Truth is stranger than fiction

So

It's the morning after the night before 

You guys

I actually went!

I can't quite believe it!

On my gosh

Yesterday was tough

My anxiety was through the freakin' roof

I walked the dogs in the morning

Went in to town in the afternoon

Saw Mary at 2pm

Told her about my date

She was super excited for me

Which was nice

She told me it was completely natural to be nervous 

But I was anxious to the point where I was hoping he wouldn't call

I was actually praying that he didn't like me

And because I was going out 

I didn't want to take my meds

And risk being all sleepy and dopey

So I was on high alert all day

I got home from town at about 4 30pm

I was so keyed up that I couldn't eat a thing

Then I realised that I couldn't remember if we said I was going to text him

Or if he was going to text me

So I agonised over that for a couple of hours

My sister was away

So I only had my Mum here for support

But she was great 

And helped me every step of the way

I decided to wait for him to text

And he did

At about 6 30pm

Hey you want to go to cinema at 8 15pm or 11pm?

Part of me was glad he texted 

Part of me wasn't

I texted back

8 15pm I guess, if that suits you?

A few minutes later he rang 

And we arranged to meet outside the cinema 

I said I would give him a ring when I got there

All too soon it was time to get ready

To save on time and stress 

I had already picked out what I was going to wear

Blue sleeveless shirt

Blue ripped jeans 

My Roxy sneakers 

And black leather jacket

Casual

But smart

I straightened my hair

And wore minimal make up

Before I knew it

It was time to go

But I had one dilemma

I was meeting him there

And I wasn't 100% sure what he looked like

So I had to come up with a strategy

I decided to arrive early

As I was to ring him when I arrived

My plan was to wait just inside the door

And be on my phone when he came in

So he would have to come up to me and say my name 

I could imagine myself wandering up to single men saying

Are you The Plumber?

Are you The Plumber?

The hardest part was actually getting from my front door to the car

I really didn't want to go

But all I could think was that it would all be over in a few hours 

And I would kick myself if I didn't go

So I said goodbye to my Mum

My dogs were sound asleep

Completely oblivious that their Mama was going on a date 

For a moment I wished I could swap places with one of them 

But

I got my shit together

Grabbed my car keys

And headed out in to the big bad world of dating

Once I got in my car 

I was surprisingly calm

I was thinking about the most bizarre things

My head really was in a strange place

I arrived about 8 10pm

Positioned myself just inside the cinema door 

Took out my phone

And pretended that I was sending some very important texts

I rang him

Told him where I was

And waited

You know the way when you speak to someone on the phone first

You kind of build up a picture of them in your head?

Well I had an image of what he looked like

I knew he was tall

But apart from that I had no clue what he looked like

I looked up from my phone

And saw a white van with blacked out windows 

I suspected that was him

So I went back to my phone

I could sense him approaching 

I braced myself 

Hello Ruby?

Yea hey?

We headed in to the cinema

Got our tickets 

He paid which was nice

He got a drink

I just couldn't stomach anything 

We headed in

We were the only people there 

In the whole cinema

We took our seats 

And I took of my jacket as I was starting to sweat

Surprisingly 

Conversation flowed

We chatted easily

Laughed at the fact that we had the whole cinema to ourselves

And bonus

He was really cute

Talk

Broad 

Nice smile

Kind eye

Things were looking up...

The film started

As I said in previous posts

I was not thrilled about going to see Amy

But I had kind of prepared myself to be disconnected

So I wouldn't get upset

The documentary was great though

So much amazing footage

But it was so very sad

At times I had to remind myself that this was really her life

And not fiction

I just find the whole thing incredibly upsetting

I followed her career

Watched her rise to fame 

And her spectacular downfall

To be honest

I was glad when it was over

We both stretched 

And got up from our seats 

We headed outside

I was kind of afraid he would suggest going for a drink

But he didn't

Do you want to come back to mine for tea or are you heading home?

I decided what the hell?

I could go for an innocent cup of tea

So I followed him in my car back to his house

He lives on his own 

And has a really lovely house

Typical blokes house

Sparse and bare

With a huge f**k off tv

And various computer consoles 

He turned on the tv

Made tea 

And settled on the couch

Again 

Conversation came pretty easily 

I felt relaxed 

Even when he turned off the main light and switched on a low lamp

I managed to stay cool

We were watching a show about a hypnotist

Which was good as it was funny

As soon as it was over

You guys!!!

