Indecent Proposal

I love the movie an Indecent Proposal with Robert Redford, Demi Moore, and Woody Harrelson. Robert Redford’s character, absolutely enchanted, offers Woody Harrelson (a recently laid off architect) one million dollars for one night with his wife (Demi Moore).  They go through with the agreement because of their recent financial strife and it ruins their marriage.  After the couple splits, Robert Redford does everything he can to woo the newly single Demi Moore, and succeeds.  The audience doesn’t really know Robert Redford’s motives until the end of the film.  The twist at the end only solidifies Robert Redford’s character not only as an amazing man, but as an amazing person as well.  It’s the fairy tale story of a one night stand that turns into an incredible love affair with a tried and true gentleman.  I was hooked.  I watched the film three times and wanted nothing less than to find my own debonair multi-millionaire or at least something close to it.

I had never really put much thought into it until I met my best friend’s boyfriend’s friend (are you still with me?) from high school, an architect who lives in New York.  On our first meeting he was leaving to go back to NY in the morning and my friend insisted that I go out with them and have a few drinks.  So, being the adventurous person that I am, I did just that.  I think the architect and I had one very light hearted conversation about my Cuban roots, but most of it consisted of my giggling and drunken banter with my friend.  The evening came to a close and my friend drove me back to my car which was parked at her apartment.  

While we were en route she received a text from the architect.  Unbeknownst to him, I was the keeper of my friend’s cell phone since texting and driving is a big no no, and it was not my friend who was reading and replying to his text messages, but me.  He said that he liked me and wanted to ask me for an audience at a more intimate second location, but it would be awkward because we had only just met, etc.  He suggested that she suggest to me that he should meet me at my apartment.  We had already gotten to my car at that point, so I left the conversation open for her to finish, and headed home.  She then called me and asked me what I thought.  My thoughts were that nothing good happens after 11pm and it was already midnight, to wish the architect happy travels, and that I was going home to enjoy the fact that a guy was attracted to me and fall into bed.  And that is exactly what I did.  


The next day she informed me that she gave the architect my email address and I received an email that said meeting me was great and that if I was ever in New York we should definitely continue our conversation.  I replied with my phone number and with the lighthearted incentive that if he should ever think of something witty to text me, he should.  I guess whit was not one of his strong points because I heard nothing of the architect until months later when my friend informed me he was going to be in Los Angeles working on a project.  At the same time I got the opportunity to take a road trip to my home town with my friends E and D.  I made dinner plans with my friend as a send off for a trip she was taking with her boyfriend and as a last get-together before I went on hiatus.   

While driving to the restaurant my friend called and let me know that her boyfriend and the architect would be joining us.  My thoughts were: the more the merrier and I left things on a high and open note.  We sat together at the restaurant, taking advantage of the amazing happy hour, and talking about whatever young women find to talk about.  Her boyfriend and the architect eventually joined us where random conversation continued and I asked the architect about what he was doing with work.  I think perhaps two complete sentences were spoken between us.  We then moved the casual conversation to their apartment, where the architect was staying, and we all tiredly and awkwardly sat for about an hour.  My friend’s boyfriend asked me if I wanted to stay the night at their place because of the late hour, but I politely declined, citing that I had to get home to my cat (the single woman’s excuse).  I said goodbye and wished them all good luck and a safe trip.  

After two days of thought and angst over being the one to make the first move and realization that in a world with no dating rules, it doesn’t really matter, I emailed the architect about “hanging out” knowing that the worst I would receive was the single man’s excuse of:  I’m so busy, maybe next time.  He replied with a cheerful, “sure” and I was a young woman with a date for a date.  The plot thickens.  I only had two days left in town at this point, which left that night or the next day.  So we made plans for that night, however, because of his 16 hour work day and promise to have dinner with our friends, he wasn’t going to be able to do anything until after midnight.  I was once again left with my original dilemma that nothing good happens after 11pm, however, it had been intercepted by the thought that though nothing good happens, that doesn’t mean that something great couldn’t happen.  I was now a woman not only with a date, but with the fantasy that I was going to have the greatest guy-from-out-of-town rendezvous ever.  My roommate was on a trip so I had the apartment all to myself.  My friend, D, came over to boost my inner siren’s ego.  By dusk I was totally going to have the most amazing night ever, Indecent Proposal was fresh in my mind, and nothing was going to stop me.

2am and mid Return of the Jedi I was feeling a little less like Demi Moore being whisked away to a yacht and a little more like myself again.  The architect finally arrived, apologizing for it being so late. He was also going to have to drive our friends to the airport in three hours, so I gave him a tour, opened a bottle of wine, and we sat in my living room and talked.  One conversation led to another and he said that in the last hour he had been waiting for me to lead him to my bedroom.  Then one thing led to another and it was 5:30am and he was back at my front door and we were saying goodbye.  I went back to sleep and the next morning I was on the road and in El Paso by that evening.
 

I did not hear from the architect for a month and I realized my recent obsession with Indecent Proposal had led me to a rushed, faux romantic encounter.  The fantasy was that I was going to have this amazing evening and possibly a lover in a new city, but the reality was an uncomfortable night and a phone number in my contacts that I ended up deleting.  I knew that the architect was not going to be Robert Redford.  I also knew that this person was not going to be anything more than a possibility for a new friend or connection in a distant and interesting city.  What I did not think was that this situation was going to be the complete opposite of what I had in mind.  Not only had I not been able to produce a night which met my standards (fantasy or not), but now I was adding him to that mental list of men we women all keep fresh in our minds: the ones you never hear from again and just assume probably died.  

Indecent Proposal?  No.  An interesting yet common story?  Yes.  However, the guy is an architect, so maybe that puts me one step closer.