Rate the Date.
Last night’s date with the Student went well. I rate it an 8 out of 10. Here’s why.
The plan was to meet “for drinks” but as soon as I arrived at the trendy spot and he immediately ordered my staple vodka-soda, the date asked if I was hungry. We agreed on holding onto the menu in case our appetites made an appearance later. Although I’m perfectly fine with a drinks-only first date, it certainly is a nice bonus if the guy wants to treat you to a meal.
He struck me as a gentleman the whole way through. Even before the date started. The guy confirmed the day before, the day of, and then let me know when he was en route. Seeing as though it is rare for a male to over communicate, I was eating it up.
Our conversation flowed easily. We laughed a bunch, especially over the fact he discovered we have 3 mutual friends on Facebook. Sigh. Normally I would have electronically stalked him too, but apparently juggling an excess of boys caused me to slip in my research department. But — he fully admitted to digging for dirt on me, which I appreciate.
An extra bonus is how much cuter he was in person than his pictures. This rarely happens. Over six feet tall, nice build, button down long sleeve polo with jeans. Even had a pretty deep southern accent, which I’m undecided about. Drives a pick-up truck, which again, am also undecided about. This city gal has a slight allergy to the country, but I’m sure my PCP has a prescription for that.
I’d like to think I have a pretty good read on people, and am quite confident that he dug me, particularly through his flirty gestures — grabbed my hand to measure the size against his…then immediately initiated a thumb war, to repeatedly telling me “you’re so cute” and then reaching across the table several times, putting his hands on top of mine.
My *only* potential concern is the fact the subject of fighting came up, several times, throughout our 2.5 hour interview. During the “so where do you like to hang out” portion of the conversation, he mentioned a popular spot he is not “allowed” to go to anymore. His explanation was reasonable…had defended/stuck up for a buddy.
The Student realized my radar was officially up, as I silently started to speculate that he could be one of those testosterone ozzing, looking for a fight when I’ve had too much to drink, macho kind of man. He made a respectable effort to lead me to believe otherwise and promised he has never instigated a bar brawl.
Toward the end of the date [three drinks & a dinner later] he asked if there are any movies I want to see, which I knew wasn’t just a conversation piece; he wanted to lock down Round Two. As soon as I mentioned The Blind Side, he enthusiastically said he too wants to see it and asked if I’d like to go with him. The bill came — this part is always fun. But keeping his southern charm in check, he grabbed it, slipped his card in and signed before I could even blink. In the pouring rain, he walked me to my car and gave me a hug, reiterating that it was nice to meet me. A few minutes later as I was approaching my parking space, he texted to make sure I got home OK.
Although I didn’t feel butterflies and am skeptical about his professional status [his full-time job requires no education, and, could possibly be one of those students on the 15-year plan…although he says there are two years left for the online degree], I’m still open to booking another date. I constantly remind myself that a quality husband may not necessarily come in a perfectly packaged, bubble wrapped gift box with a bow. But, if there is one honorable reason for him to put his dukes up, it’ll be to fight for my time.
