Dating has never been easy for me, at least not while I was in college. It felt like every other weekend I had a friend who had a friend who knew somebody who had a friend, and they wanted to set me up with the cousin of that person. Because I was bored and didn’t mind a free dinner now and then, I sometimes obliged. The dates never went very well, which isn’t really shocking, but they were never truly terrible either. Then I met Matt.
The Set Up
Matt was a friend of a friend of a friend. I was told he was tall, athletic, good looking, and smart. So I allowed my friend to pass on my phone number. We spoke and texted for a while, and it seemed like we had some things in common. He told me about his exciting career in law, and when we decided to set up a date, he sent me a picture so I would know who he was. I sent him one as well, and we set a date and time.
The First Impression
When I showed up at the steak house, I didn’t see him anywhere. Five minutes later a large, strange-looking man came up to me and asked if I was Bex. THIS was my date. He was tall, that part was true, but the picture he gave me was at least five years and thirty pounds ago. He had also managed to put on the most ridiculous outfit I had ever seen: Adidas tear aways, white New Balance sneakers, a green Christmas sweater (this was in February), and brown socks. Somehow I smiled and introduced myself as we were led to a table.
The Conversation
The very first thing Matt asked me as we settled into our booth and ordered water was, “So, Bex, how do you feel about abortion?” I sat there, mouth gaping, having no idea what to say. Finally I responded, “I have no intention of being impregnated tonight, so let’s just move on from that topic of conversation.”
The Meal
As I pored over the menu deciding what to eat and trying not to talk to Matt, he proceeded to order for me. Now at a steak house, most things are a pretty safe bet, but he ordered tilapia. I don’t eat fish. This guy had so many strikes against him, that I shamelessly set up my getaway.
The Getaway
I pulled that old cliché of “______ is calling and needs me to pick her up.” I’m not ashamed to admit that I just wanted to get out of there. As we quickly finished our meal (I ate only the side dishes), we paid the bill, and I tried to make my escape. To my horror he asked if I wanted to get together for a movie later in the week. I gracefully declined but thanked him for dinner.
This date led to a dating hiatus in my life, for obvious reasons. It was a good three months before I ventured out on another date, and this time it was somebody I chose, not a random set up.
