I didn’t get around to do much dating until I was closer to 30 and in my 30s. I remember being excited since it was something new for me, and I imagined being wined and dined and getting all dressed up. Very soon into my dating, it became clear that dating wasn’t really all that I thought it was. I’m not sure if my expectations were too high or too low, but the silver lining of it is that I usually had a story to tell my closest girlfriends that we would eventually laugh till we cried. The stories I am about to share are stories of my own and of some of my closest friends.
–I was set up on a kind of blind date, and by kind of blind date I mean that blind dates don’t really exist anymore with social media, etc. We had texted and talked on the phone for a few days prior, and conversation flowed well. We met up at Buffalo Wild Wings. It being a casual place, I just wore jeans and a casual top. I was shocked to see my date walk in wearing a windbreaker suit. I’m not oppose to wearing windbreaker pants or the whole ensemble, but I was a bit taken back that he would choose that for our first “date”. I questioned if maybe he was planning on going for a run after our date? It was an awkward moment when I heard the “swish swish” every time he moved. But I stuck around, trying to stay positive, but it just didn’t get better from there. I had previously shared that I was a light drinker, but then watched him chug 2 pints of beer right before my eyes, in the matter of 30 minutes. He also went on to share how he was high on his first day of orientation at his current job. There wasn’t a second date.
-My friend met a guy on a plane traveling back to San Antonio. She may or may not have been a little tipsy when I picked her up from the airport, but she was excited that this guy had been bold enough to give her his number in front of her friends. They scheduled their first date at a local restaurant. What she didn’t know until they walked into the restaurant, was that his family owned the restaurant and he knew everyone there. The date went on and it was obvious that this guy came from a wealthy family but was still lacking some maturity, especially when he bragged about having a fancy pipe in his car that he uses to smoke weed. Sure it’s legal in some states, and to each their own, but my friend was out of this stage in her life already.
-I went on a first date with a man who within the first 15 minutes of our date, I questioned if he just wasn’t that into me. He walked so far apart from me that I could feel the hostess at the restaurant look as if she was unsure if we were there together or both just waiting for different tables. A few dates later, I brought it up, turns out he was just nervous, but it made for an awkward walk and entrance and a lot of jokes after.
-After chatting with this guy from an online dating site, it was time to meet in person. The first date went so well, that a second group date was planned. We were going tubing with a group of friends and what happened was one for the books. I’m not sure if it was the need for some liquid courage or the excessive drinking just being who he was. Floating down the river, I realized this guy had clearly drank too much and could no longer hold himself up on the tube. I spent the rest of the date, holding onto his tube and him, making sure he didn’t drown. I walked away feeling good that I might have just saved someone’s life, but shocked that it was my dates.
-A brother of a friend of mine reached out wondering about my current status. We had met briefly before in passing at my friends’ celebrations, etc. When agreeing to meet up with him, I was under the assumption that my friend knew he had reached out. We met at the movies and were in line buying popcorn, when I heard a woman’s voice behind me loudly say “Oh, wow, this is awkward”. We both turn around to find his sister in line behind us. It was then clear that his sister did not know her brother and I had been chatting. Thankfully we weren’t there to see the same movie.
-After a long strand of late work days, I should have rescheduled a first date that was planned. But instead, I got home from work the day of our date, and decided I could take a quick 30 minute power nap. That 30 minutes, turned into 4 hours and I slept thru our entire date, not even hearing my phone go off. I woke up to tons of texts and phone calls and felt horrible. I guess I just wasn’t that into him, or I was just really that tired.
-My first online dating app experience I was finally surprised that the guy didn’t start conversation out with dirty comments or questions. So I agreed to meet up with him in person. On our second date, as we drove in his car, I heard a beep sound and noticed he went to grab something in the center dash of his car. Apparently he had gotten a DUI, or a couple, and was on probation, to include having a breathalyzer in his car. It at least made for an interesting ride home.
-Out on a group date, everything was going well at first. My friends’ boyfriend didn’t seem to click well with my date, but they were still friendly, until my friend decided she didn’t want to drink anymore, and my date kept buying her drinks anyway. Her boyfriend seemed a little annoyed and they ended up leaving soon after before it got more awkward. I was still having a good time, so decided to stay with my date for a little longer. We had a few more drinks, and then decided to head somewhere else in one car to get something to eat. As I was driving, we both decided to take a quick stop to use the restroom since we still hadn’t decided where we were going to go. We both got out to use the restroom at a nearby gas station. I got back in the car, and waited for my date to return. I waited, and waited, and waited. I even asked the clerk inside if she had seen him leave the restroom, because at this point I was worried. I tried calling and texting but got no response. Eventually I just went home. Hours later, I got an apology text that he had decided to walk back to his car and drive home. Maybe he didn’t like my driving, I’m still unsure.
Dating sure is an adventure, and not always a pleasant one. But sometimes it’s just part of the single life that at least you can walk away learning something, and having a funny story to tell.
Marielis – unofficial storyteller
Marielis Unedited 