So I asked this girl out...

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Well technically I don't think that's true. She knows that's what I want to do, but I'm skipping ahead.
So I worked seasonally at a large retail store. It was my third year (or season rather) there working in the back unloading boxes etc. A lot of young people work there, often teenagers, so I was probably the second oldest person there not counting management or people working in the baby department (who are mostly parents themselves). I was pretty well liked there because I'm funny and generally considered a good worker. However, being older than most people there it seemed like it wouldn't be that good a place to meet girls.

I remember once a girl telling someone about some guy asking for her BBM number which was odd since he didn't have a BlackBerry. Anyway, she ended the story saying "...and I'm only 18." This guy was younger than me so if he was considered old then what was I? This was discouraging. Also some girls there weren't even 18 so it seemed like there wouldn't be anyone for me there.

I've heard the range for the socially acceptable minimum age a person can date is half your age plus eight years. (I've also heard seven but the difference may be in whether you round up or down.) This puts my minimum at 23, and I have a hard time judging peoples age so I don't even know who's in that range and it's weird to just ask someone that out of nowhere. Especially a guy asking it of a girl who is clearly younger than him.
I've made a point to say hello to girls who I see at work. People who work on the floor come to the back to get more stuff and get rid of empty boxes. One girl caught my attention. I think it was because she responded well when I or others talked to her but she wasn't so outgoing that she was constantly attracting attention.

Of course I had another day of thinking how screwed I am being old by how many years since I was born, but how young I am in every other way and it would be too much for someone to want to deal with me being both older than them and younger at the same time. It's a lot to get your head around. With that on my mind I came into work a somewhat crushed in spirit, but no more than usual. Then she showed up. I don't think I said anything to her the first time she came by but the second I gave her an enthusiastic greeting which she reacted well too and we exchanges a few words. I started feeling better after that, and it had taken so little for things to feel better. I was only working their for another week and only a few days in that week so it wasn't long before I'd have no regular contact with people again. I then thought that there was no reason I had to leave empty handed. I never asked anyone out before and had wondered before if I was even capable of doing it, but I decided then that I was not going to leave without asking her out. The rest of the day I made a point to keep her in the loop on whatever humorous stuff I had going on, so it wasn't just greetings shared between us. This may have qualified as flirting but I have no idea what that feels or looks like so I don't really know.
I checked the schedule to see when she was working. We didn't have work together again until my last two days, the first I was leaving when she started and the last (Christmas eve) we'd only be there together for two hours. On the first day I made a point to see her on the way out and asked if she was in tomorrow though I already knew. She told me her hours and asked mine. I told her and she said "OK. We'll see each other then." I noticed the way she said that and the words she used. If she casually said "I'll see you then" that just sounds like a statement of fact. We'd be in the same building so it would be likely we would see each other. The was she said it sounded more like a plan.

I had two hours where we were working at the same time. At one time I showed a comical but not hyperbolic or sarcastic level of excitement when she showed up so she knew I was happy to see her. I had come up with cleaver ways to find out how old she was and if she had a boyfriend. I didn't think I needed the age test because under visual scrutiny I guessed that she wasn't a teenager, but I compared her to an actress I had met who's age I had misjudged thinking she was eight years younger than she was and asked if she looked her age. She said she was 23. The boyfriend test would have had me make several comical assumptions about her that she would correct, one of which would tell me if she had a boyfriend. I decided not to use it because I wanted to get to the actual question and have her know my intentions even if she did rather than give up before I got that far. When my shift was over I actually was still around for almost an hour after just talking to people and eating (they do a pot luck thing on Christmas eve) and getting Facebook invitations. When I was ready to leave I went to her section and she greeted me with a playful "What are you doing in my section?" and I said "I couldn't come up with a cool way to say this but, do you have a boyfriend and do you wanna hang out sometime?" I asked both questions together so my complete thought was clear. There was too much to think about for me to remember exactly how she looked then but I think she seemed happy I wanted ask. She said "I have a boyfriend and I do want to hang out." She added that she wasn't on Facebook so I wrote down my email address. We said goodby and as I turned to leave and walk away she touched my back.

I hadn't really thought of myself as someone that people would be happy to have be interested in them, but have been there three seasons people knew me there and had nothing but good things to say about me, and my antics did get talked about. Also although I don't know if she knew how old I am some girls do see some pride in someone older (but not too old) being interested in them so that may have worked for me although like I said there's nothing about my but the year I was born that makes me my age. I didn't get exactly the answer I wanted but I felt asking was the important thing for me to have done. I haven't heard from her since then (just over a week), but I don't know how often girls contact guys who are not their boyfriend especially guys who have asked her about her relationship status. Knowing my intentions she probably can't just hang out while she has a boyfriend. Best case is she's keeping me in mind for if things ever go irreparably south with the boyfriend.

So I think it went as well as I could have expected it given the circumstances. I'm counting it as a victory despite going home with any prizes. It wasn't really that hard and things may be easier in the future. The one bad thing is with my poor memory where I have trouble recalling images, I now can't remember what she looks like. I sometimes wonder if that's part of why I often feel alone. People fade from memory so easily that it's like they were never there, and I worry the experience with fade with them. Other than that, good for me.

I don't know if this story is helpful for anyone, but I read (and write) a lot of "I'm screwed" type posts so I thought I'd add a good story. Although I often don't like good stories from people because it seems so distant from my experience that it doesn't really make me feel better about any possibilities but maybe that's just me.