Words_"This is a Stick Up!"

Last week I asked Robbe if he was going to ask me on a date on Saturday. This ultra-romantic gesture on my behalf was so overwhelming to him that we both ended up blacking out on the spot from sheer endorphin overload. I took this as a sign that my efforts in romance could be dulled down a bit and that I don't always have to "Go big or go home" every time I try to plan me and Robbe time. Lesson learned. So, Saturday, we decided to try a local's favorite: Annabel Lee's Tavern (yes, Edgar Allen Poe, yes). We sat at the bar, cheersed our beers, and shamelessly filled our bellies with delicious baked brie, tuna, chicken salad, blue cheese cole slaw and greasy duck fat fries. I think I heard my wedding dress weeping from 25 miles away. Or maybe that was me.

Anyway, the meal was delicious; we gave it a very firm wink and a smile and yes, we look forward to returning, especially for future happy hours and anytime we feel a good "caw-caw"  or "nevermore" in our bones. 

We started to walk home. It had started to rain. As we came down the street just one block over from our house, we spotted one of our friends about 30 yards away, running in and out of her house to her car. 

"Hey, I think that's Sarah," Robbe said. 

"Oh, let's go say hi!" I said. "You know what would be funny is if we pretend like we're holding her up." I smashed my hands together in a gun formation and paused to try a few "Stick 'em up!" scenarios. 

We walked up to the house. A guy was standing at the open trunk of her car, rearranging boxes. The door to the house was open and Sarah was leaning over a set of boxes with her back to us. Robbe leapt up the stairs into the house and yelled, "Hey!" I, of course, got into position with my "gun" pointed directly at her and a huge smile on my face. I waited for her to acknowledge us before I took my "Stick 'em up!" cue. As she turned around to look at us, I simultaneously surveyed the house and realized for that very split second that nothing looked familiar to me from the last time I was there. 

"What?! What?! What's going on?! Oh shit, what?!" The girl yelled as she made eye contact with both of us.

"Ssssstick---" I trailed and lowered my "gun."

"Oh my gosh," Robbe put his hand up. "I'm sorry."

It wasn't Sarah. Obviously. It was a brown-haired girl, yes, like Sarah's, but was not Sarah; nor was this her house. 

"I'm so sorry," Robbe said. "We thought you were someone else. We saw you from far away and you looked just like our friend and, ok, sorry." He backed out of the house with me already out the door. I added: "Her house is the next block down." Like that made the situation any better.

The guy who was at the car hadn't moved an inch. He just looked at us nonplussed as we started down the block and said, "It happens all the time."