"So I decided to get drunk" - My latest blind date

Some time last month, I started talking to a guy on OkC. Let's call him K. He seemed smart and sweet. He had manners and was even a little old-fashioned. He had a good job, his own car and more importantly, an adorable dog. Naturally, I liked him right off the bat.

After a week or two of exchanging novel-esque messages, I started to get a little antsy. Normally I'm the one wanting to put off meeting someone from the online world, but he seemed safe. Plus, we were revealing so much of ourselves to one another that I became worried we wouldn't have anything to say to each other once we actually met. So, sensing that he wasn't about to ask me out anytime soon, I took the bull by the horns and asked him out myself.

He said yes, and we agreed to meet up at a place to get drinks. Drinks seemed better than dinner, because if you're on a blind date with someone who's not a good match for you, getting through an entire meal together can be excruciating. 

The night of our date, I was excited but nervous. I spent forever choosing the perfect outfit and painstakingly curled my hair. A little bit of make-up, but not too much, and I was good to go.

I got there early, and soon after received a message from him saying he'd hit traffic and would be a few minutes late. No problem, I thought. I went up to the bar, ordered a beer and started texting my friends and playing Bejeweled (as you do).

A few minutes after that, I got another text from him saying he'd miscalculated and he would actually be there in 5 minutes. I paid the bill and chugged the beer as quickly as I could. I wasn't really sure if it would make a good impression, drinking without him, so I had to rid the evidence. 

I'm one of those people who can tell within a couple of minutes - or less - if the date I'm currently on is going to be good or going to be bad. Sadly, it was the latter. I knew right away. There was absolutely nothing wrong with him, but I somehow just knew that not only would we never see each other again, but that this would be a painful date. Maybe you're thinking it's not fair of me to write him off so quickly, and maybe you're right. But if there's one thing you should know about me, it's that I have killer intuition, almost to a fault. 

We sat down, ordered a drink and my premonition about us not having anything to talk about rang true.  We already knew about each other's jobs, families and hobbies, but it felt weird to ask about them ("How's your brother whose name I don't know and of whom I haven't seen a picture?"). Somehow it was like we were on our second date, but had never actually went on a first.

I don't know if it was just that we didn't have a lot to say, or if he was just shy/nervous or some combination of all of the above, but he was a sucky conversationalist. It was like pulling teeth. Example:

Me: "So, how was your day?"

K: "Good."

Me, after a pause: "...Good, good. I'm lucky, there was a training seminar at work today that I didn't have to go to, so I got the day off!"

K: "That's cool."

Me, after a pause: "...Yeah, it is."

So I decided to get drunk. After all, I was nervous. Maybe I was being a sucky conversationalist too, and alcohol helps make it better. But naturally, that turned him off. He probably thought I was pathetic for getting drunk on a first date, but I didn't see the harm. I knew we'd never see each other again, so why not have a little fun?

When it was time to go, he paid the bill, and he walked me to the subway. I offered to walk him to his car instead since he is unfamiliar with the neighbourhood, but he very quickly declined. As we were saying the usual pleasantries ("Thanks for coming all this way out...thanks for the drinks...it was great getting to meet you!") (Okay, fine. It was me saying those things and him saying "You too" over and over again), I noticed something funny. His feet were pointing towards me, but his upper body was facing an entirely different direction. Clearly, he was desperate to get far, far away from me.

I was minimally hurt by this. On the one hand, no one likes rejection in any circumstance. But on the other, it's not like my heart had really been into this date in the first place. It'd been a while since my last date, and I wanted to get back in the game, but I knew somewhere deep within, very early on, that I wouldn't have a future with this guy. Maybe I shouldn't have asked him out in the first place, but I couldn't help it. I'm a hopeless romantic. I wanted to like him, and that had been enough for me at the time.

Slightly drunk, I went and got some McDonald's, headed home and texted my best friend. All in all, not a bad night - at least I got some free drinks out of the deal!