No one likes to call it a night before anyone else in the evening.  In my thirties, I could careless if I am the first one to tap out in the night.  However, in my younger twenties, that was a completely different story.  You always thought you would miss out on something.  I have always been one to go with the flow of the evening.  I would ride it out wherever it took me.

It was the holidays in 2004.  I was at a bar in Greene County with my Beta buddy, Will, and his older brother.  We were drinking quite a bit.  There was a very handsome man ordering a drink right next to me.  He resembled my favorite frat boy, Ken.  I ended up talking to him.  Nolan was older than me.  He told me he was home for the holidays from Los Angeles.  He said he played Arena Football out there.  I tried to play it cool.  We joined our groups together at the bar and drank the night away.  I was not able to drive.  Nolan had the idea to grab beer and go back to the hotel to drink.  I went with the flow.  He was a gentleman to say the least.  We did not have sex.  We did do some heavy petting and kissing.  He cuddled me up tight through the night.  I was the first one up in the morning.  I was on cloud nine.  I thought it best to savor the feeling by leaving before it could turn awkward.

I found out later that Nolan was well-known in our home town area.  He was also twelve years older than me.  A couple of years later he retired from Arena Football and tried a run at politics.

A handful of years later, I was down in Greene County with my parents at their friends son’s graduation party.  Nolan was there.  He was good friends with them too.  I am not sure if he realized who I was or not.  We did have small talk.  I did not want to make it awkward for everyone.  I had a good laugh to myself.  It is always a small world.

Nolan was actually inducted into the Arena Football Hall of Fame two years ago.  It would have made for a better story if he became a politician.  Ha.