Lovely Rita

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Lovely Rita, meter maid
May I inquire discreetly
When are you free to take some tea with me?
Rita!Took her out and tried to win her
Had a laugh and over dinner
Told her I would really like to see her again
Got the bill and Rita paid it
Took her home, I nearly made it
Sitting on the sofa with a sister or two
Oh, lovely Rita, meter maid
Where would I be without you
Give us a wink and make me think of you - The Beatles


I remember the next day when I woke up I ran to catch the bus immediately to make my way back over to the record store. I knew that girl had to be there. She worked there. Looking back on this this whole act of mine was a bit stalker-is and now looking back on this day I don't blame her skepticism, but you truly have to understand that these were the times. Along with that I was very much fascinated with this Scandinavian girl. Her odd personality yet dominating attitude on stage attracted me to her she was any metalhead's dream girl.

Once, I arrived there at the seedy record shop I saw her there ordering and filing different vinyls while smoking a cigarette in between deep and apathetic sighs. You surely didn't look or act anything like you did last night. It was like witnessing two different people. I began to awkwardly shift up towards her working desk as she continued to stamp prices onto the wrapped cases. 

"What do you want?" She mumbled out still focusing on her work. It felt like I was pretty much invisible to her at first. She didn't even look up to me while she was speaking. For really the first time in my life I was rather flustered and at a lost for words. To many I am rather outgoing and egotistical, however, around her it was like I was stripped away of all confidence in pride. It was as if I was in someone else's den and it showed with how she would address me when we would first meet.

"You were really good last night." 

"Thanks." She responded rather disinterested. She continued to flip through the different vinyl and CD sleeves making sure that they were all proper and in check. However, I couldn't just let her turn her away from me so easily and without a single hesitation in her mind.  

I turned to the interviewer yet again still in my nostalgic daze. "I remember saying, 'Hey that's a cool shirt.' To which she just said ended up saying, 'It's fucking Venom.'" I chuckled to myself mimicking her accented voice. "She never sounded so enthusiastic around me before. That's when I learned that the way to a girl's heart was through heavy metal."

From then on it was just a light and rather airy conversation. Who would have known that heavy metal would unite us. While, she was more of an avid Motörhead fan than she was a Diamond Head fan, but she still loved to talk about them just about the same. We joked around with each other quite frequently which eventually lead us to becoming friends.

It was towards the end of her shift when she was signing out that I finally gained the courage to ask her for her name and possibly a phone number. She was so short that I practically towered over her too. She merely nodded and pulled out a small sliver of paper and jotted down her name in rather beautiful cursive.

Rita 213-502-1221 was sprawled out across the paper in soft and delicate writing. For a while I stood there gaping at the sheet of paper like it was the Holy Grail. 

"Hey are you ok there?" She started, "You need to leave we are closing up right now."

She stood there adjacent to the door in her navy blue parka that practically covered and shadowed her entire body.  I immediately ran back up to her before she lost any interest in me yet again. After we both exited the shop and she locked up I spoke up trying to formulate something before it was too late.

"Hey, where are you going now?" I stumbled out clumsily. 

"Back to my apartment, why?" 

"Come on Rita. The night is still young. Don't you want to do something fun or exciting at the very least? What are you some meter maid!" I called out to her rather sarcastically.

She suddenly turned around to face me with a light blush spreading on her pale face and smirked rather shyly. "What are you trying to do? Take me out for some tea?"  "As corny as that sounds that's what really broke the ice with us and got her to start talking to me more." I stated cringing a bit at our past interactions that night. We stood their silent for some time staring at each other rather dumbly until we both broke out into loud laughs of hysteria. All I could think at that point was that, 'Hey at least we have one thing in common. We both like the Beatles.'.

She then made her way over to me and nudged my arm with her own small form. "Come on, man!" She told me discreetly.  "You're taking me out to dinner first!" She stated rather happily. I truly was nothing but compliant and ready to oblige. I never really knew that this would be the first of many nights for us.

I don't know if what we did could really be called a true dinner date, but on the plus side you weren't really that hard to please. This was kinda impromptu so we just decided to pickup some Chinese food and raid a local 7/11 for snacks and what not. However, all throughout the night to refused for me to actually pay for anything we bought. That was something I was going to have to get used to getting the bill and having her pay for it. 

"She was always very hardheaded when it came to stuff like that." I smiled looking back. " I would always ask, 'Why don't you want me to pay? I'm suppose to treat you. You're a girl. I'm supposed to be gentlemanly.'" I remember having her glare up at me that night suddenly shifting her tone. While, she said it jokingly I knew well that it wasn't a joke. She firmly stood by it and meant it. 

" So," She pondered. "Your hair is longer than mine, Lars, stop acting like my femininity is what makes you have to pay for my meals."

After that I remember arriving at her apartment and just jumping around like idiots to what ever was playing on the TV. She was always shifting the channels, and when it eventually landed on a music variety channel like MTV, VH1, or the like she'd start mimicking whatever dumbass was on it. I believe it was then I vaguely started to realize while coming down from my sugar high that she was the girl for me. She was and is still always my lovely Rita.

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