Tuesday, August 19, 2008

Things * NOT* to Say on a Second Date - Excerpts from the Dating Chronicles


My friend Carrie had another fix-up date(s) over the last few weeks. She went out with the guy two or three times. A close friend fixed her up with this fellow teacher guy that she had worked with at an elementary school. Why do people still try to fix up their friends? Dangerous, doomed territory, it seems. But, we try to be helpful and encouraging, and wouldn't it be nice if it actually worked?! I suppose it does work sometimes; that's why we keep trying.

Well, the first date was okay, as first dates go, but she wasn't super attracted to him. He showed up in a wrinkled shirt, and talked a lot about his intestinal problems. Not too appealing, yes. He invited her for a second date to see Eddie Money at the DTE. She wasn't too keen on the whole thing, but she thought she would give it a try. In between dates, he had emailed her, according to Carrie, about 30 times. Big "red flag" according to her. The night of the date, he picked her up, again wearing a very wrinkled shirt, and very casual shorts, and they chatted on their way. When they pulled in to park the car, she offered to pay for the 8 bucks for parking, and he readily took her money. She didn't like that either.

Later, after the concert, they stopped to get something to eat before heading home from Clarkston. They were sitting at a table in TGI Friday's and talked. She said something to the effect of, "Well, what about you... I should find out more about you," to which he wholeheartedly agreed, saying, "Yeah, I have been listening, and believe me, it's hard to get a word in edgewise!" She just nodded her head.

Needing to find conversation starters, and actually curious, she asked him what had happened in this marriage. She is divorced too, and was prepared to answer the same question. "She thought that my penis was too small," was his reply in the midst of a more explanation. Carrie, never at a loss for words, didn't have too much to say to that either.

They drove home and he dropped her off. Both of them got out of his car, and he followed her to her van. She promptly put the keys in the door and turned briefly to say goodnight, and he kissed her. She really didn't like that, and was actually trying to avoid anything that resembled physical contact.

The emails kept coming after that night, and he bugged her to tell him what was wrong. She told him that she wasn't interested.