Let me tell you a story...

about another July 3rd. My best friend had recently been cheated on by her boyfriend and was trying to get over it. As a result we were going out and she was "on the prowl".

I was barely 23 - single, living in a southern city, and really having a good time. We decided to go to a restaurant/bar that had some pool tables. After eating dinner, we started shooting pool.

Somewhere during the night two hotties walked in. My friend says to me (and I shall never forget this) "I want one of them!". Yeah, yeah, I think to myself, and turn around to take my next shot. By the time I finished shooting one of the hotties had found his way to her and was offering to pick up our tab if they could shoot pool with us. Of course we said yes to the offer (neglecting to mention that our dinner was still on the open tab).

Hottie #1 was very outgoing, charming and flirty. Hottie #2 was quiet and shy, but cute nonetheless. Soon there were more alcohol shots than pool shots going on at our table, and my friend and I had to make the required bathroom run together (because no self-respecting woman in a bar goes to the restroom alone, correct?). There we had an urgent discussion where I convinced her that the flirty one should be hers. I must now confess that this was mainly because his discussion of rehab from his cocaine addiction made me a bit nervous (oh boy Lambette - did I ever actually tell you this is why I pushed you towards him... :). Anywho, this meant I got the shy one.

Well, one $250 bar tab later, the guys got nothing but our phone numbers. Which they did call on the 4th of July, and we did all get together and hang out. By the following week my friend decided flirty guy wasn't for her - although she handled the cocaine rehab better than I, the handcuffs he pulled out on the 4th date were a bit much for her.

As for me - you've already guessed the end of this story. The shy one is indeed Nurse Hottie, and we met 11 years ago today.