He totally jumped my bones!

I swear I didn't even see it coming!

One minute we were just sitting there

The next he had pounced on me!

I felt like I'd been hit by Mike Tyson

Holy shit I really wasn't expecting that

I went along with it

Up to a certain point

When i started to feel uncomfortable I kind off pushed him off

And put a stop to his wandering hands

I mean he was going from zero to 60 very freakin' quickly

Go easy I said

Calm down a bit

He got the message and backed off 

I was honest

I said I hadn't done this in a long time 

So he really needed to pace himself 

He got the message

And I was glad 

I just can't even go there in my mind 

And I was a bit annoyed that he had put me in that position

I mean maybe this is what happens 

Maybe I am being naive thinking that good old fashioned manners are still practised

I really don't know

I decided to head home

And said so

He leaned in again

I gave a little 

A very little

And pushed him off again

By now he had definitely got the message

I put on my jacket

And managed to nearly fall flat on my face as my foot caught in the strap of my bag

Ha!

Typical me

Graceful to the bitter end 

Needless to say

Things were a bit awkward after that 

I tyres to compose myself 

And stood up to leave

I walked over to the double doors to leave the living room

But the door wouldn't open 

I was pulling it and pushing it but it wouldn't budge

Eh it's the other door 

Don't worry I haven't locked  you in

I  thought that was funny

And laughed

Oh I almost forgot

In between everything he told me that he was single

Get this

Only the last couple of weeks!

I was really surprised to hear this

As it's been more than that since he asked my neighbour about me

Red flags flying up all over the shop 

I made my way to the front door 

He leaned in again

Said he would text tomorrow

And I left

Oh my goodness 

I was glad to get back to the safety of my little car

I started the engine and made for home

Trying to process everything that had happened

I had to smile as I though back on the night

I'm not sure if I like him or not

I mean

He's definitely good looking

But I worried that he thought of me as a one night stand

As that was really the last thing I was looking for

I arrived home

My Mum had waited up 

I told her all about it

Omitting the fact that I had been pounced on

She told me that she had been half expecting me to arrive home early

Or not go through with it at all

It would have been easy to cancel 

But I don't get dates that often

And I really wanted to get out there in the big bad world

Really live

Really push my boundaries

And I sure as hell did that

My sister texted me

And I filled her in

She thought it was hilarious

And I guess it was kind of funny

Men are strange creatures for sure

I was all wound up when I got home 

And tried to relax with a cup of tea

But my mind just kept playing the nights events over in my head again and again

I went to bed 

Read for a while

And eventually drifted off to sleep 

So now it's morning

And I find myself hoping that he will text

Just to know that someone likes me would be enough

I mean he must have been attracted to me or he wouldn't have jumped me right?

Unless he was just looking for one thing

And I truly hope he wasn't

That is just not my style

And he's going to have to suck that up

I have no idea where this will lead 

I mean I'd like to see him again

I think 

But again

I'm expecting nothing

And not getting my hopes up

Gosh this past few days have been stressful

At least now I can relax today

Take my meds 

And have a day off

During the film I did wonder what he would make of me having the same issues as Amy

He strikes me as being really good, decent and clean

But I'm also glad I didn't tell him any of my past

That would have been way too heavy

But still

It's a worry 

I am just glad that I actually went on the date 

And that I made it out alive

It will be interesting to see if he texts or rings

Iive in hope.....

Also 

Thank you do very much for your support through all of this 

You guys have been a tower of strength

And I know I couldn't have done it without you

You are all shining stars 

Love you all to bits and pieces 

Amy, Amy, Amy.....

So 

When I last left you 

I was just home from Belfast 

I took yesterday off

And only left the house to walk the dogs

And do a bit of food shopping 

I had last heard from The Plumber on Sunday

And he said he would contact me when I was home

For some reason 

I had a feeling that he wouldn't though

And I didn't get my hopes up

I live by the rule never to expect anything from anyone

Because then I am never disappointed

But lo and behold

Last night he texted

Did you get a chance to see what's on in the cinema?

