A Visit to Art: Part 1

The door clicked open at 3:01 and before I looked up from my Blackberry I knew it was her.

Image credit: Journal of Adult Theaters

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That familiar gut-dragging sensation of takeoff pulled me into my seat. I didn’t used to get airsick, but one time I took an edible when I was flying back from Hawaii because I thought it would help the long flight pass faster, but all it did was make me viscerally aware of the shape of the plane and the orientation of our seats in space, so that every dip and turn the pilot took made me queasy.

But it wasn’t just the flight making my stomach jump.

Would I really be meeting TDL? All evidence suggested the answer was “yes.” We had an appointment set for the interview - 3pm at J Restaurant & Bar, an upscale venue located five minutes from Art Cinema. I noticed, for the dozenth time, that my knee was jiggling, and forced it still. I couldn’t seem to relax.

What would he be like? What if it’s awkward? What if he’s a serial killer? What if he only thought I was an interesting or worthwhile conversationalist? What if he finds me unattractive?

I stopped myself at the last question, because that shouldn’t matter. I would be interviewing him, about sex things, yes, but whether there was any attraction between us was irrelevant. We would both be attending Art Cinema in our respective journalistic capacities, not as participants.

And yet…

I fidgeted with the sleeves of my blazer. My knee resumed its jiggling.