Nick's Take
I had been working at IBM for a year or so and had been single for
far too long (at least a month) when I realized that I should
start up a co-ed intramural volleyball team to meet some ladies. I
solicited the help from one of my friends who looked like a
long-lost Backstreet Boy ... I figured he would be the bait, and
I would be the hook. He went off with the task of finding
the most attractive ladies at IBM ... which means about as much
as finding the most intelligent people at a Republican Convention
(sorry Chad). He came through though, and convinced the hottest
lady at IBM ... dare I say Vermont ... dare I say the world to
play on our team.
We decided to meet up at a bar one Wednesday night to introduce
everyone on the team to each other before our first game.
I met Colleen and she was gorgeous so I didn't really think
I had a shot. I tried to buy her a drink anyway, and she
confirmed my suspicions of me not having a chance when she
politely declined my offer.
Strike One
We talked later that night, but I just figured she pitied me
so I didn't read too much into it.
Colleen came by my office a couple days later to drop off the
money for the league. I did my time honored approach of
not allowing any awkward silences in the conversation,
which means she never opportunity to leave. This filibuster
lasted exactly 9 hours and after exhausting such topics as
old school Nintendo(particularly Colleen's love for Tetris), tennis, He-man, The Contest
episode from Seinfeld, and aluminum siding techniques I ran
out of things to say. Colleen immediately took advantage
of the awkward silence and ran out of my office as fast as
she could.
The following week, armed with a copy of Tetris in my khaki cargo
pocket I stormed into Colleen's office, smoothly gave
her my "extra" copy of Tetris, and demanded she play tennis with me.
She agreed and later that week we met up to play. We put a side bet
on the game that loser would buy dinner (smooth, smooth). At the
end of the first set, I acted so emmotionally and physicall drained that
I couldn't go on anymore and conceded the match to Colleen (smooth, smooth).
However, when I tried to make plans for Saturday night she acted shocked
that I was serious about the bet and appeared to make up some excuse about
how she may or may not be doing some with her roommate that night ... maybe.
Strike Two
She said that we **maybe** could do a weeknight date though the following week,
and once again, I thought she was just saying things cause she pitied me and didn't read
too much into it.
Colleen was actually true to her word, and we went on a date that following Wednesday,
September 11, 2002. I took her to the New England Culinary Institute and told some
raw jokes that would make most girls flee in terror, but Colleen was lovin' it. I had
found the one. We went to a movie after dinner and went back to my house after that and
played some Tetris. I walked her outside and gave her a little peck on the lips to seal
the deal.
Homerun
(Okay, technically first base, but you get the point)
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Colleen's Take
I met Nick about a month into my full-time employment.
I think the process leading up to our meeting was somewhat involved.
My college roommate and I attended a party where I met some of the people that I had interned with the previous summer.
We got to chatting, and it turns out that one of them was good friends with someone in my new department.
The following week, I received an email recruiting me to play intramural co-ed volleyball.
I wouldn’t say that I’m "good" at sports, only that I’ll try to play them, so I was a little nervous about
the competitiveness of the team. After a few emails back and forth, I was convinced that
it wouldn’t be competitive, just a good time and a way to meet other people around the same age.
After officially giving the OK, I began receiving emails from the team captain, Nick Rutar.
Nick’s emails in the beginning had me very curious about him.
If you know Nick, you know that he has a sense of humor that is all his own, and that
definitely came through in those first few emails to the team.
I finally got my chance to meet the guy behind the typing at a ‘get to know your team’ bar outing on a
random Wednesday at the end of August 2002. I remember going to the bar not really knowing anyone,
sitting and chatting with a few people, and then turning around and being introduced to “Nick Rutar”.
I remember thinking “So THAT is Nick Rutar” he was this tall good looking guy in a black coat.
He sorta disappeared for awhile, but then eventually he came back around and sat at my table and we
got to talking about first jobs mine in the cheese department of Wegmans, and his in a chicken farm,
At that point I think Nick offered to buy me a drink, which I declined ...
I had to get home so that I could get up early to go to the gym before work.
I kept thinking about him during the drive home ... he was so easy to talk to, and he had a cute smile :)
I went to Nick’s office the week before Labor Day to give my team dues, and we ended up sitting down and chatting for an hour or so.
I think we randomly talked about playing tennis together sometime. I didn’t think he’d actually call to follow up.
But he did, after Labor Day we got together to play tennis, which lead to a trip to the mall and lots of chatting.
He had placed a bet on the tennis match that the loser had to buy the winner dinner, and of course due to my wonderful
tennis skills I won (lol), so Nick asked me out for dinner the following Saturday night.
Unfortunately though, I already had tentative plans to go to a festival with my roommate.
At that point, we were trying to be really careful about not blowing each other off
so I had to tell him that I wasn’t sure and that I may already have plans.
We got together with a group later on that night to go out in Burlington, and unfortunately
I had to turn Nick down for Saturday night since the plans with my roommate had held.
I asked if we could do it during the week instead. He agreed, and our first date was set for the following Wednesday night.
Nick took me to the New England Culinary Institute on Wednesday.
I remember running into Kristin at the mall before the date trying to calm my nerves.
At that point I didn’t know if it was an “actual” date or just an “I lost the bet” get together.
Not to mention that I hadn’t been out on a date in a few years at that point, so I was a little shaky.
Kristin helped me to calm down a little and sent me to meet Nick at the restaurant.
I don’t remember exactly everything we talked about.
There are a few key things that I remember which tested both my sense of humor and my likelihood to spit out wine if taking a gulp during the middle of a joke,
but overall, I remember leaving dinner being really glad that it was an actual date.
We had a good time talking that night and we didn’t want the night to end, so we followed up dinner with a movie (My Big Fat Greek Wedding),
and then some old school Tetris back at Nick’s place.
He ended the evening with a very gentle kiss, and I haven’t been able to stop thinking about him since.
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