Well, I'm back at Emory. Round 2 of chemo. As many of of you know, my hair has been falling out like crazy. It's really depressing and makes a huge mess as you imagine. So first order of business upon checking into the hospital, before even starting chemo, was to shave my head. And (tell the truth, shame the devil) bald actually looks pretty good on me. I have a nicely shaped head, so I think that helps. The picture was taken on Dad's Blackberry, so it doesn't look perfect, and makes my head look disproportionate, but it's a good general idea of the new look I'm currently rocking.
On Saturday, I got to go to Park Bench Tavern in Buckhead for the first time in weeks. Definitely missed the place and the people. It was so nice to see my friends in a non-helping-me-move capacity or with me in a hospital gown. I got dolled up, Liz was in town, and I knew the crush would be there. A bit of background about the crush: it's a low-grade crush, but I've put a couple of months of solid work into it, and there's flirting and friendliness and all the fun things a crush should have. All systems point to a fabulous evening, right?
Meh. I get a wonderfully warm reception from Crush and the other fabulous bartenders of Park Bench. Hugs and "We miss you"s are always an ego boost. I got to see some of the Skeenation family as well, whom I've missed. We had an awesome time, and there may have been some flirting moments, but I'm such a disaster at flirting under the best of circumstances (see title) that I could have completely misinterpreted the whole evening. I may need to go to WTF is Up with My Love Life? for confirmation or denial...
But I've come to realize it's almost impossible to flirt anyway when you have cancer. All of these anecdotes and romantic dramas where girls meet these wonderful guys and start relationships have to be completely fictional. Guys suddenly go completely bonehead when confronted with girls who have cancer.
It doesn't matter that you've been flirting with this girl for a couple of months-- find out she has cancer and she goes on this untouchable pedestal, like it would be wrong to think about her in a dating/relationship/sexual capacity.
For those of you who don't understand, let's put it this way: It's like when we girls put guys in the friend zone. There's no hope for them to ever move beyond it. It's the same thing here.
Le sigh.
Hi Rachel,
ReplyDeleteYou have a real talent for wit and words. Keep that in mind for your future.
Though I am sure your lack of foliage has left you bereft, keep in mind that some men go after bald women. There's Popeye: "I like to go swimmin'/With bald-headed women." Certain women in Africa, if memory of my boyhood visitations to National Geographic serve me correctly, go bald. Finally, I live in Asheville, and we prize all good-looking women, bald or no. Your smile alone in the above photograph is sure to win that crush of yours.
Hang in there, good neice. I love you.
Uncle Jeff