New Wave Outpost Forum

by **scramjet** » Thu Oct 21, 2004 1:53 am

I was listening to Otters Walk Among Us's "1985" disc (which is excellent) this morning and it dredged up this painful memory which had been mercifully buried deep in my subconcious for nearly twenty years. Maybe you'll find the story entertaining.

Stephanie (the names have been changed to protect the not-so-innocent) was a girl I had known for several years, but we'd always been "just friends". I was hoping to move things beyond that, your know?. Stephanie was beautiful, smart, outgoing, and a new-waver to boot. We were both attending the same university. I had a car and she didn't.

One night she called me up, which she rarely did. She had just heard that INXS was going to be playing in Salt Lake City, about 40 miles away from were we were going to school - we should get tickets and go.

So we got the tickets. I would happily have paid for hers in addition to mine, but she insisted on paying for her own. Being a rather broke student at the time I didn't protest too hard. This turned out to be a serious strategic error, but I didn't give it much thought at the time.

I was really looking forward to this. Cool concert, alone all evening with a girl I really liked, and she initiated it! Things were looking up.

The concert was on a Thurdsday night. I was taking a pretty heavy class load that semester so I had to really bust my butt to clear this evening to go to the concert with Stephanie.

When I picked her up she was carrying her school backpack loaded heavily. I made a mental list of the things a girl might reasonably bring along on an evening like this: I.D., lipstick, feminine hygiene stuff... not nearly enough to fill a large backpack. I asked what the backback was for. She said she had some studying to do. Not a good sign.

So we're driving up the highway. Stephanie is in the passenger seat with her German textbook open on her lap. Glancing over from the driver's seat, I can see her lips moving as she practices conjugating irregular German verbs. This is not nearly as fun as I'd imagined it. I've got the whole evening alone with a girl I really like - I can't possibly let it pass with her sprechen-sie-Deutch instead of paying attention to me.

I decided to distract her with some witty conversation. I racked my brain for something witty to say. Nothing very witty came to mind, but I plunged ahead anyway.

"So, it looks like you're being pretty studious these days..."

This wasn't witty at all. In fact, it was exactly the wrong thing to say. Apparently it touched some very raw nerve. Stephanie responded in an unexpectedly loud and angry voice,

"You think you're so smart! Some of us have to work hard to get good grades, you know!"

Her agressive response had me backpedalling. I don't remember if I tried to say something about the late nights I'd been putting in to have that night free or if I just said "OK, sorry, never mind."

This was going badly, but was going to get worse.

When we got to the concert she "happened" to run into some friends of hers. There was one guy she seemed especially glad to see and greeted with a big hug. She took off with her friends leaving me speechless. I didn't see her except at a distance the rest of the concert. Some other friends of mine were there, so I hung out with them and tried to enjoy the concert. It was actually a good show, and I had a good time except that I lost my watch in a crowd near the stage. It was an old crummy digital watch anyway.

When the show was over, Stephanie found me. Cheerful and perky as could be she said,

"Well, it's late. I've got an early class tomorrow morning. We'd better get back."

I was tempted to tell her to walk or get a ride with her "good" friends, but being the way-too-nice guy I am I drove her home. I can't remember if any words were spoken on the way home, but I was seething. I'd been manipulated and used.

Needless to say, that relationship never got past the palsy-walsy stage. At least now I have a good story to tell. I hope you've enjoyed reading it much more than I enjoyed living it. Actually, I had fun writing this. It's been long enough that I can laugh about it all. A little bit, anyway. Anything from "Listen Like Thieves" brings it all rushing back.

So... anyone else have a tale of romance- real, imagined, or only hoped for- that went awry in a new-wave context?

<IMG SRC="http://www.geocities.com/cjmratings/stuff/INXS.jpg">

by **nowhere girl** » Thu Oct 21, 2004 2:37 am

Great story! Although I eventually met and married a fellow new waver,I have to say that none of the guys I met at concerts or clubs were right for me. I met one guy in a new wave club, and he seemed to be nice. We met up for a movie and dinner, and he

by **2Nu** » Thu Oct 21, 2004 2:52 am

Great Story (and you kept the stub to boot! cool..)
This one is about an Opportunity, MISSED.....<IMG SRC="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v395/richp62/Icons%20Avatars/awcrap.gif">
Back in 85-86 I had an personal invite to meet up with a female cowork

by **WoodlandParkPunk** » Thu Oct 21, 2004 4:55 am

This was 1986 I was going to music school in Atlanta and trying deperately to avoid the unwelcome advances of a classmate of mine. She was really attractive, but the "neediness" disturbed me.
Long story short, we did end up going out one night to a club.

by **phillyidol** » Thu Oct 21, 2004 7:34 am

Scramjet... your story makes me mad!!! I lived a life full of those moments!AAAAAH! Yes Kimiii, I have more issues! I look back and see I had no clue about women. And there were girls that used me for a ride also. BUT..... I finally got smart. I had one g

by **Frau_Blucher** » Thu Oct 21, 2004 8:14 am

Short story from September 1983...

Me: "Hi Freddie, it's Mike. Is your sister there?"
Freddie: "Which Mike?"

My summer of love was SO over. [V]

by **scramjet** » Thu Oct 21, 2004 8:30 am

Thanks for the sympathy phillyidol. I did get a clue eventually. Funny thing was, about a year later I was dating a really smokin' hot girl who coincidentally lived in the same apartment complex as "Stephanie". I use to tremendously enjoy crossing path

by **middlesexnj** » Thu Oct 21, 2004 8:52 am

scramjet, Why would you even remain "palsy-walsy" with this b*tch?

by **eight6** » Thu Oct 21, 2004 12:06 pm

Scramjet:

Wow, she actually accused you of being "smart". I guess you straightened out that misconception by giving her a ride home.

For shame Scramjet.

(just kidding. Been there, done that!)

eight6

by **Grayson** » Thu Oct 21, 2004 12:20 pm

ScramJet, sounds like you attended the same University I did, capitol of the dry hump - Brigham Young University. I have a story like yours but mine involves Oingo Boingo in 1988 at the Salt Palace. Fun times......

by **hexicon** » Thu Oct 21, 2004 12:55 pm

I had one like Kimiiii's. Of course, stupid twit that I was, I didn't want to OFFEND him by getting up and saying "No means NO, dickwad." Instead, next morning I noticed that I had dozens of fingertip-sized bruises on my thighs from his trying to pull t

by **Jason²** » Thu Oct 21, 2004 4:16 pm

[quote][i]Originally posted by kimiiii[/i]
<br>After a while this guy pulls back a little and says:

Him: Okay, I'm ready.
Me: Ready? Fo

by **scramjet** » Fri Oct 22, 2004 1:26 am

[quote][i]Originally posted by middlesexnj[/i]
<br>scramjet, Why would you even remain "palsy-walsy" with this b*tch?
<hr height="1" nosha

by **scramjet** » Fri Oct 22, 2004 1:32 am

[quote][i]Originally posted by eight6[/i]
<br>Scramjet:

Wow, she actually accused you of being "smart". I guess you straightened out tha

by **scramjet** » Fri Oct 22, 2004 1:44 am

[quote][i]Originally posted by Grayson[/i]
<br>ScramJet, sounds like you attended the same University I did, capitol of the dry hump - Bri

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