Monday, January 26, 2009

FHE a.k.a Freakin' Horrible Experiance


Today I went to a Stake Singles Ward FHE activity. I asked my friend earlier today what she was doing, because I was feeling bored and wanted to hang out with her. She said simply "It's Monday, I'll be at FHE". I asked her what we were doing at the activity. She said "desserts or something". I was in!! We car pooled there and I was excited to see what we were doing. The parking lot of the stake building was packed and we took the very last space, since we arrived fashionably late. We walked into the church basketball/Sunday School/Sacrement over flow room, and it was packed. There had to be about 300 people crammed into that room.

I immediately noticed that every one was wearing name tags. "Hello, my name is Justin" "Hello, my name is Jennifer" My friends just smile and say that we should go and get name tags. Squeezing my way to the other side of the room where the lines where, I start to notice that people are not just wearing their name on the front, they are wearing a very interesting name on their back. "Hello, my name was Justin" was sporting a name tag on his back that said "Prince Eric". "Hello, my name is Jennifer" was wearing a word "outside" on her back. I was in a state of major confusion.

When we were in the line I found out by some extremely silly and giggly girls, that we were supposed to have our name on the front, and a special word on the back. We were then supposed to socialize until we found out what our word was (which I found highly entertaining) and then find the opposite word on the other gender (huh, interesting). We would then be each other's date for the rest of the evening (YIKES), and then be able to make a dessert as a couple. (I was terrified.) My low self esteem was I thinking that I was the largest girl in the whole room; I was probably going to get the smallest scared kid or the shallowest cocky one to be coupled with. I was extremely nervous of seeing the future disgust on the unknown prey; I decided that I didn't want to do the game.

My girlfriends were not ok with that, one of them started to write an awful nickname of mine as my name tag sticker. I quickly wrote my plan nick name, Rie, on the sticker and shoved it on my shirt. The girl handing out the "on your back" stickers looked confused when I faced her, but she quickly scribbled my mystery word and my friend placed it on my back.

One of my friends had the word "bottom" on her back. I thought it was really funny, until a very tall handsome stranger walked up to her and gave a nice smile while saying, "I think you are my Bottom". (What a line!!) She giggled and went to the dessert cart with "Mr. Top".

I was left alone but I had fun and socialized and found out that my mystery word was "low". I was interested to find my opposite, but I soon found out why the hand out girl looked so confused when she gave me my mystery word, It was because she had already written the word "low" on another girls back. (But she apparently couldn't remember and so she made a duplicate. My mystery was a duplicate!)

The "other low" girl was very short, blonde, pretty, skinny, and giggly. She saw my name tag and giggled, "Oh, I guess that we are both low".
"I guess so" I said.
"Well, I wonder who Mr. High is, have you seen him?"
"Nope, but now I'm hoping that they're two of Mr. High" I laughed awkwardly.
She looked at me very doubtfully. "Well, I'll see you later." With a dead pan stare of GAME ON, she left.

I had no idea what to do and so I left to stand in line, singly, with my Bottom friend at the dessert table. Bottom asked what happened and I told her. She said that we were going to find my "Mr. High" before "Ms. Low #1" could. I pleaded for her to forget it, but like a true friend she grabbed my hand and "Mr. Top" and the three of us set out into the awful jungle.

Ariel and Eric found each other. Barnes and Noble found each other. Ms. Outdoors found Mr. Indoors.

Low and behold, we found him. He was the smallest kid in the whole group. But he was wearing a huge grin and looked nice so I thought I'd just say hi and get it over with.
"Hi, I'm uhh, well I'm Low" Man that sounded stupid, and slightly depressed.
His face went into a shock of horror. Wide eyed and pale he said, "Oh, well I guess I'm Mr. High, but I already found my low."
I looked across from him and noticed, low #1 standing by him with her smirk smile. "I found him first!" she said while he smiled and got into the dessert line with her.

