DATE NIGHT, MAKEUP & FROZEN PIZZA

The one smiling a little too much, with the spaced out, slightly glassy eyes?

Well that was me last Friday night.

No…not that one; the other one.

I was totally the weirdy. It took all my will power not to talk to complete strangers.

You see, I was heading out on the town, my friends. Our delightful and competent babysitter was in the house, frozen pizza was in the oven and I was out the gate by 5pm. Even the solo walk to the train station had me grinning like a whacko. I had busted my chops to have the house clean, kids bathed and PJ’ed up, and everything else ready for the babysitter’s arrival. I was meeting Husband in the city for ‘work drinks’ and I was feeling very chic and super cool in my ‘going out’ clothes with MAKEUP.

It’s a weird feeling being alone after spending every day (& night) with small children. Everything is different;  the air feels lighter and freedom zings within it. I strode purposefully (well…as best as I could in HEELS)… and…let’s face it…if I was fitter, I would have ran to that train station.

I had forgotten the rules of travel. DO NOT MAKE EYE CONTACT. In order to achieve this, you must stare in to your smart phones. You may glance up occasionally at the stations to check if it is yours, but for the love of God, DO NOT look out the window or crack a smile. How could I not smile? I was excited. I mean, I do get out, guys, but rarely together as a couple without the kids in tow. I kept thinking I would see someone I know; in fact, I wanted to ‘be seen’. But all I saw was…well…beards. Everywhere. What is with all the beards, Melbourne?

Way too quickly, but forever on my watch, the doors pinged open to ‘The City’. Who knew there were so many people about on a Friday night? This place was pumping and man, I was still moving through Flinders Street Station! I stood at our designated meeting spot and posed as a city worker; so I stared at my phone and looked important.

Husband soon slid his hand into mine and we walked through the streets and laneways (fairly briskly according to my blisters), catching up on our day. Engineer Husband was building roads and I was building lego, so I could totally relate. We made it to a cool, outside beer garden, with a relaxed vibe and an empty table. I pounced. My feet thanked me. I was Out. I people watched and tried not to look like I was going to eat my right arm off after being used to eating dinner at 5 or so with the kids. Husband commented on the brickwork around the central table and I remarked that we had selected Peppa Pig knickers that day in anticipation of baby girl’s toilet training…and it felt magnificent. Food arrived and I could eat it all by myself… in one go…and it was hot.

I am considering, however, starting a movement declaring a ‘folks with babysitters’ queue at busy bars. Every damn second is precious…and costs money. Another minor glitch was the suspected ant in the Bridget Jones knickers, but this was dealt with and resolved at haste. And just for the record, a random man offered to kiss me. Yep….apparently as a joke to make Husband jealous…dubious line methinks…or possibly it was the fact that it started raining and we were under an umbrella in the courtyard…and he had apparently been drinking since lunchtime, but I digress.

Too soon train times were being bandied around and we made our exit just as all the ‘cool’ people actually started to arrive. We walked home from the station, eating donuts and holding hands in the rain, and I longed to see my littlepeople.

It was 9pm.

We really need to get out more.