Blind Date

[drkenison]

She wasn't expecting a message to be waiting for her when she got home. Judith had told her she had a call asking if she would like to go out to lunch the next day with a friend's friend. It sounded like a date and she and Judith giggled over a late meal while wondering what the morning would bring. She almost said no, but Judith prodded at her. Gloria hadn't been on a date since they stopped dating almost a year ago.

This was definitely a set up and when the morning came she and Judith spent the morning like teenage girls in the small university sponsored apartment they shared. Eventually, Judith convinced Gloria to wear one of Judith's flashier dresses. It was a date after all where she was going to be picked up in a limo. That was exciting.

They sat together later in the day, sipping coffee while they waited for the mystery date to arrive. Like all young women, speculating who the flamboyant person she had met a few weeks earlier might be sending to her.

Comments

[drkenison]

"Gloria, please." She sighs a little at her own behavior. "I sometimes forget I'm not at work."

And then she's blushing again as she takes them. "Thank you. Do you want to step in while I put them away?."

It was rude to leave him on the stoop and she knew Judith would make herself scarce despite all her peeping and giggling earlier.

[wherewere_thespiders]

"Oh--yeah, thanks."

Weird stepped inside, looking around and trying not to act all nervous because he was. It had been a while since he'd actually dated a girl properly. He'd have one night stands with groupies but this was different. Gloria seemed respectable and was wearing rather traditional clothes. A dress covering her legs instead of most girls wearing them halfway up their asses to show their legs off.

"Nice place you've got here."

He didn't know what else to say since Gilly was the one good with small talk. Weird was the quiet one.

[drkenison]

Her apartment is sparsely furnished but most of the furniture was antique, given to her by her grandmother. There's some photos on the wall. Mostly of Gloria and Judith; out together, when the graduated, pictures with Judith's family, and some of Gloria with Papi, her baboon.

"Thank you." She says modestly. "It's all we can afford. Probably not as nice as the places you stay, being a rockstar."

If he follows her into the dining room where she is taking the chocolates, one new thing she has is a record player and a fairly large collection of vinyl.

[wherewere_thespiders]

Weird looked around at the photos and noticed one with what looked like some sort of monkey inside of it. Was that a pet---baboon? Now the bassist was wondering what sort of doctor she was and what worked she was into. Turning back to face her, Weird offered her a sheepish smile.

"We mostly stay at high end hotels and the like. I'm more of a down to earth bloke though like Ronno and Gilly. We never expected to become stars overnight being in the Spiders. That was all Ziggy's doing."

The bassist admired Ziggy for what he had done and how he had transformed the Spiders into world famous rock stars. The fame could sometimes be a little too much for Weird, since he was rather shy at heart. Even more so than either Ronno or Gilly. It was then he spotted the record player and a selection of vinyls.

"You like music then?"

[drkenison]

If he looked around enough, she and Judith had both framed thier college degrees. Gloria's undergraduate degree was in medicine and a Masters in Epidemiology. She was still working on her Phd.

"It must be exhausting but I wish I was sometimes. No one will probably ever know my work because I'm a woman." She was a little bitter about it but didn't linger on the topic.

She shelved the chocolates in a cabinet, pausing to look at the box admiringly beforehand. It was very sweet.

"Judith, my roommate, and I both started out in dance like a respectable lady." There's definite sarcasm to the word respectable. "We love music still."

[wherewere_thespiders]

He could see the framed degrees and realised she was a very clever woman. The sad fact that most didn't see a place for women in science since Weird knew this. Most scientists you read about in the paper or see on the television were men. Gloria and her roommate, Judith were dancers as well it seemed. No wonder Ziggy wanted to set the bassist up with her. She seemed very talented indeed.

"It's a shame that. The whole men in science thing. But I suppose the same could be said for women rockstars. You don't see many of them either."

Weird knew this. There were women singers yes, but not usually in the field of rock. It was still a very male dominated area. There was a macho image associated with going near bare chested on stage wielding a guitar and making lots of noise. Weird himself didn't go bare chested like Ronno but he could see the appeal for attracting women. It wasn't very fair for women who wanted a chance at the limelight though in that regard.

"You're a very clever lass, Gloria. When Ziggy asked for us to meet---I didn't know what to expect."

[drkenison]

"It's harder for Judith being a black woman. I had to fight for them to even let her on campus to go to school. They were going to kick me out for bringing her to classes. I was the first woman to go into medicine there and they didn't like it much but one of my professors he helps Judith and I get to stay." That was the sad truth of the world. There were a lot of people facing discrimination still for all sorts of reasons.

