Surprise! I’ve had two dates. Through the process, Dating Don’ts made themselves known.
The first vic…, er, gentleman asked me out for a drink at 5 p.m. on a Wednesday afternoon. I agreed, little knowing the Fates lay ready to play cruel games with my dating life yet again.
On Tuesday I put my house on the market. It’s a beautiful home which has been lovingly remodeled and decorated. Still, I figured with a relatively slow market, there would be maybe a month or two of constant cleaning to have it showable as each possible buyer came through. Not so!
The first viewer wanted to be at my home at 3:30 Wednesday, another at 6 p.m., and that would have worked out nicely had my home consisted of a house on a fenced lot for my darling pups to stay. It doesn’t and they didn’t, meaning I watched as my date with Guy #1 disintegrated into might-have-beens while removing my dogs from the premises.
Hastily I emailed him on the dating site, praying he found the email before he showed up at the meeting place. In it I asked if we could move our time up to 8 p.m. He received the email and agreed to a change of time. Breathing a sigh of relief, I reached for the ringing phone. Yet another viewer wanted to see my home…at 8 o’clock.
“No, sorry, I really cannot do that. This is my first date in forty-eight years, darn it! The people will have to come tomorrow.” Okay, so it sounded desperate; I didn’t care.
The meeting took place, we talked for over two hours, parted company and I know I made an impression although possibly not the one I wanted. Although he asked if he might date me again, he’s been MIA for days and days.
That brings us to Guy #2. We opted to meet at a nice little restaurant for coffee. He sounded very nice and I looked forward to the date. On a whim, I asked my daughter if she would like to meet the gentleman. She was born with Down’s syndrome and lives with me. If nothing else, I’m honest in letting any future fellow know this deal involves mom and daughter.
Ten minutes before takeoff, the phone rings. “Whatcha doing?”
“Headed out.”
“I’m close by. Can I come along?”
Sighing, I said yes, when I should have said ‘another time.’ Hey, it’s my favorite nephew and my best buddy in Florida! I never once considered how it might look to a stranger who was anticipating nothing more than coffee and chat.
When the poor man walked in the door, it struck me that my body building nephew might look more like my bodyguard than a family member as his muscles overflowed the tiny chair. I hastily introduced everyone. Suddenly, instead of coffee, it was lunch all around. (No, I didn’t stick him with the bill – I paid.)
Throughout the whole meal my ‘date’ barely looked at me and smiles were non-existent. I thought I heard a voice squeaking ‘Bomb number two has just been dropped.’ Eventually I practically shoved daughter and nephew out the door to give us time alone.
“The restaurant is closing,” said our waitress in her sweetest voice.
To recap – do not start selling a house the day before you want to date a guy. Do not bring a family member who looks like a bodyguard with you. Do not choose a restaurant that closes half an hour after you arrive, even if they are kind enough to stay an extra hour!
The bad news? I am once again searching for Mr. Right. The good news? My house sold in under 24 hours.