B is for Bel-Loc

Aah. The Bel-Loc Diner. The place where Paul took me for our first official date. By official I mean, all alone where he spent money on me. I remember how much money, too. About eight-five cents. It was the price of a cup of hot tea in mid-November of '85. He ordered a glass of iced tea, his beverage of choice to this day. I'm not sure how many refills we had during our romantic conversation in that made-for-television ambiance, but he got his money's worth. What I remember is that this was the place when he finally told me how he really felt about me. Up until then, he wasn't altogether sure how I felt about him, either. The situation was this: I had met Paul through a friend of his. (I'll call him Vince.) Well, Vince started liking me. A lot. But even though it wasn't mutual, Paul didn't want to upset the proverbial apple cart. The two of them had been having lunch downtown together nearly every day for many months because they both worked in Baltimore city. Until I came along, their lunch conversations had flowed freely. Then they started mentioning "the ministry" that the three of us were involved in on Saturdays in the city. (It was an outreach to kids--Bible study, games, snacks, singing.) The ministry was quickly becoming a magnet for my heart in more ways than one. I was drawn more to Paul than to the ministry, sad to say. He could play a mean guitar and he was so gentle and good with kids, and easy to talk to. By that I mean, I could talk a lot and he was a good listener! Poor guy. It's still that way. And his jade green eyes? Well, they were made to look into my hazel ones. (Are you gagging yet?) Long story short (do I know how to make that happen?) I wanted to cut Vince loose so I could be pursued by the tall, slim guitar player whose last name I thought would be cool with my first name. You know, in case we ever got married or something absurd like that. I mean, how often does a person get to choose double Z's for initials? Thankfully, I didn't have to cut Vince loose. He cut me loose. One evening he invited me over to his place for dinner. I got so lost on the way, showing up more than an hour late. He thought I'd stood him up. When I finally got there, he said to me, "Z, it's okay. Paul only has eyes for you. It's obvious. No one can deny that." The awkwardness was lifted, and I felt free to be friends with Vince and maybe Paul's girlfriend. Maybe more than his girlfriend. The Bel-Loc Diner , conveniently located just across from where I worked as a hostess, became the place where Paul shared, in very few words, that he wanted to get to know me exclusively. I wish I could remember his exact words.( I think I was so smitten by his eyes that my hearing suffered.) Right there in a 1950's diner in a Baltimore 'burb.