The Date
Well, tonight was my first date in almost a year. For some reason, that seems shocking to me even though I've spent extensive stretches of my life not dating. As the minutes ticked closer today, I felt the nerves getting worse. I felt "out of practice" on this whole first-date thing. I went on them at least once a month when I was on Match, and that kind of frequency can be beneficial. Or jading. Your choice.
It was just coffee. No pressure, we agreed. We carved out about an hour out of our busy schedules to just sit and chat. Become friends. See if the chemistry that seemed to be there in the text messages and phone conversations actually carried over to real life.
So of course that explains why I was so numbingly nervous. *eye roll*
This afternoon while getting ready, I probably changed my clothes close to a dozen times. I knew what jeans I was going to wear, but jeans are such a blank canvas. It was just coffee. But he was coming from work, from Corporate America. Tops and combinations were tried, judged, and vetoed, then they were recombined, re-judged, and mostly re-vetoed. I came to the decision I desperately needed a haircut, but at least - for once - my complexion was mostly behaving.
Dressed and nervous, I arrived early as I had told him I would. So did he. We got our coffee and sat down. Deep breath.
The conversation flowed just as easily as it had on the phone. There was a lot of recounting dating horror stories; he had also been on Match, but with considerably less success. We talked about where we both were in regards to dating and agreed we were both at the same point, coming out of a period of self-reflection and self-work, for lack of a better term, and ready to again be out dating seriously. Neither of us have had anything going on for some time. Suddenly our hour and ten minutes was gone, and I had to go to work.
He asked as we walked out if we "would talk soon?" I said, "oh, yes. Yes." I asked for a hug, he gladly responded. I got in the car and immediately started grinning like a loon. I went and taught my Zumba class, happily bouncing through it like I hadn't a care in the world. My ladies at the gym weren't fooled, and it wasn't just because they saw me running in looking "really, really cute" as they said, nor did they completely buy my "I'm caffeinated" line.
One of my regulars only wanted to know if it was a first date. Her question was stepped on by another of my regulars who said, "is he cute? THAT'S what is important!"
Hey, when you're in your 70s, you can ask anything you want, too.
I know many of you reading are right now thinking the same thing. "Enough of this play-by-play, is he attractive?!" you're thinking to yourself. Oh yes, I can hear it, even though I haven't even hit "publish" on this post yet.
Answer: I like what I see. A lot.
While I feel confident that there will be a second date, ever-skeptical me is afraid to jinx myself. And let's just get something clear: yes, I'm happy. Yes, I'm grinning like a loon. I can't remember the last time I was this happy after a first date. But I'm not head-over-heels stupid. I'm not picking out my bridesmaids. I'm not planning a summer vacation together. Heck, I'm not even thinking about when could we find time for dinner next week. I am quite content to take it slow. We are both quite understanding of where the other person is, and what we've both been through. We both have crazy schedules, too; me with my multiple jobs, he with the kids, especially his daughter.
One step at a time, one day at a time, one text at a time, one phone call at a time.
And for at least one night, I am going to bed with a smile on my face.
It was just coffee. No pressure, we agreed. We carved out about an hour out of our busy schedules to just sit and chat. Become friends. See if the chemistry that seemed to be there in the text messages and phone conversations actually carried over to real life.
So of course that explains why I was so numbingly nervous. *eye roll*
This afternoon while getting ready, I probably changed my clothes close to a dozen times. I knew what jeans I was going to wear, but jeans are such a blank canvas. It was just coffee. But he was coming from work, from Corporate America. Tops and combinations were tried, judged, and vetoed, then they were recombined, re-judged, and mostly re-vetoed. I came to the decision I desperately needed a haircut, but at least - for once - my complexion was mostly behaving.
Dressed and nervous, I arrived early as I had told him I would. So did he. We got our coffee and sat down. Deep breath.
The conversation flowed just as easily as it had on the phone. There was a lot of recounting dating horror stories; he had also been on Match, but with considerably less success. We talked about where we both were in regards to dating and agreed we were both at the same point, coming out of a period of self-reflection and self-work, for lack of a better term, and ready to again be out dating seriously. Neither of us have had anything going on for some time. Suddenly our hour and ten minutes was gone, and I had to go to work.
He asked as we walked out if we "would talk soon?" I said, "oh, yes. Yes." I asked for a hug, he gladly responded. I got in the car and immediately started grinning like a loon. I went and taught my Zumba class, happily bouncing through it like I hadn't a care in the world. My ladies at the gym weren't fooled, and it wasn't just because they saw me running in looking "really, really cute" as they said, nor did they completely buy my "I'm caffeinated" line.
One of my regulars only wanted to know if it was a first date. Her question was stepped on by another of my regulars who said, "is he cute? THAT'S what is important!"
Hey, when you're in your 70s, you can ask anything you want, too.
I know many of you reading are right now thinking the same thing. "Enough of this play-by-play, is he attractive?!" you're thinking to yourself. Oh yes, I can hear it, even though I haven't even hit "publish" on this post yet.
Answer: I like what I see. A lot.
While I feel confident that there will be a second date, ever-skeptical me is afraid to jinx myself. And let's just get something clear: yes, I'm happy. Yes, I'm grinning like a loon. I can't remember the last time I was this happy after a first date. But I'm not head-over-heels stupid. I'm not picking out my bridesmaids. I'm not planning a summer vacation together. Heck, I'm not even thinking about when could we find time for dinner next week. I am quite content to take it slow. We are both quite understanding of where the other person is, and what we've both been through. We both have crazy schedules, too; me with my multiple jobs, he with the kids, especially his daughter.
One step at a time, one day at a time, one text at a time, one phone call at a time.
And for at least one night, I am going to bed with a smile on my face.
Comments
Post a Comment
We are all adults here. Comments are welcome, but they are also moderated because there has been a marked increase in spam, trolling, and generally snarky and nasty comments being submitted. Different opinions are welcome when expressed maturely; rude comments and links will not be published.