“Horses and cryptos,” he said.
“Those aren’t real hobbies,” she responded, taking another sip of her cabernet. The wine was good. The company was not. She managed to not roll her eyes. She maintained.
He stared at the center of the table for a while. He played with the sweat on the side of his glass. He sipped. The whiskey was good.
“How aren’t they hobbies?” he asked.
“What you’re telling me is that you like to gamble,” she said. “Gambling is your hobby.”
“Well, I mean. I do like the horses. The cryptos are just like a…”
“It’s okay. Tell me,” she cut him off, “what about the horses do you like?”
“They’re beautiful. I like how they run. I wonder how they name them sometimes. Such big, powerful, majestic creatures,” he said.
“Ever ridden one?” she asked.
“No. Have you?” he said.
“Yes.”
“Oh nice. When?”
“I have a horse that I keep stabled just outside the city,” she said. “I grew up around horses. Have you ever been on a horse farm?”
“No. But that’s really neat that you have a horse,” he said, shifting his weight in his seat.
“So, you just like watching horses at the track then?” she said.
“That’s really the only place I’ve seen them.”
“Have you ever visited the stables before or after the races?”
“No.”
“Have you ever gone and just watched them without betting on them?”
“Not since I was a kid when my old man took me. It wouldn’t be as fun as an adult otherwise.”
“But you love horses.”
“Sure, they’re great. Are you giving me a hard time here? I don’t get it.”
She sipped again.
“It’s just that I think you saw that I had a horse on my profile. And I think you’re trying to impress me by saying you like horses, which I get, but, you’re also just lying.”
“I’m not lying. Horses are pretty.”
“Yes they are,” she looked at him and couldn’t decide whether it was pity or annoyance that she felt.
His face looked stern, offended.
Annoyance it is.
“Look, I think your tie is very pretty.”
“Thank you.”
“But also I don’t give a shit about ties.”
“I…”
“You say you ‘love’ horses and cryptos.”
“The first one I understand because you saw that I had a horse. The second one is what, because it sounds techy and advanced? Do you own any cryptocurrency?”
“I dabble a little bit.”
“Okay, do you have a portfolio outside of crypto?”
“I’ve bought a few things.”
“Any big wins? What’s the cap on the cryptos that you do have? What’s the trading volume. Who is accepting the currency?”
“That’s a little personal. A lot of different things,” he shifted again.
“Not much hm?”
“Why would you assume that?”
“You seem to want to impress me about shit that you don’t actually know enough about to impress someone with. I figured you’d have some story. You went with gambling. You’re probably not that good at that either. Maybe I’m wrong. But I don’t think I am.”
“You’re kind of a bitch,” he said. “I just wanted you to like me.”
“Thank you,” she said. “I don’t.” She finished her wine. It really was very good.
She went home and opened another bottle for herself. There was a new drama on Netflix starring Nicole Kidman and Hugh Lorrie that her friends were raving about. She was very excited for the first time that evening.