MY SECONDFIRST DATE
No, I'm not talking about my first date as a teenager. My teen years were a VERY long time ago. I'm talking about my first date as a senior citizen. I know, that's a scary thought. My 'second' first date was even more terrifying than my 'first' first date.
Almost two years after the death of my husband, I decided to be brave and registeron-line with one of those 'dating sites.' They're supposed to be able to find your perfect match. I wasn't looking for a replacement for my husband. I was simply looking for a gentleman with whom I could occasionally have dinner or maybe with whom I could go out dancing. Basically, I was looking for someone to make me laugh every once in a while.
For quite a while, I was pretty leery about the males that contacted me. But finally I agreed to meet "Jack" for dinner. I was an absolute nervous wreck. Was I going to meet an ax murderer? I told everyone that I knew where I'd be, in case I disappeared, they'd know where to start the search.
It was August in Florida and if you haven't been to Florida in August, just imagine the hottest day you can and then make it 20 degrees hotter.
There was a car show in a nearby town. We roamed along the streets looking at old cars until I thought I'd surely die of heat stroke. Finally he suggested that we find a place for dinner, which certainly sounded like a grand idea to me. As long as there was air conditioning and a place to sit down, I was agreeable.
The restaurant that he chose was very nice. They even had real flowers in bud vases on the table and cloth napkins (which of course always says 'classy joint') and it was especially crowded. Evidently we weren't the only ones trying to find a cool place for an hour or so. We were seated at a small table for two by the window. The waiter took our order and we quietly sat there staring into space hoping our food would arrive soon. We'd each pretty much run out of small talk and as the silence lengthened, my nervousness increased considerably.
Finally our meal was brought to our table. I reached for my glass of Diet Coke to add some moisture to my dry throat just as I heard Jack say, "I'm looking for a wife. Are you looking for a husband?" There's nothing quite like getting right to the point. I guess he was thinking that at our ages, we don't have time to wait around for long.
I'm sure it must have been some sort of a spasm, but the next few minutes aren't very clear in my mind. It was very much like one of those old episodes of I Love Lucy.First, I dropped my drink into my lap, soaking my nice white shorts. The instant thatcold liquid hit my legs, I leaped up from my seat. This jostled the table and sent his glass of sweet iced tea crashing to the floor, where it broke into hundreds of pieces and sent sticky tea flying in all directions.
Was I finished with my destructionat this point? No, I was not! As I grabbed for one of those nice cloth napkins, I knocked over the bud vase that sat in the middle of the table, spilling icky daisy water into Jack's plate.
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