"He only told me you were to shy to ask out a nice girl." She smiled a little because she would have been too shy to ask either but Ziggy was bold enough to do anything or that was what she thought anyway.

[wherewere_thespiders]

She was black? Weird just raised an eyebrow at that because he hadn't met many black women, except in the way of noticing the odd fan or two at concerts. But as for actually knowing any and talking to them? That would be a no. Still, he wasn't about to be rude because of her race or colour. The bassist was a pretty open guy having worked with someone like Ziggy for nigh on three years now. His androgyny often got Weird thinking, yet he knew Ziggy was a good bloke.

"That doesn't sound very fair but I know the world can be cruel sometimes. People like Ziggy---those bastards have a go at him each time they can get. The media and the like."

Weird knew this along with the other Spiders. If Ronno was to deck them in one day, the bassist wouldn't be far behind. But then he was blushing at her words. Ziggy had told her this? He didn't really know what to say for a few moments so just glanced towards the photographs.

"He said that?"

[drkenison]

Gloria started to fret immediately when she saw that raised brow. There had been people who stopped dating her when they found out Judith was her roommate or research partner. The relief is visible when Weird finally goes on and says he, basically, understands.

Smiling faintly she put a hand on his forearm in comfort. He seemed so upset about the treatment of his friend. She understood though because the way Judith was treated made her heatedly angry sometimes. She nods.

"He said you're very quiet." Her smile softens and she shakes her head, the loose curls bobbing. "Come on. A date is supposed to be nice. We can worry about our friends when we come back."

She didn't want to start getting into darker conversations that might upset either of them for the day.

[wherewere_thespiders]

Weird looked down at the hand on his forearm and smiled shyly. It had been a while since he'd met someone like Gloria. A real lady and not some bimbo out for his money and the fame that went with it. A proper girl. The bassist nodded quietly and knew he was the quiet one out of the group with Mick being talkative and Gilly being a downright loudmouth bitch at times. Then Ziggy with his boundless energy who brought the group together. Also the peacemaker at times.

"Yeah, I can be. I guess I like spending time with my bass guitar then with others. Just listening to the low bass notes can be soothing."

Was he sounding like a complete boring idiot? He hoped not. Weird knew almost nothing about science or animals since he dropped out of school at fifteen. Like most boys his age he got into manual labour but wanted to be in a band. Bass guitar was his life once he realised he was good at it better than he was working in a factory. As for their date? He felt a little happier now that some of the nerves had passed.

"There's a nice posh restaurant not far from here. The table is booked for us."

[drkenison]

"I have no leeway to say anything about it. I get lost in the lab sometimes and forget to talk to people." Gloria smiles shyly and shrugs barely. She found her work fascinating and lost track of time or the other people around her sometimes.

"We should go then." She offers him her arm like a nice girl. "I wouldn't have you embarrassed because we're late for our reservation."

It's true that he definitely was not the type of man she would normally date or be interested in but there's no harm to getting to know someone. You never know what a person is like from looks or first meetings. Her father would have things to say about this, like he did all of her life, but he could stay out of it after his behavior since she started schooling years ago.

[wherewere_thespiders]

Weird slid his arm into Gloria's and smiled shyly as he walked with her to the limo which was parked up by the curb side. This was still slightly awkward for the bassist but he was going to do his best to offer Gloria a good time and make their time together as special as possible. Opening up the door he waited for her to step inside as any good gentleman would.

"Don't worry, we won't be late."

They still had plenty of time and Weird had picked a rather nice respectable restaurant just shy of where they were now. Wining and dining at it's best. Rock star style of course. As for what they would talk about once they got there---that was still mulling around in his mind somewhat since small talk didn't come as easy to him as it did Ronno or Gilly.

[drkenison]

She smiles shyly, a faint pink to her cheeks when he opens the door for her. She's not used to being taken care of this way. Usually she's forging her own path.

"Thank you." She says quietly as she slides into the limo and scoots across the seat so that Weird can get in beside her. Hands folded in her lap she looks around inside curiously. She's never been in a limo before.

"Do you always travel in a limousine?" she asks when he finally joins her. Gloria knows a little bit about how musicians live from what she's seen on TV but there's no way to know if that is true, or true for Weird. It probably won't matter what they talk about. Gloria is friendly and genuinely interested in people.

