Blind Expectations

I've always been a bit envious and well, slightly impressed, by people who have managed to avoid the dating scene altogether; sticking with the same person after meeting them at the age of 12 and a half. Then again, I'm not sure I'd have wanted to miss out on all the fun either...

I agreed to go on a blind date once, with a guy my friend insisted I meet. And although I had visions of myself sitting alone at a bar stirring my almost-empty cocktail glass after my blind date seeing and fleeing... the date actually went much better than I thought and I ended up dating the guy for a few months. I also managed to get myself roped into a double-first-date with one of my friends. It was a first date for both of us and with us both being somewhat dillusional, we decided bowling would be a great idea! If you think four strangers on a date together sounds bad, my date brought his friend along for moral support. And this was only last year. I couldn't remember my dates name either, I was just pretty sure it began with 'S'... clearly a major success all around.

But there have been good first dates too... strolls on the beach, movies and romantic dinners. Luckily I've always found first dates to be a breeze, so they've never really been something that bothered me. Why would they? First dates are just a blank canvas and I'm the proverbial paintbrush. All you have to do is turn up, tell your lifestory and decide - usually within the first ten minutes - whether you a) fancy him, b) think he's got second date potential or c) need a friend to fake emergency call you. Although since this is real life and sadly not an episode of the hills... option C is probably never going to happen. Just one of those things I've always wanted to do!

It's the second date that's another story. They're loaded with expectations; you've decided the first date was successful enough to warrant another, but you can't help but wonder if the first date was just a fluke. What if you notice something you didn't see before like a dodgy pair of shoes?  What if you only notice on date two that his hair has a bit of a mullet shape to it? That he tucks his tshirt into his jeans or he has a dangerous habit of name-dropping? There's also the fact that you're setting your poor self esteem up for disaster. If a guy doesn't call after the first date, well fair enough, but after the second? That just hurts!

Not all second dates are disasterous, but they're the ones I dread the most. As long as there's some laughter, some flirting and some little romantic gesture, it's probably enough to seal the deal for date number three. Otherwise? Let Operation Phase-Out begin...