I WENT ON A BLIND DATE ARRANGED BY MY FRIEND. HE ARRIVED BEARING FLOWERS.
NOT YOUR AVERAGE GROCERY STORE BUNCH – BUT AUTHENTIC ROSES.
DINNER PROVED TO BE FLAWLESS.
HE EXUDED CHARM, OPENING DOORS AND ASSISTING WITH MY CHAIR.
UPON THE ARRIVAL OF THE BILL, I REACHED FOR MY WALLET – A SIGNIFICANT ERROR.
“DEFINITELY NOT,” HE STATED, PRESENTING HIS CREDIT CARD. “TRADITION DICTATES THE GENTLEMAN’S OBLIGATION ON THE INAUGURAL OUTING.”
I LEFT THAT EVENING IMPRESSED, BELIEVING IT WAS ONE OF THE BEST FIRST DATES I’D EVER ENJOYED, UNTIL THE SUBSEQUENT MORNING, WHEN I SAW HE’D SENT ME ATEXT.
MY HEART FLUTTERED EXPECTANTLY. IT WAS A WALL OF TEXT. HE WAS ALREADY PLANNING OUR NEXT THREE DATES, DETAILING LOCATIONS AND ACTIVITIES. HE’D EVEN BOOKED A TABLE FOR US AT A NEW RESTAURANT NEXT WEEK. IT WAS… A LOT. I SUDDENLY FELT A LITTLE OVERWHELMED. THE CHARM THAT HAD FELT SO REFRESHING LAST NIGHT NOW FELT A TAD… INTENSE. WAS HE MOVING TOO FAST?
I TOOK A DEEP BREATH AND DECIDED TO REPLY CALMLY. I THANKED HIM FOR THE LOVELY EVENING AND HIS ENTHUSIASM, BUT POLITELY SUGGESTED WE TAKE THINGS A LITTLE SLOWER. TO MY RELIEF, HE RESPONDED ALMOST INSTANTLY, APOLOGIZING IF HE’D COME ON TOO STRONG. HE EXPLAINED HE WAS JUST REALLY ENTHUSIASTIC BECAUSE HE HAD A GREAT TIME AND WAS EXCITED ABOUT THE POSSIBILITY OF SEEING ME AGAIN. HE WAS HAPPY TO SLOW DOWN AND SAID HE WAS LOOKING FORWARD TO WHENEVER I WAS COMFORTABLE MEETING NEXT.
A WAVE OF RELIEF WASHED OVER ME. PERHAPS THE INITIAL OVERWHELMING TEXT WASN’T THE IDEAL FOLLOW-UP, BUT HIS WILLINGNESS TO LISTEN AND ADJUST WAS DEFINITELY A GOOD SIGN. WE DID END UP GOING ON THOSE SUBSEQUENT DATES, AT A PACE THAT FELT RIGHT FOR BOTH OF US. HE CONTINUED TO BE KIND AND CONSIDERATE, AND WHILE THE INITIAL INTENSITY WAS A LITTLE STARTLING, IT TURNED OUT TO BE A REFLECTION OF HIS GENUINE ENTHUSIASM, NOT OVERBEARING PRESSURE. IT WASN’T JUST ONE OF THE BEST FIRST DATES; IT BLOSSOMED INTO SOMETHING REAL AND LASTING, PROVING THAT SOMETIMES, EVEN A SLIGHTLY OVER-EAGER START CAN LEAD TO A PERFECTLY BALANCED AND HAPPY ENDING.