I'm going to tell most of the story contained in issue number four of Richy Vegas Comics. I titled the story, "Anita, You're the Reason I'm Not In Prison." At the beginning of the book, I go into how I felt a sense of acceptance in 1999 while I worked a dishwashing job at a restaurant in central Austin. I talked about my psychiatric issues, and how this period of my life saw me stabilized and on medication. I talked about how young women took an interest in me for the first time in a long time. I talked about how I confessed an obsession with a young woman who worked there on and off during that time. I confessed this predicament to Julie's roommate, Cesca.
Well, I made a mistake in doing that. I tried to work it out with Julie, but she and Cesca turned adversarial before too long. In the last week of the restaurant's existence I smelled a rat. One day I went in to the restaurant to get a cup of coffee- I didn't work that night- and Cesca pointedly asks me, "Richard, what are you doing here?" I explained that I was in the neighborhood, and how I thought I'd just stop by and get some coffee. I drank my coffee for a little while and Cesca asks again, "Richard, what are you doing here?" I explain again what I was doing there, drank my coffee and left.
A couple of days before that exchange, Julie came off as really cold when I talked to her a little on the phone in regards to a painting I had loaned those girls for their house. I added this stuff up while I worked a shift at the restaurant later that week. At the end of the night, I drank my beer with Cesca and Carl, Cesca's boyfriend. Three Dog NIght's "One" played over the sound system. The lyrics go, "One is the loneliest number/ one is the loneliest number/ one is the loneliest number that you'll ever do." I exclaimed, "What is this shit music?" and Cesca rocked her head back and forth and laughed. As I sat outside and waited for a cab after that, Carl sneered, "See ya'," as they drove off.
The second to last night of the restaurant's run came the following Friday night. A mixture of thoughts filled my head. As I smoked by the dumpster out back, I fantasized about telling Julie's daddy what I lucky guy I was to have her. A little later, I sarcastically told Cesca, "I want to thank you for everything you've done for me," while I got a rack of dirty glasses from the bar.
That Friday night was very busy. At one point I went to get a glass rack on the deck, and a woman stood in front of me. I recognized Anita. I had gone to hight school and UT art school with her. She beckoned me over to her table and gave me her phone number.
I went back to work, and by the time the Summer evening turned to night, Julie sat at the bar. I was about to greet Julie, when Anita walked up. Anita said, "It was good to see you Richard. You have my phone number right? You'll call me right?" I said, "I will," with great relish. Anita and I made a little more small talk and then she walked off. I turned to Julie and said, "Hi Julie," as nice as I could. Julie grimaced as she drank her red wine and gasped out a, "Hello."
Right after that, a guy who had been sitting three chairs down from Julie went over to talk to her. I'd seen those two exchange a greeting the week before at the restaurant. I went about my work duties. I didn't occur to me to ask Julie out or anything, and I thought how great it was that Anita came along when she did. A little while later I saw that Julie and that guy sat together at a table in front of the bar. I went about my business, but not long after, they left together with Julie saying 'bye to Cesca and others.
I figured that, with the assistance of Anita, I had managed to walk in and out of a setup that Julie and her new boyfriend had cooked up. I figured that Vernon Hoe and the League had sent Anita out, because they had my phone tapped and they found out how much distress i felt over the whole situation when I called a friend about it in the weeks leading up to this second to last night at at the restaurant.
I won't go into the rest of the story. The Eleventh Commandment? Oh, I tried to win Julie over when I attempted to work things out with her. Julie had hinted months earlier in a rather cruel way that she had no interest in dating me, and I disregarded this hint and tried to win her over, and that explained her and Cesca's distasteful behavior towards me. I don't know that the punishment exactly fit the crime, but Julie might have been scared of me. I don't know.
So the Eleventh Commandment goes something like, "Thou shalt not try to win anyone over romantically," or some such. I've never been won over myself- from a state of not having an attraction to someone to having an attraction to someone due to their efforts to win me over- so I don't know why I'd expect women to be won over by me because of how nice I am or whatever.
Well, I made a mistake in doing that. I tried to work it out with Julie, but she and Cesca turned adversarial before too long. In the last week of the restaurant's existence I smelled a rat. One day I went in to the restaurant to get a cup of coffee- I didn't work that night- and Cesca pointedly asks me, "Richard, what are you doing here?" I explained that I was in the neighborhood, and how I thought I'd just stop by and get some coffee. I drank my coffee for a little while and Cesca asks again, "Richard, what are you doing here?" I explain again what I was doing there, drank my coffee and left.
A couple of days before that exchange, Julie came off as really cold when I talked to her a little on the phone in regards to a painting I had loaned those girls for their house. I added this stuff up while I worked a shift at the restaurant later that week. At the end of the night, I drank my beer with Cesca and Carl, Cesca's boyfriend. Three Dog NIght's "One" played over the sound system. The lyrics go, "One is the loneliest number/ one is the loneliest number/ one is the loneliest number that you'll ever do." I exclaimed, "What is this shit music?" and Cesca rocked her head back and forth and laughed. As I sat outside and waited for a cab after that, Carl sneered, "See ya'," as they drove off.
The second to last night of the restaurant's run came the following Friday night. A mixture of thoughts filled my head. As I smoked by the dumpster out back, I fantasized about telling Julie's daddy what I lucky guy I was to have her. A little later, I sarcastically told Cesca, "I want to thank you for everything you've done for me," while I got a rack of dirty glasses from the bar.
That Friday night was very busy. At one point I went to get a glass rack on the deck, and a woman stood in front of me. I recognized Anita. I had gone to hight school and UT art school with her. She beckoned me over to her table and gave me her phone number.
I went back to work, and by the time the Summer evening turned to night, Julie sat at the bar. I was about to greet Julie, when Anita walked up. Anita said, "It was good to see you Richard. You have my phone number right? You'll call me right?" I said, "I will," with great relish. Anita and I made a little more small talk and then she walked off. I turned to Julie and said, "Hi Julie," as nice as I could. Julie grimaced as she drank her red wine and gasped out a, "Hello."
Right after that, a guy who had been sitting three chairs down from Julie went over to talk to her. I'd seen those two exchange a greeting the week before at the restaurant. I went about my work duties. I didn't occur to me to ask Julie out or anything, and I thought how great it was that Anita came along when she did. A little while later I saw that Julie and that guy sat together at a table in front of the bar. I went about my business, but not long after, they left together with Julie saying 'bye to Cesca and others.
I figured that, with the assistance of Anita, I had managed to walk in and out of a setup that Julie and her new boyfriend had cooked up. I figured that Vernon Hoe and the League had sent Anita out, because they had my phone tapped and they found out how much distress i felt over the whole situation when I called a friend about it in the weeks leading up to this second to last night at at the restaurant.
I won't go into the rest of the story. The Eleventh Commandment? Oh, I tried to win Julie over when I attempted to work things out with her. Julie had hinted months earlier in a rather cruel way that she had no interest in dating me, and I disregarded this hint and tried to win her over, and that explained her and Cesca's distasteful behavior towards me. I don't know that the punishment exactly fit the crime, but Julie might have been scared of me. I don't know.
So the Eleventh Commandment goes something like, "Thou shalt not try to win anyone over romantically," or some such. I've never been won over myself- from a state of not having an attraction to someone to having an attraction to someone due to their efforts to win me over- so I don't know why I'd expect women to be won over by me because of how nice I am or whatever.
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