Substitution Therapy

I kind of wonder if heroine addicts are a little disappointed with methadone. Do they take it and feel like it does the job, but it's just a bit disappointing?

So, Superman kicked me to the curb a couple of months ago, and the next day, the Penguin texted me for the first time in a while. I had all but stopped communicating with the Penguin because when it came down to it, I just wasn't that excited with him. He's nice, and we have a good time, but he's quite a bit younger than me, and I was just feeling like he's in a completely different place in life (as in at his parents' house).

But, what a day will do. With Superman out of the picture, I decided that I might as well go ahead and go out on another date with the Penguin--it would be nice ego boost, and honestly, we do have a good time together. So, we set it up for this afternoon, and we went to Dave and Busters.

We had a great time, honestly. We played trivia games (where we were actually astonishingly well-matched), basketball (he kicked my a**), air hockey (I wiped the floor with him), and a whole bunch of other games. We ate mini burgers and talked about movies and sat on Santa's lap (no, really, I have pictures). The luster of the night was, admittedly, a little dimmed when he offered to show me proof of his, ahem, enthusiasm for me (and he sure didn't make shy about how much he was looking forward to taking me home--shame I had a concert to go to at the end of the night). But, overall, I had a really great time.

So, after the date, I went to see a friend perform the Messiah (not just him--he's part of the National Philharmonic Choir), which was fantastic. But I have to say, I was sad not to have Superman with me--he had been my consort at my last musical event, and I had enjoyed having him there. He's thoughtful about what he likes and was a nice companion at a concert. The empty seat next to me was not as engaging.

And so, there it is. It's like switching from top-shelf bourbon to grain alcohol-based punch. The overall effect is more or less the same, but it doesn't taste as good, go down as smooth, and you have one hell of a hangover later.