Trivia Night! The Revenge of Hana Solo
Let me tell you a slightly lighter story in comparison to my previous two,but one that still derives from a deep place..because hey! I’m deep.
The story IS in fact linked to my previous one because as a result of my dreadful cyber-harassment situation and the demise of my romantic relationships this year, I’ve kinda had it. Where I once felt liberated and empowered by going out alone to dance, to hang out or to see where the night took me, this past year’s events have led me to halt all further solo social situations, not to mention the sexual harassment that women face in the street or going out alone is unbelievable.
My next challenge is to go back to being me: Jade Cintron, only child extraordinaire! Back to the days where my pickup line as a child was:
“Hey, My name is Erika! Wanna be my friend?” (yes I was just Erika then)
BUT NOW! As an adult! (As I’ve already done most of my life) No shame, just me. Independent woman!
Which leads me to the story…
Today, thanks to an acquaintance, I found out there was a trivia night at a bar in New Brunswick. It worked out perfectly! I am staying at my friend’s house in the area to save on gas money and so, convenience!
I debated though.
“AHHHHH what if someone hits on me!”
“AHHHHH what if the weirdos find me? HOW DO THE WEIRDOS ALWAYS FIND ME!?”
“Didn’t I want to go to Target to buy rainboots anyway…?”
“AHHH I shouldn’t be rude..should go back to my friend’s since she’s letting me stay there…”
etc etc..
Then, ironically, I got a message from a friend who was responding to my having said I’d be going to trivia but wasn’t sure if it was a good idea. He wrote: “Ah wouldn’t want some stranger with nice hair seeing you sitting alone and offering to buy you a drink”
I read it and was appalled by my own fear. THAT WAS my fear. My fear was that I might meet someone and that might lead somewhere! What the hell kind of fear is that?? Since when does anything stop me?
::pauses and relives recent events::
::gets chills::
I sat in my car fuming for 20 minutes pretending it was just to charge my phone.
Then I got out.
Then I marched my ass right over to the bar and sat in a stool.
The bartenders were cute. They had buffalo wings. Oooo..
I ordered a coke and then, thanks to one of the bartenders’ suggestions, mango habanero wings. I sat there in all my glory, munching away at this spicy, saucy wing dinner, chugging soda like it was the freakin’ Superbowl, kids, THE FREAKIN’ SUPERBOWL. Once I’d savored the sauce and licked my fingers, I decided to come back to civilization, wipe my hands and check out the scene.
I joked with the wings bartender about finding me a team. He invited me to join either of the teams next to me. The guy to my right (my age, shifty-eyed,in a baseball cap that I’m pretty sure he wished covered his whole face) kind of twitched in pre-emptive fear. “Ohhh he’s not excited enough”, I joked back to the bartender. The two guys on the left gave me serious side-eye and flamboyantly (and quite giraffe-like) turned the other way in a dramatic head lift.
Okaaaaay…
Just then, I see this girl that I had met at another New Brunswick night out in April where she praised me repeatedly for my singing (I had sang that evening) and she went on about the Meetup groups she attended and New Brunswick nightlife etc. She even followed me to my car to tell me about her night. I’ll call her “OMG Meetup” It was funny, she was drunk, but you could also tell this wasn’t too far from who she was.
I wasn’t wrong.
I go up to OMG Meetup and say “Hey! You might not remember me but…”
She did. She then proceeds to start yapping just as before and tell me that this is another Meetup group she’s with. SCORE!
Jade: Great! Could I join you guys then? I’m just over there at the bar.
She hesitates.
OMG Meetup: Oh noo you have to be part of the group.
Jade: I have to join the group of strangers online before joining them in person?
OMG Meetup: Yeahhhhh…ya see it’s called 20's and 30's Social club (or something like that)
Jade: I am in fact eligible to join that category, I am neither a teen or 40..
OMG Meetup: Hahaha noooo it’s just that you gotta join onliiiiiine…
I stare at her for a good 10 seconds. Blinking.
Jade: Yeeaaaaah….I probably won’t fit in with a group like that anyways….
OMG Meetup: Ohhh umm.…it’s just that..
I walk away, ignoring her, but flabbergasted. I think of all the people I know that would have had a social breakdown at this point and I feel bad for them. I didn’t feel this way at all. I looked at the 3 sets of people, the odd trifecta surrounding me and realized…DAMN. I have never been these people, nor will I ever be! How embarrassing! To be so cold and deprived of human emotion that you won’t even welcome a lone person to your group…
I enter the trivia alone as Hana Solo. Fuck ’em all. MUAHAHAHAH!
Round 1: I get 7/10 and the host praises my team name. Hanaaaa SOLOOOOOO
Shifty-eye Cap face guy (on my right) and I start discussing our answers. He’s mega awkward. Like probably earning his pHD in Math awkward. (Sorry guys..)
Round 2: I get 8/10 and big cheers and a wink from the other cute bartender. HANAAAAA SOLOOOOOOOOOOOO
Shifty-eye Cap Face and I laugh at the horror of the questions we missed.
Round 3: I WIN THE ROUND! 10/10 and I win a can holder prize and major praises and high five from the host. People clap. HANNAAAAA SOLOOOOOOO
OMG Meetup looks at me in astonishment as everyone is like whaat? How is this girl playing alone and winning? To be honest, I had no idea. They were hitting a bunch of weird shit I knew/could make educated guesses on.
Cute Bartender D00d comes over and introduces himself (Nick I think?) and hands me a tank top.
Cute Bartender Dood: Here ya go Hana Solo…that way you’ll come back and visit me, maybe kick some more ass at trivia.
Jade: Doesn’t sound like a bad idea.. I guess we’ll see.
Now I’ve got a can holder, a tank top and the host gives us raffle tickets representative of our winnings.
Round 4 I did well in too, but due to some extra credit that people brought in (I shit you not) I ended up in 4th out of 14 groups as opposed to 2nd. The quiz guy was enamored with how scholarly I was with my explanation of the answers, the bartender was making eyes at me, Shifty-eyed Cap Face had opened up and OMG Meetup was gawking.
This is the appropriate time to snap my fingers in a Z and strut out.
Yeah. Time to go.
See ya next week, kids.
::struts::
Jade Cintron
