Looking for alternatives, I PM'd a couple other providers, including Amber the Housekeeper. However, I did not hear back from her until late Monday afternoon:
[Staff edit. M]
Wow, I thought -- gotta give this girl credit for trying. I called, identified myself, and let her know that my place wasn't presentable. But would she like to meet me at one of my favorite steak houses by the Big Boots; and, if she felt comfortable with me (she never mentioned references), we'd repair to her incall for an hour afterward?
That sounded great to her, and we agreed to meet at 7:00 PM. Having given a description of myself, I told her I'd be waiting at the bar.
On the way, I wondered to myself: Did I mention to her that dinner was off the clock? I thought I had. However, knowing that she'd been "stiffed" by a client early this year ( see her alert at http://www.eccie.net/showthread.php?t=355797 ), I decided to leave nothing to chance, and sent her the following text msg:
[Staff edit. M]
Had she not been "OK with that", I expected a call back, so we could either compromise on the hourly rate for that part of the date, or call off the date altogether, with no hard feelings on either's part. However, having heard nothing in reply, I called at 6:44, to let her know I'd arrived, and was sitting at the bar; no answer (busy driving, perhaps?), so I left a message.
7:09 -- Called again. Hung up after 3-4 rings.
7:19 -- No answer. Left a message:
"This is Gary. Are you OK?"7:27 -- I heard a voice after a couple of rings. "Hi, this is Gary." There was a lot of noise around me; since I could hear nothing at the other end, I almost shout, "Hello? Hello?" Nothing. I hung up.
7:38 -- I called to let her know I was about to leave. After 3-4 rings, I hung up, leaving no message.
I can only imagine that my text message, however well-intended, must have touched a raw nerve. If that was the case, I deserved at least a, "Hey, what kind of crap are you trying to pull..." not a scuttled date, followed by the "silent treatment."
