A Tale from Sip and Go Girl always means a tale from a dating experience that’s real and true.

This one features Casey.

He was in my War, Peace, and Mass Media class with me on Mondays and Wednesdays.

He asked during a study group if I wanted to go to a movie the next weekend. I didn’t have any attraction to him, but he was a nice guy and a fellow journalism student.

We saw the movie “Under Siege.” That’s the action film starring Steven Seagal as the Navy SEAL who stops bad guys from taking over a ship. We then hit the dance and night clubs. We went to Bobby McGees first. The movie hadn’t allowed us much of a chance to talk so we started chatting for real.

Casey told me he had attended a well known exclusive private boys Catholic high school in town and that his parents were wealthy but he didn’t want his family’s wealth to affect his attitude. He also talked about being a star football player at Kansas State until an injury put him on the sidelines. That’s how he ended up at my university.

We then headed to Black Angus. Casey, like me, liked to dance.

It was at Black Angus’ Square Cow Fun Bar the controversial song Erotica began to play. I remember us trying to dance to the song and it’s really not that easy.

There’s a lot of grinding and moaning-type beats and rhythms to Madonna’s tune. It’s called Erotica after all. I guess that’s why Casey tried to freak me during the song. I didn’t like it.

He suggested going to another dance club called “Paradise Beach Club.”

We were talking and walking from the car to the front of the club when he shifted to face me. He slowed his pace but still was walking.

“Is it okay if I kiss you? May I kiss you?”

“Uh. No,” I said.

He was a little taken aback and looked puzzled but other than an “oh okay,” that was all he said.

We spent maybe one hour there, hit Denny’s for a late night snack, and then he dropped me home.

I had also agreed to attend a pre-season university basketball game with him Sunday night. But I woke up Sunday with the start of the flu. I was achy, tired, and headachy. I dragged myself into work at 7 a.m. and barely made it to the end of the shift at 3:00 p.m. I had a fever. I called Casey late that afternoon and bowed out of the game. I told him I was sick.

I still managed to get to class on Monday but I was in a haze the entire day. I saw Casey but he didn’t say hello and, really, we never talked again. I felt embarrassed I had said I was sick but then attended class the next day. I worried he thought I was lying about being sick.

To this day, 20 years after Madonna made Casey grind to her song, I think of him every time I hear Erotica.