56. DESI BANKER

After meeting Sardar (Post 55), I really believe my luck is changing. I’m in my “not” couture of yoga pants exchanging contact information with Desi Banker. On paper Desi Banker is EXACTLY who I seek --- well educated from Indian boarding school, to IIT (India's Ivy League), to a full-ride scholarship for graduate study in America. He's fit, attractive, loves to dine, successful, and here is the clincher, and he is actually honest about his skin color.

I might have mentioned that Indians are obsessed with skin color, and while I don’t care, I am suspicious when a man says he is fair but turns out to be darker. I mean really, if he is going to lie about WHAT I CAN SEE (since I am not blind), what else is a man willing to lie about?

I flop onto the couch and debate what to do with my night when the phone rings. It is a New Jersey area code and decide to pick up. Oh my, it is Desi Banker asking if this is a good time to talk. Why not? I mean how many times can I adjust my makeshift bun?

We talk about our families and siblings. He asks me why I moved to NYC and I’m honest and say, I'm an aspiring writer. He finds my ambition noble, saying few people care about their dreams. As we chat about independent films and Amy Winehouse, he shares his former life in Minneapolis. Turns out the Desi Banker has lived all over the country from Indiana, Minnesota, Washington, Georgia, Texas and now New York. Because the Banker really enjoyed life in Minnesota (snowshoeing at the Minnesota Zoo in Apple Valley, to hiking north of Duluth and running along the trails in Minneapolis), an intimate connection forms --- not in a sexual way, but a genuine commonality. He asks me about Uptown eateries and his old haunts, and end up laughing at how much we strangers have in common.

After 45 minutes, we decide to meet for dinner the following Monday. He asks me to select a place and send him the details. Of course, I shall comply!