[wherewere_thespiders]

"Yeah, since it's safer for Ziggy and the lads. We often get harassed by fans and screaming crowds hounding us. This way we can jump in and go without the fuss."

Weird offered a shy smile as he leant back in his seat, crossing one leg over his knee. Watching her closely, he then moved to the champagne which was always on ice by the spare door. Did she fancy a drink now? The bassist did wonder and decided to ask out of manners more than anything.

"Would you like some champagne? We usually drink as we're going from one place to the next. Helps with the nerves sometimes."

At least it helped him when he was nervous about attending interviews or just before they all went on stage. Being with Ziggy could often become a total riot or a shit show, depending on the singer's mood and the people hounding him.

[drkenison]

"Oh." She wouldn't want that much attention either. People ignored her which she didn't like but imagined the other extreme would be just as annoying. "I can't imagine people always paying attention to me with that much enthusiasm."

Of course, it hadn't occurred to her yet that if she started dating a rockstar that is exactly what would happen.

"I would be happy to share a glass of champagne." She didn't drink often but this was a date. Gloria wanted to have fun and drinking could be fun, in moderation. "I get nervous when I'm presenting but I don't think they'd use it to dismiss me even more if I showed up after having drinks."

That was an unfortunate part of her existence. She always had to be perfectly on point. It was struggle enough just to be heard without giving them fuel to ignore her more.

[wherewere_thespiders]

"Sometimes it's nice not to be noticed. That bloody camera in our faces all the time---it can get too much at times. I know Ziggy seems to deal with it better than me and the lads."

Weird was also much shier than Ziggy and not as extroverted. He just enjoyed playing his bass guitar and doing his job. It was enjoyable too, just the whole media aspect? It could get too much. The perils of being a rock star. Sometimes it came at a high price. Sipping on his champagne, he hoped he wasn't boring Gloria. Most said he could sometimes come off as boring since he didn't talk as much as his band mates. Weird didn't care what others thought of him.

"What sort of food do you like?"

It was a question he wanted to ask just so that he knew what he was going to be paying for once they got to the restaurant.

[drkenison]

"Some people thrive on attention. I don't think I do, but some is nice."

She didn't find him boring. They were just getting to know each other and people we often quiet at first. That didn't bother her at all. It was nice to be with someone who could have an even paced conversation for once.

She blushed a little at the question. "The people around me say it's not right for a nice white girl to like colored food but... I really like the creole food Judith's mama makes. What food do you eat? I haven't been away from the U.S. yet and I suppose you are from England like Ziggy."

[wherewere_thespiders]

"I've never had any of that before. This creole food you mention. As for me I like a lot of food like roast dinners and the like. Beef, chicken, potatoes, veg and lots of gravy. Sort of traditional English food. When we toured Japan Ziggy offered both me and Gilly sushi. Fish things. I liked it, sort of salty. But Gilly was sick."

It seemed that was more down to the fact that the drummer was being stupid at the time jamming loads of octopus legs into his mouth at one time. No wonder he threw up. Weird was more sensible, eating slowly and allowing his tongue to absorb the new tastes as well as his stomach.

"Do coloured people get persecuted in your country then?"

Weird knew that blacks, as they were called in Britain, were often treated as second class citizens a lot of the times. It had gotten better since the Sixties but the prejudices were still there. The bassist had no issue with anyone of colour or not, since they had Ziggy and he was almost like a new species in itself. Race, colour---it didn't matter when you wanted to perform to everyone.

[drkenison]

"Maybe I can make some sometime." She mentions it shyly because it does suggest seeing him again. He seemed like a decent man and at least didn't decry her work. "I haven't had sushi before but I do eat a lot of fish and seafood when I can."

Which was mostly when they went out or went to visit Judith's family. In general, Gloria thought of herself as an adventurous person, despite her modesty sometimes around other people. She would try any food, probably.

"Yes." She sighed heavily. "They still can't do a lot of things whites can and they don't like the young people getting together in some places. Some of my family won't even talk to me because Judith and I share an apartment and I have colored friends. I guess, maybe it's better in the big cities?"

[wherewere_thespiders]

Weird nodding, understand what she meant even if he wasn't used to the laws and things for black people in the States. Yet, it couldn't be that far from what Britain was like a few years ago. There were riots and violence between whites and blacks. A dark time indeed. He hardly knew any black people at all but knew of them. Famous jazz musicians and the like. Also some blues singers from the Sixties. They were very talented musicians and it was a shame the whole slave thing was still used as a slur around them on occasion.