Ok

Deep breathes

Try and behave like a normal human being 

Hey yea I did, is there anything you'd like to see?

Then instead of texting back

He rang!

I turned the sound off the tv

Try to stay calm

And answered the phone

Hello?

Hello Ruby?

Hey how are you?

Good, you?

Yea good 

Was wondering if there is anything you'd like to see in the cinema?

What about Jurassic World?

I was thinking of seeing Amy, would you be interested?

Oh yea I would like to see that, do you know what time it's on at?

I'll check and get back to you

Ok talk soon

Bye

Amy is the documentary about Amy Winehouse

To be honest 

I was deliberately avoiding seeing this movie

As I though it would be too upsetting

I'm a huge Amy fan

And love her music

But I found watching her demise so very hard

And the fact that she had similar problems to me just makes it all the more difficult

But I will go

I was actually surprised that he wanted to see this movie 

If he likes Amy Winehouse

Then we have something in common straight away

And the other good thing is that he rings when he says he will

I like that

He's reliable 

So the plan is to go to the cinema tonight

And people I am a bag of nerves

But it's also very exciting 

I feel like a teenager again!

How I wish you all could come to my house and help me get ready

We would have such fun

And it would definitely help my nerves

 But again

I'm going to have no expectations 

I'll just go with an open mind 

And an open heart

And see how it goes  

At least we will have something to talk about 

What with going to see Amy

But the other thing is

That I'm not 100% sure what he looks like

I mean 

I have seen him

From a distance 

But I don't know if I could pick him out in a line up

So that will be interesting

Again

I don't want to get my hopes up

But I do hope he's a nice kind guy

I hope we can talk easily

And I hope he's a good and decent person

I'm not terribly fussed about looks

Obviously I either will or won't be attracted to him

But I'm more concerned with his personality 

So now I have the whole day to wait 

I'm seeing Mary later 

And have to go in to town 

So plenty to keep me occupied in the mean time

I have my outfit picked out 

Which I will show you later 

And of course as ever

I will keep you posted....

Belfast Part 2

 Our second day in Belfast started early

We had our breakfast in the hotel

Which was a novelty for me

As I rarely eat breakfast

Then we drove down to the Titanic Centre

It was really an amazing place

So much information

So much to do and see
I have been fascinated by the Titanic for as long as I can remember

At the start they took our photo

And said we could collect it at the end

Which we did

You can see all three photos below 

After that

We had something to eat

And I bought a t-shirt in the Titanic shop

My nephew bough a hat

After that 

We went and did a tour of the Nomadic ship

Which was right beside the Titanic Centre

That was great too

We then dragged out weary bodies back to the hotel

And had a little rest

After that

We had dinner in the hotel 

And went to see Terminator Genisys in the cinema 

My nephews choice of course

Although I slept through most it

I really struggled with sleepiness on the trip

Most days I have at least one nap

But we were so busy in Belfast

I didn't get a chance

So a lot of the time I was fighting sleep

The next morning 

I woke early 

So went down and had breakfast on my own with my book

It was lovely to have some peace and quiet for a while

And have a few minutes to myself 

I just sat and read 

Eating tea and toast

And people watching 

Bliss!

After the rest got up and had breakfast

We decided to do a black cab tour

Which is a car tour of areas of interest

We booked it through the hotel

And we were told it cost €45 for an hour and a half

The tour itself was really interesting 

As you know 

There was a lot of trouble in Northern Ireland up until a few years ago

And up until recently 

It was a no go area

And was considered a dangerous place to be

So it's really great that we can visit there now 

Without fear of any trouble

The tour lasted two hours 

And when we were finished 

He told us that it was €90

We handed over the money without thinking

But then my sister pointed out that we had been told that it was only €45

She questioned the driver

And he told us that it was €45 per hour 

It was a bit disappointing as the hotel had told us it was €45 for the whole thing 

So we just had to suck it up

After the tour

We headed in to town 

And had lunch in Pizza Express

I didn't have anything 

As pizza is a huge fear food

So I went and had a look at the shops 

I saw a nice pair of trousers in Fat Face

So I bought them

And my sister bought a pair of trainers

By then it was evening 

So we decided to hit the road 

It was a three hour drive

But well worth it

Belfast is really a vibrant city

And the people are super friendly and helpful

(Apart from the cab driver than ripped us off)

So a good time was had by all

It's hard to tell if my nephew enjoyed himself

But I think he did

I hope he did 

Here are some photos from the trip.....