I was dumbstruck. I had no idea what to do. I tried to bring Bottom and Top with me to the dessert table continuingly telling them that I was ok being the third wheel to their date. But Bottom wouldn't have it. She took me back up to the mystery word table, where there was absolutely no line and asked (really loudly, I might add) for another mystery word for me. The guy who was watching the table said, "We already gave away all of the name tags. Looks like we had more girls than there were boys. You guys can just go and get a dessert." I tried to shy away into a dark corner, but Bottom wouldn't have it. "You made her a duplicate. She doesn't have an opposite out there! Can't you just make up more words??" she basically was yelling at him. He looked really annoyed and replied, "The only other men here that don't have a mystery tag are married. Sorry." he adds to looking at me briefly.

Of course I try to make a joke about this before I start crying, "Well there is a Mr. High out there but he already has a wife, and well uhh, we don't practice polygamy any more." I gave an awkward laugh and the guy didn't even smile. But he did leave the table.

I remain without a date, without original mystery, without a dessert, and known as the girl who tried to joke about polygamy at a stake activity.
I am Ms Low. Number 2.

9 comments:

Lisa said...

Oh Rie Pie, What a Post, this is a story right out of single girl HELL.
Could it be an worse? I want to sit on Blondie (low #1). People are so shallow. So doe this make you want to run out and go to every Single Ward activity? It would me. Thank goodness you have dear friends that LOVE YOU. I am so sorry this happened.
I love you and can not wait to spend time with you and Jasper on Friday.

Mindy said...

Oh, my heart bleeds for you!! I'm a friend of Lisa's and she told me to read this post. I'm a 41 yr old single woman in this wonderful world full of Ms Low #1's ... I feel your pain!! I know how hard it can be and I'm sorry ... but remember, things could always be worse! They really can!! Chin up my dear ... this will be a story you will enjoy telling one day I promise! :) **HUGS** from a single woman who knows how it feels.

Rie Pie said...

Ha. Thanks for the support. I was cracking up the whole time I was writing this blog. I found it funny. Humiliating, but funny. Thanks for the hug.
Oh, and Lisa, I'm so excited for our party!!! More excited to be able to talk about a fictional boyfiend without being stared at like i'm crazy. lol

Lisa said...

Oh I love you Rie. You just make me smile. You are such a fun person. So full of life and so smart. You are clever and passionate. I love your smile and your sense of humor. You are my kind of gal. Hope you did not mind me tell Mindy to read your blog, I just knew she understood how felt.
I too am looking forward to all of us swooning over the Cullens. See ya then my friend.

The Rookie said...

Remember how last week you said, "Girls, we just need to get out there." THIS is why I told you no freaking way. I've been in a similar boat many-a-time (though not quite so stinging).

This is the best and worst post ever. Hilarious in its pitch-perfect clarity summarizing the life of the single Mormon gal, depressing in its pitch-perfect clarity summarizing the life of the single Mormon gal.

Can I post a link to it on my blog? Oh can I, please. Or maybe I could just steal your pain and use it in that LDS cheesy romance novel I'm going to write one day and make bank on for a big fat tropical vacation I'm taking you on. Because people NEED to understand what IT (single hell) is like. And we need a vacation.

You are perfect and I love you! And your acronym for FHE (though I might replace "horrible" with "hellish").

Oh, and just to remind you that, though it was awful, at least it didn't involve a national television audience: "Two weeks! I want a date! Two weeks date you so sexy!"

And finally, I hope homemade tacos and root beer floats sound yummy for our weekly Tuesday Biggest Loser date.

Lera said...

So sorry you had such an awful night. I've been there, singledom can be rough. But hang in there, and keep putting yourself out there. It WILL happen. Love you!

Wendy said...

It's better to be low than high...I hear. ;)

You rock. Loved the polygamy joke!!!

we love cake!!! said...

Oh Rie! I know I havent seen you in a long time but I my heart is aching for you. I've been there and done that....too many times(being the big girl in the meat circus of that which is a singles ward). Hang in there babe. Girls like us are just too much woman for a dumb "mr.high".....and "ms,low #1".....to handle!!! I love you!!!

Alice said...

I love the polygamy joke.

As for the story...painfully hard for me. Knowing all too well that feeling of wishing the world would open up and eat me.

I hate boys.

Love you! ;)