The Story of Us: Our First Date
Two years ago today I went on my very first date with “J.” Now this is going to sound crazy, but I wasn’t all that excited to go. “J” was the best friend of a friend. At the time I had dated a few of friend-of-a-friend types and they turned out to be, let’s say, far less impressive than they were made out to be. When I received the first phone call from “J” asking me out on a date I must have thought about a million ways to say no. It had nothing to do with him, I was just not feeling the dating vibe. Instead, I promised myself “just this one last time…” Little did I know, it would indeed be my last time.
It was a Sunday afternoon and we had pre-arranged a simple date – mini golf. I like to think I am pretty good at mini golf… “J” can now tell you otherwise. Promptly at 4:00pm my doorbell rang. I open the door and there was “J”… polo shirt and jeans (I now know this as his typical everyday outfit). We exchange the usual “hi – hello” as I followed him to his car. I hopped into the passenger seat, and become slightly speechless when I was greeted with a single pink rose. All I could do was smile and say thanks… it was truly an unexpected surprise.
Not surprisingly however, “J” kicked my ass in mini golf. All the while we talked about the usual – friends, family, travel, and work. Before we knew it, it was dinner time. We hadn’t arranged to have dinner, but I honestly wasn’t ready to go home. We decided sushi sounded like a good idea.
We ate and talked, ate and talked. By the end it felt like we tried everything on the menu… including an eel handroll, which we both agreed tasted like dirty pond water. I took check of myself and quickly began to realize I felt at-ease and comfortable. Was I actually enjoying myself? It wasn’t until “J” asked “what do you want to do now?” did I realize he must also be having a good time. It was evident we both didn’t want this date to end. “How about a movie?” he asked. I agreed.
After the movie we pull into my driveway. It was dark outside, and since it was summer that meant it must be late. “J” parked. I unbuckled my seat belt. We sat in the dark car and talked for a little while. I pulled my keys out of my purse and started to nervously fidget with them “….. is he going to kiss me goodnight…?” We made small talk a little while longer. It was a Sunday which meant I had an early start in the morning, so I told “J” I was pretty tired and should get going. He agreed. “Goodnight,” he said. “Goodnight,” I replied. I got out the car, pink rose in hand….. “bye….”
Inside, I grabbed an empty vase from the bookshelf. I prepped the water with the included flower food. Trimmed the stem with scissors. Placed the rose in the water. My roommate walked in and of course poured me a glass of wine, while taking in my current state. “Look at that big goofy smile” she said. And she was right. There I was, standing in my kitchen, rose in hand, with the biggest grin on my face. Right then and there I knew that was my last first date.
Happy Two Year Anniversary J.
