what to do when it happens, because it will...

...and of course, the 'it' of which i speak is the day on which your regular coffee-cart man finally asks you out.

i have always enjoyed popularity with the numerous coffee-cart men of my acquaintance. i don't know what it is, i show up to the same one twice and they smile broadly and yell 'my friend!' when i was a nanny on the upper west side, i was sick with strep throat one week. my coffee-cart man said he had been so worried he didn't know what to do, and if i was sick, why didn't i call hime? he would have brought me chicken soup! i mean, other than the phone number logistics, the fact that i didn't know his name, me being in brooklyn...apart from that, it honestly just hadn't crossed my mind. i almost wish it had. waking up horrifically ill, unable to drag myself too far from my bed, suddenly realizing, 'wait, i can just call my friend at the coffee cart!'

i've been worried about this one for a while, though. things quickly progressed from 'my friend', to 'sweetheart'. he's been awfully attentive to my schedule, and definitely chastises me when i'm late. he can't seem to fathom those days when i get tea instead of coffee, or, horrors, a bagel.

but last week. he asked me what i was doing at the weekend, and i said, well, i'm not really doing anything. he wanted to know, didn't i go to parties? i said no, i really prefer reading (and believe me, if i wasn't fully aware of the fact that i am a total loser, dork, etc., i would have realized it with that statement). he said, 'what, don't you like the movies?' i didn't think it was the time to get into the fact that i actually have a master's degree in film studies, so i just said, 'yeah, i really love movies.' that's when he said, 'why don't we go to the movies?'

it was really incredibly embarrassing. luckily, there was a line behind me, so i did a sort of a charlie chaplin-esque exaggerated shrug and waved goodbye for the day.

even more awkwardly, circumstances were such that i didn't go the next day, but when i did go back, he didn't mention it, and believe me, neither did i. i mean, it would be horrendous to have to change coffee cart allegiances at this point.

and it's right there on the corner....