The First Story - Lisa & Brian

            The Matchmaking Magic of Jagermeister

A weeknight out at the bar is usually uneventful. Whether making the trip out for trivia night, happy hour or a football game, people tend to be more subdued since they have to be up for work the next day.

  In this couple’s story, it was a Wednesday night at a Montclair, NJ bar. This popular hangout was widely known as a fun neighborhood bar and attracted large crowds of returning locals. Lisa and her friends were still recovering from a wild Saturday night spent drinking, gabbing, and dancing. A popular cover band had played, so the stakes had been high to keep dancefloor rage to a minimum.

 Mimi’s quick definition: Dancefloor rage is the feeling that occurs when you are trying to share a dancefloor with many other people and are constantly being slammed into from all sides. Elbows, heels, and even alcoholic beverages are commonly used weapons to regain stolen space. It has not yet been defined by Urban Dictionary.

  It’s never fun if you get kicked out of a bar. Luckily, they actually had a great time and when one of their friends wanted to go back to that bar a few days later, they couldn’t resist. Lisa, who worked in insurance marketing, was single; she’d just ended a relationship with a short-term guy. He’d been too boring. This particular night she was looking to just get out, have a good time and enjoy her 20s. This bar was just the place. 

  Brian, who worked in video production, was out with his friends and sitting at a separate table. He had just returned to the area after a few years of living in California. He was just looking to have guys’ night out with his buddies. His plans for the night were lowkey, evidenced by his attire of a hoodie and jeans. One of his friends was dating a girl named “A” who was there but seated at a different table with her friends.

  Lisa was one of these friends. After some time, the two groups merged together and Lisa and Brian were introduced. One of Lisa’s first thoughts was that she’d never dated a bald guy before. But that thought passed as quickly as it had come when the pair settled into a table away from the group and started talking. Their first topic of conversation would have disappointed any dating expert: their exes. But in their case, that subject broke the ice. What also helped were the Jager shots that were ordered to supplement their continuous lively discussion.

   As the night came to an end, Brian insisted that she take his number. He pulled what he thought was a piece of scrap paper out of his pocket and scrawled his number across the back. However, when Lisa returned home, she noticed something strange about the paper he had handed her. It was a professional business card. More specifically, it was a business card for a person (not Brian) who gave personal massages for a living. She briefly wondered why he was carrying it around in his pocket that night and whether it was a good idea to call him. But as you can guess, Lisa called Brian a day later and they began dating. Thanks to this story being written, Lisa finally thought to ask Brian why he had the card. He was stunned because he had no idea he’d used an entrepreneurial friend’s business card for his number that night and they had a good laugh about it. 

They have been happily married since 2008.