"Some people can be very cruel. I don't know any black people myself but I've seen a few black fans who really like our music. They're the same as us. Human beings. Sorry to hear your family won't talk to you because of your black friend. It must be hard for her."

Weird felt sorry for Judith and gently laid a hand on hers, just as a kind gesture. The world was still a cruel place for some and the bassist knew this. Just like it was hard for Ziggy, it was hard for Gloria's friends too. Weird didn't wish to judge people on the colour of their skin or how they looked because once he saw Ziggy, he knew that appearances didn't matter. They were on stage fighting for change against social norms.

"We could be frowned upon by some because we're a bunch of blokes in girly-looking clothes wearing make-up. Even now it shocks a lot of people."

[drkenison]

"It's alright." She smiles faintly and turns her hand over to hold his. "Some of my family stopped talking to me before that, even my dad, because I want to be a doctor and a researcher. Where I live is very traditional and they don't like change much."

The compassion he had for other people was something she could relate to and the desire for tolerance in general. People were people, unless they were zombies but she wasn't even going to mention that part of her experience. It was behind her now, hopefully permanently.

"Well... it's not what I'm used to seeing." She smiles, cheeks faintly pink. "But being different is good. We're all our own people and if you aren't hurting anyone, just dressing in clothes that others don't think you should... then you should ignore them. It's not right to tell people who they can be when it's not harming anyone else."

Her voice is still quiet and polite but there's fire in her tone. She's fought a lot to be who she wants to be and this is a topic close to her heart.

[wherewere_thespiders]

"You're right there, love. Some people are just frightened of change."

Her hand holding his felt very nice and he was actually blushing underneath his sideburns that they were now connected by the hand. It was a light gesture but one that the bassist hoped would lead onto other things. Not wanting to assume that Gloria was the type of girl who would kiss straight off the bat since they hardly knew each other. They'd only just met and Weird wanted them to get comfortable with each other before doing anything else.

"Ever since being in the Spiders my views have changed for the better. I was a little narrow-minded before I met Ziggy. The same for the other lads too. We're just musicians from the North. Not travellers of the world. Seeing Ziggy for the first time---it was something. We didn't know if he was a boy or a girl."

That was a little awkward admitting but Weird wanted to tell her the truth. Looking back on it now it was rather amusing. Ronno just staring at Ziggy's legs and Gilly frozen in his seat wide-eyed at their singer.

[drkenison]

She's not used to the word love and blushes bright at the comment. "I think it scares them when they think they won't know where they fit anymore or they have to change where they fit. My dad is in the clergy and he is very narrow minded sometimes, even if I think he still loves me sometimes."

Her father was a sticking point for her. One of the hardest choices in her life was continuing her schooling when she knew he would disown her for it. It was made now though and there wasn't any going back. Her father refused to reconcile.

"It would be hard to stay close minded while traveling and seeing all the different people in the world." That part of being a rockstar she would love. Just the chance to see all the cities and cultures. His comments made her giggle a little.

"I'm still not sure if he is a he or a she but if Ziggy is a good person that is all that matters."

[wherewere_thespiders]

He nodded and sipped some of his champagne. Gloria had it right and Weird was coming to like how she viewed the world with such an open mind. Not many did but she was a woman of change. Her accent was rather interesting to the bassist too, who had never actually dated an American woman before.

"I've never gone out on a date with an American lass before. This will be a first for me."

Squeezing her hand softly, Weird pressed a soft kiss to the top of it, just a light, almost chivalrous gesture. He was finding her more and more interesting and beginning to relax a little more around her. As for Ziggy? Even to this day Weird was still unsure but the conversation they had back at the hotel regarding their singer and him being intersex helped. Not that the bassist really understood the whole biology thing but it was a good enough explanation if any.

"Doesn't matter if he's a she or he. Ziggy is our lead singer and we look after him."

[drkenison]

She's drinking her champagne very slowly because she rarely drinks at all.

"Before meeting Ziggy, I'd never met anyone from Britain. Most people who travel stay on the coasts and don't usually come to the middle of the country." They were both doing something new and that was exciting. Then that kiss th her hand and she blushed red all across her nose and cheeks, smiling shyly. She hadn't dated much and most of the people she had dated were women, not men. Even so, he had a sort of charm to his quiet but open-minded personality.

"You're right. It doesn't matter." She sighed and finally looked up with the blush fading. "I was introduced to him by a mutual friend who was telling me how, because of how he was born, he can't really see a doctor or go to a hospital."