ask for as far as I’m concerned. We continued to talk, but it was far enough back that I can’t remember anything either of us said. I remember thinking she was cool. Carefree type, really tugging at my heartstrings. I didn’t really know what to say. I remember I made sure not to ask her out. I’ve been asked out a few times while working on the clock, it’s always a hard thing to navigate.
I wasn’t alone though. I was with someone, a different woman. But she was just a friend. Another tricky thing to navigate. I ended up not asking X out, but I didn’t even ask for her number.
After we left the girl I was with kept saying “she’s really into you. You should’ve asked her out.” I explained my reasoning, but she didn’t find any of it compelling. I’ve learned to always trust a woman’s instincts.
What a loser. What a fool. I decided, while talking to another friend of mine later that night, to go back. Next week, same day, same time. Maybe she’d be there.
We went. It was closed for some reason. Just my luck. Time passed and I dropped the whole issue.
The next time I found myself in that part of town I dropped by again. Of course she wasn’t there, it was some other lady, red-haired and nowhere near as good music taste.
“Does X still work here?” I asked.
“No, she just stopped showing up one day,” she said.
Turns out she quit coming to work around the same time I came back. Maybe even that same day…
A sad and desperate story I’ll be the first to admit. But there is a moral to this story. I wouldn’t ramble without reason. The point is there is only one time. And that time is NOW. To quote an old Zen phrase: There are three things in life you never get back. An arrow once sped from the bow. A word spoken in haste. And a missed opportunity.
If you’re going to do it. Do it NOW. You may not get another chance.