The Home Stretch

I'm in the final few weeks of dating the Israeli. His mother and brother are both here, staying at his place. And if nothing else, their arrival has fueled his interest in seeing me, more than it has been in the past 3 months.

Last Monday, I got a text message from the Israeli, it read "Please call me as soon as you can." When I get text messages like that, from people I don't normally get messages from... it freaks me out a bit. I was waiting in the subway station when I checked my message, and since there is no reception down there, I couldn't call him until I was above ground. I worried the entire way home that it was something a lot more serious than it turned out to be. I called him while I was walking home, and sure enough, he just wanted to see what I was doing, and he said he would call me back in a few minutes. A few minutes and 2 hours later, he called and asked me if I wanted to go to Union Hall with him and some of his friends (first time I've been invited out with his friends) and then stay over his place, since his mother was in Syracuse overnight. I had a project that was due on Tuesday, and I had already taken off work Tuesday to get it done, I could not justify going out to his place while I had so much work to do. I told him that, and he said that his mother would not be back until Weds, and if I wanted I could come over Tuesday night when I was finished my paper.

I finished my project around 5ish on Tuesday afternoon. I called the Israeli, but he did not answer. I didn't leave a message, but did not hear back from him at all. Around 7:30 I needed to figure out what I was doing for the rest of the evening, so I called him again. Again, he did not answer, but about 2 minutes after I called I got a text message from him. The text message said that he was at the ballet seeing Romeo and Juliet. He did not mention what time he'd be done, or if we were still seeing each other later. I sent him a text back that said I was going to the gym and to let me know if he still wanted me to come over later. I went to the gym and when I came back around 9:30, I still had not heard from him. I called his home phone around 10, figuring if he wasn't there, I wouldn't leave a message, and he wouldn't know that I called. There was no answer, and I did not leave a message. Around midnight I was irritated that I still had not heard from him. I called his home phone again, much to my surprise, someone answered. It was not the Israeli. In fact, it was a woman with a thick Israeli accent. It was his mom. I did not know what to do, so I did what any person (under the age of 15?) would do in that situation - I hung up. I mean what kind of girl calls a guys apartment after midnight... I didn't want his mom to think I am whatever type of girl that is.

I had a missed call from the Israeli on Weds around 2 - when I am definitely in school, and definitely can not answer my phone. I called him back when I got out of the subway on my way home, and was pretty short with him because I was still irritated from the night before. He asked me if he could spend the night at my place that night. I already had plans to go to the movies with a co-worker, although he could have come over after, I still told him no. I wasn't expecting to hear from him again that night, but he called me around 10:30, just to see what I was doing. I had just gotten home, and was not in the mood to entertain the possibility of him coming over. So I told him I was going to bed, and I'd talk to him tomorrow. The Israeli never calls me multiple days in a row, but this past week was a huge exception. He called me Thursday afternoon, a few times. We talked and decided that he'd stay over my place Friday night. He texted me on Friday, multiple times, telling me his plans, and asking me if he could bring anything over. Very sweet, and completely out of character.

He ended up getting to my place earlier than expected, and I was in the middle of watching a movie with my roommate. He joined us, and was pretty much well behaved for the majority of the movie. He was being very cuddly with me while we watched the movie, with his arm around me, and rubbing my back and neck, kissing me on the head. It was all very PG, and I definitely was receptive (and Ok, maybe even a bit reciprocal) to it. My roommate claims that it was very "boyfriend/girlfriend-y."

After the movie ended, the Israeli talked to my roommate for a while, and she gave him advice on touring NYC by foot and places to take his mom and brother. I'm completely inept in this area and stayed out of this conversation completely. Afterward, the Israeli challenged me to a game of Scrabble. I don't know that I would ever feel confident enough to challenge someone to a game where I wasn't a native speaker and the other person was, apparently the Israeli feels that his English skills are parallel to mine. I'm not one to back down to a challenge, no matter how unbalanced it was. He was the one who claimed that he would "kick my ass", not vice-versa. I just simply countered his challenge with my own. I agree that I had an unfair advantage, but I wasn't the one who put the challenge out in the first place. Needless to say, the game didn't last too long before the Israeli realized he was going to lose by a long shot. I am fairly competent when it comes to Scrabble, it's always been my favorite game, and I don't ever play to lose, to a native English speaker or not.

We decided about half-way through the game that we didn't need to finish the game. He forfeited gracefully, and we got ready for bed. While we were in bed that night, he brought up relationship conversations again. I'm not sure if he's getting anxious because he's leaving so soon, but I feel like we talk about this a lot. He again told me how much he was going to miss me... and as per usual, I laughed. He gets irritated when I laugh, and I understand that, but it's my way of reacting without having to tell him that I'm going to miss him too. Of course I'm going to miss him, and eventually I did end up telling him that, but not until after he called me cold hearted, and accused me of not caring.

We slept in the next morning, and were going to have brunch, but ended up not having enough time. He had to meet his brother and mother at 12:45. He invited me to go to Coney Island with them, but thankfully I already had plans. We walked out together, a kiss goodbye, parting ways for me to go the gym and the Israeli to the subway.

These next few weeks will be interesting to say the least. I have no idea how often or when I will see him. I haven't heard from him, and don't know when I will.