Outside the Titanic Centre

Titanic Centre

The Nomadic Ship

The huge Titanic Sign

From the window

Mocktails darling!

Heading Home

Our hotel

The view from Stormant

We are family!

Belfast Part 1

I am away with my parents, my sister and my nephew for a couple of days
We are treating my nephew
As it is his fifteenth birthday
We are in Belfast
Which is in Northern Ireland
So even though technically we are still in the same country
It feels like we are further away

Yesterday
We went and booked our tickets for the Titanic Centre
Then headed in to town for dinner
As this is a trip for my nephew
He is calling the shots on where we go
And he wanted to go to Nandos
So that's where we went
It was my first experience of Nandos
For those of you that don't know
Nandos is a chain of Portugese/African chicken shops
They serve chicken in varying degrees of spiciness and hotness
The ordering system was not good
As we had to order at the till
And there were endless amounts of option
How and ever
We managed to get it done
But the food
Oh my God the food was nothing short of gross
Never again will I enter Nandos
And yes
I did purge
We were all wrecked after eating
So headed back to the hotel
For an early night
I awoke at 6am
And had tea and white chocolate

Today
We got up early
Had breakfast
And headed over to the Titanic Centre
Where we spent a few hours
I took photos which I will post on my next post
When I have more time

Tonight we are going for dinner
Then heading to the cinema to see Terminator Genesis
My nephews choice of course

I have so much more to write about
Including an update on the whole friend situation
So I will post properly when I get home

See you on the next post.......

Update

You guys!!!

Guess what?

He rang!!!

He actually rang!!

Hold on 

Rewind a little bit 

 I was reading all your comments

And most of them were saying how I should text him back

Be casual but confident

And be a strong independent woman

Bite the bullet

Put myself out there 

I had decided not to text him until I got back from my trip on Wednesday 

My family and I are taking my nephew away for a couple of days for his fifteenth birthday

And I was glad of the distraction

But then earlier on

I just all of a sudden found some courage and sent him the following text

Hey, just wondering if you still want to meet up, I'm away until Wednesday but can meet up after that if you're still up for it?

I sent it 

And threw the phone away

I honestly wasn't expecting an answer 

I was doing it more just so I could say that I tried 

And would then be able to let it go

I went to make a cup of tea 

And when I picked my phone up again

There was a missed call from an unknown number

I started wondering who it was

And then

A couple of minutes later

My phone rang again

And it was him!

I took a deep breath and tried to remain calm

I answered after a few rings

Hello

Hello is that Ruby

Yes this is her

Oh hey this is The Plumber

Can you talk?

Yea sure I can talk

I'm just packing here as we are heading away tomorrow

I'm sorry I didn't get back to you the other night

I wasn't too gone on the whole cafe idea

You sure you wouldn't like to go to the cinema?

Oh yea I would like to go if you'd still like to. Is there anything you'd like to see ?

Sure we'll have a look during the week

Ok well why don't you give me a ring Wednesday or Thursday and we'll go from there

Ok sound I'll speak to you then

See you later

Bye 

Thankfully it wasn't as awkward as I thought it would be

I was actually calm

And he seemed kind but confident 

Yikes I can believe it actually happened

I had seriously written this one off!

So now I have a couple of days to psych myself up

Choose an outfit

Make myself as pretty and presentable as possible

But you know what?

I'm not going to take this too seriously

I'm going to have fun

And enjoy it

And not read too much in to it what ever happens happens

And I can chalk it up to experience

Again

Thank you for all your valuable support

It was really down to you guys that I mustered the courage to text him

It never ceases to amaze me

The amazing live and support that is here in our little corner of blogger

I'm away tomorrow for a couple of days 

And probably my won't get to blog

As well be in Northern Ireland

But I promise to update as soon as I can 

Until then....

To quote Charlotte.....

It's a day a half later

And still radio silence

I'm 33 freakin' years old

I don't have time to play games!

To quote Charlotte from Sex and the city

'Where is he already?'

