The Dating Chronicles – The Game Plan

The Dating Chronicles

The Game Plan

Carol was enjoying herself.  This blind date had proven to be more than she hoped for and she was glad she’d come.  The candlelight gave his face an amber glow as he leaned forward to pour more wine into her glass.  She could tell he was different from most men she’d known.  The restaurant had been his choice and he seemed quite accustomed to the elaborate surroundings.

As she sat across from him and stared at his handsome face, she thought about the thank you note she would send her friend Iman for introducing her to him.  Iman had been the light in the storm after her last date had turned into a disaster. When she thought of it, it almost broke the mood momentarily, as she groaned silently in disgust.

He’d been a short guy with a whiny voice that seemed to croak when he called her name.  At the end of the evening, when he asked if he could see her again, she bluntly told him no.  She offered that they had little in common and she assured him that he was not her type.

However, on this night, she found herself feeling very comfortable as she opened up her life to this man, whom she saw as a perfect replacement.  It felt good to finally be able to exchange admiration since she was usually on the receiving end of it.  She loved a man who was a good listener and as he stared into her eyes, she told him about her broken marriage and how she had married beneath her standards.

She spoke about her friends and their envy of her success both socially and professionally. Carol had not driven to meet him, because she wanted to use the option of being driven home if she liked him or insisting on a Uber if she didn’t.

As she talked, Kevin half-listened without comment, so as not to interrupt his private thoughts of the fine woman he’d met earlier that day in the elevator.  When he suggested a close to the evening, (he had decided earlier that though she was pretty, she wasn’t his type) Carol put her hand over his and asked if he was driving.  He felt no guilt as he lied and said no.

He had parked his car a distance from the restaurant after she mentioned, she wouldn’t be driving, to give himself an option of choice.  If he liked her, he would take her home.  If he didn’t, he would put her in a taxi.  This way, he would not be stuck with the awkwardness of faking a proper good night.  For him, it would end there with a cordial goodbye.

For her, her hopes would begin to envision another day, another time, another place with him.  She was convinced she had finally met the one for her.