Last week I went on a date. I looked good, my hair was curled, and wine was ordered. The conversation went on without awkward pauses, we laughed a lot together, and at the end of the night I was walked to my car. Seems like a perfect evening, right?
Well, there's just one problem: it wasn't my date. How does one end up on a date that isn't actually theirs, one might ask. Well, it's when someone is what is called "a third wheel". There is a difference between being a third wheel and hanging out with your friends that are a couple. Now bear with me, because this could get confusing. Saturday night I had dinner with my friends M & L (the favorite redhead). We had been at Broadway Brewhouse, were hungry, and Pie in the Sky sounded like an amazing idea at the time. We had dinner, laughed a lot while planning my 30th birthday trip (a cruise, in 2.5 years), and went out separate ways when we were done. That was not being a third wheel. Now, let me describe the "date" I went on. We met at a date restaurant (aka, the kind of restaurant you only go to with a person you are interested in seeing on a regular basis). You know the kind, the lights are dim, the music is soft and romantic, and more than likely there are oysters and other supposed aphrodisiacs on the menu. My friend's fiance pulled out her chair for her and scooted her to the table. When I started to pull my own out, he quickly ran over to my side of the table to pull mine out for me as well. Except our timing was off and he ended up hitting me in the knee with the chair, giving me a bruise. They ordered a bottle of wine and offered to share it with me, but I declined and stuck with my single glass of Malbec. The food was wonderful, the dessert made me want to go to three spin classes in a row, and the waiter was incredibly funny. At the end of the night the bill came, and my friends offered to buy my dinner. I thanked them kindly, but declined. They were nice enough to let me crash their date since I never see them and they happened to be in town...I wasn't going to make them pay for the pleasure of my company. They walked me to my car, made sure I got in safely, and then headed to their own vehicle to go back to their hotel and do whatever it is that couples do. (Remember that poem I wrote entitled 'These Are The Things That Couples Do'?)
See the difference between hanging out with a couple and going on a date with a couple? I hope I made that clear. To them, that night was probably the perfect date night. Fancy dinner, good wine, and the rest of the night spent in a hotel with the person they are in love with. Of course I had a good time, but that was not my idea of a perfect date. Yesterday I caught up on my four Cosmopolitan magazines I've had laying on the coffee table for months but had no time to read and so many of the articles discussed "the perfect date." None of them seemed to match my idea of what I'd like to do so I thought I'd outline five perfect dates I'd eventually like to go on in my lifetime.
To start off, I must say that I have been lucky enough to be on some pretty great dates in my lifetime.
1.) Senior prom. I met my date two or three days before. Yep, you read that correctly. He was a relative of the kids that I babysat. I have mentioned before I was very tuned out my senior year of high school and I actually considered not going to prom that year. My date was nice enough to fly in and take me to prom. He was good looking, funny, related to the kids that I adored, and we got to drive a silver Corvette convertible. That's the stuff high school chick flick movies are made out of. I had a great time hanging out with my friends and with my date...and my dress was pretty kickass too. It had cutouts that ran from my shoulder, over my chest, down to my opposite hip. I could have done without the constant pokes at my bare exposed skin to see if I was wearing underwear (I wasn't), but other than that, I had a great night.
2.) I had mentioned to another guy that my favorite Bon Jovi song (at the time) was 'Always.' This guy was a great musician, and somehow figured out how to play the song on the piano for me. When I went to visit him (I had a thing for long distance relationships) he surprised me by playing the song for me. I thought this was incredibly special until I went to Belmont and discovered this was a typical musician ploy to impress girls. After that, songs no longer impressed me.
And there have been many more, but those are the ones that stand out. So now, for my list of five dates I would eventually like to go on:
1.) UK Basketball game with someone who actually likes UK Basketball. Sure, it was great taking D to his first UK game in Rupp Arena. But there's nothing like watching a game with someone who is just as passionate about the players and tradition as you are. When you step into Rupp Arena you are on hallowed ground.
2.) Hiking. This might sound simple, but I like pretty simple things. I like being outside, I like nature, I like getting a workout, and I like getting to know people. All of that can happen on a hike...and it's free!
3.) Making our own sushi. There are classes on how to do this, or, you can do it on your own. Two friends did this for Valentine's Day one year and I thought it was a great, unique idea. He got the fish for the sushi from a local sushi restaurant so it was the right quality and they had a night in, learning to do something new.
4.) Exploring a new city together. I've never been on a trip with someone I was dating and it's something I'd love to do. Walking around a new place, getting lost, and seeing new things sounds like a really great memory to make with someone.
5.) Surprise me. It took a lot for me to write that. Normally, I hate surprises. Don't tell me you have something special planned and sure as heck don't tell me you have a surprise for me. Do something when I least expect it and chances are, I won't get annoyed at you for keeping something from me. It doesn't have to be anything special...have one of my favorite flowers waiting in the passenger seat for me...take me to Starbucks on a Fall day and get me a pumpkin spice latte...leave one of your favorite books at my place for me to read...it doesn't take much to make me smile.
Okay, obviously I need to cut back on the Cosmopolitan articles. Or maybe I just needed to write this to remind myself what a date was, since it's been so long since I've been on one! Either way, I'll try to bring more humor next time. So until then, I'll go back to reading my history and mystery books, finding ways for people to improve their manners, and trying to save my Fantasy Football team.
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