But seriously folks 

It doesn't look like he's going to text back

I think this ship may have sailed

I can either suck it up

And move on to the next available tradesman 

Or bite the bullet

And text him myself 

Either option is not very appealing 

I have a draft of a text written 

I've been so close to sending it

But something keeps stopping me

So I am going with my gut feeling 

And holding back 

I just can't figure out what happened 

I mean 

We were texting back and forth 

And as soon as I mentioned going for coffee

It's like he seized up and froze

Or maybe he thought

'F**ck this for a game of soldiers, I'm out!'

Maybe I was too interested

Or not interested enough

Maybe he's seeing other girls

Maybe he's afraid of enclosed spaces that serve coffee

Maybe he's allergic to coffee

Maybe there's been a plumbing emergency 

And him and all his plumber friends have been called away on an extremely important job

The possibilities are endless

I mean

I don't even care where we go now

We could go bird watching

Or train spotting 

Or hang gliding

In really not fussy anymore 

You know

It really wasn't easy for me to put myself out there 

And actually show interest in this guy

For the past decade

My addiction and ED have been holding me hostage

And boys were the very last thing on my mind

I was in a kind of anorexia enforced celibacy 

And I was fine with that 

I mean you don't miss what you don't have right?

So to actually engage with a member of the opposite sex is a monumental step for me

(I almost wrote a member of the opposite species, but last time I checked men were still the same species as us ladies right?)

I don't know girlies 

I am at a loss 

Maybe I should just cut my losses

Or just text him

I haven't decided yet 

Thank you for all your support at this difficult yet exciting time

It means the world 

You seem to be divided between texting him back it not

With just a little more suggesting that I text him back 

I guess I will see how today pans out 

And whatever happens

I will as ever keep you posted....

The plot thickens....

So

When I last left you

The Plumber had texted me on Thursday night saying that he would contact me yesterday

And he did 

He texted last night with a simple 

How are you?

I Immediately went to consult with my sister and Mother

And after some discussion

I texted back 

Hey I'm good, how you?

Exciting stuff so far!

While we waited for his response

I chatted with my Mum and sister

They think he sounds like he is quite shy

And my sister urged me to bite the bullet and ask him out

Then my phone pinged a message

So do you want to meet up?

You can imagine the scene

Me and my Mum and sister

All on the couch 

Squealing as the texts went back and forth 

We had been watching a film

But my sister said that this drama was much better 

So I texted back

Yea sure, what do you suggest?

Then we were all thinking about what would be a good first date

I have to admit

I've never been on a date as such 

Yes, I've gone out with boys 

But this felt different

Like an actual, proper, grown up date 

Phone pings again

Maybe cinema or something, what you think?

My Mum didn't think the cinema was a good idea

She said it was too much of a 'commitment' 

My sister suggested just going for a coffee

And i liked that idea

As there was no pressure

It could be as long or as short as we wanted

So I texted back

What about going for tea or coffee? Is there anywhere you'd like to go?

I was gently trying steer him away from the whole cinema idea

He texted back

And this is where things started to head south

I can't think of anywhere but I can make you a coffee, what you think?

I laughed when I read this

As I thought he was being smart

But my Mum and sister thought it sounded like he didn't really do coffee 

I texted back

What about 'local coffee shop' for tea/coffee and see how we go from there?

I waited for a response

And waited

But nothing 

I haven't heard from him since

This is really disappointing 

I could give him the benefit of the doubt

Maybe he ran out of credit

Maybe he had to go on an emergency plumbing job

Maybe he lost the power of his hands and couldn't text

I live in hope...

 But seriously guys 

You know that I don't like head games

Why would he just not text back?

Again

My Mother and sister pointed out that he seems really shy 

And maybe couldn't cope with a face to face date 

So then I was thinking that maybe I should have just agreed to the cinema  in the first place

And have I f**ked it all up now?

I don't know 

My head hurts from thinking about it so much 

Reading over the texts again and again

Trying to figure out what I did wrong 

My sister thinks I should text him again

But all I could think was that it was his turn to text

And I didn't want to seem too keen

You know?

You my lovely little blogger family have been so spot on with advice about this whole thing 

So I am throwing the floor open to you

What am I doing wrong?

Have I done anything wrong?

What should I do now?

Should I text him again?

Or wait for him to get back to me?

I eagerly await your response.....