Date At The Jackalope
I still maintain that dating in the 21st century is ridiculous. However, dating during a pandemic has been a whole ‘nother level of shenanigans and tomfoolery.
Just as covid-19 emerged, I was going on a series of dates with a young lady. Delightful young lady, very much the soccer mom type. Very sweet…but, we just didn’t click.
And so, a few weeks into the pandemic, I turned my dating apps back on.
Early on, there were a few masked-up, socially distant dates…in the park, sitting on the curb, walking around…and then the weather turned. Hot damn the weather turned…and then, we were all just locked in the house.
So most of the interactions has been electronic…lots of texting, lots of phone calls (can I tell you how much I dislike talking on the phone?), the occasional FaceTime.
I continue to maintain that I am a terrible dater, but the past year has definitely helped me to draw some conclusions, and come up with some hard fast rules as to what I am, and am not, willing to deal with.
But yesterday I had a first date with a young lady I’ve been chatting with via text for a few months now. Initially she said she wanted to get her vaccination before going on a physical date, which was fine by me. This was actually the premise for several interactions over the past few months…but, let me tell you, it is hard to maintain a virtual relationship built upon that premise. There needs to be a mutuality to the desire to discuss and discover, and it doesn’t always pan out.
But this young lady, we’ll call her Robyn, and I were able to maintain that communication, and finally meet, both of us vaccinated and ready to mingle.
So right off the bat, my brain goes haywire, and tells me to get on the ball and get to the agreed upon meeting spot, Jackalope Coffee and Tea House on time. However, my brain’s concept of on time actually turned out to be an hour earlier than the agreed meeting time. Fortunately, I carried my book along, in the event she was going to be late, and so I was able to spend an hour of the morning reading, caffeinating, and unwinding, which probably was a plus.
When she showed up, it was a bit of a surprise. She was much smaller than I anticipated. She’s a wee-bit of a gal, and somewhere around 5’3”…but very pretty. From the jump she seemed really loose; not all tense and nervous like you find some people on dates.
We laughed easy, which was so great. That’s a big thing for me. Can we just laugh together easily. She was very personable, very down to earth, and seemed very open to communicate about whatever. We talked career. We talked families. We talked a myriad of issues, all with smiles and banter. Definitely one of the most relaxed dates I’ve had over the past year.
When it was all said and done, we spent somewhere between 3 and 4 hours…just talking. Upon leaving, we hugged, and she made the suggestion that our second date should be a bike outing, which I would be totally game for.
I feel I have learned a few things about myself, and what I’m looking for moving forward. I am so not about the chase. Is that a bad thing??? I have set a hard and fast rule that I am not chasing anyone who shows no signs of wanting to be caught.
Additionally, If I don’t feel like the other person is putting forth some semblance of effort, it’s just a big turn-off for me. I want someone who genuinely seems as interested to learn and spin time with me as I am with them. Seems like a small thing, but everyone has this air of aloofness nowadays it seems.
”I could be here…or I could be on my couch by myself.”
Well, go to your couch, because my presence is a fucking gift…at least that’s how I look at it. I’m pretty awesome. Far from flawless, but still fairly gorgeous. I deserve that kind of reciprocity I feel.
And there it is. I do hope there is a date #2. As always, time will tell, but at least I got a chance to feel…”normal”…for a bit. 🤗
