Akiko's Adventures in Online Personals

Part 4: The Finalle

So I ultimately gave 3 more guys a face-to-face meeting. And so the story continues, and my streak of first date being the last date is maintained (I'm 5 for 5 now, its getting pretty bad).

Going for five for five in the streak of one date wonders. It's not that there was anything wrong with guy five (or is he six?) - he is intelligent, cultured and nice, but there just wasn't any connection. It never felt comfortable - it was always alittle forced feeling. I probably could have gone out with him again - he had tickets to a play that he asked if I wanted to go to see with him, but it was a play I saw fairly recently, and when I saw it, it was performed by some of my closest friends, so I didn't really want to see someone else do it. And since we made it through dinner without either of us ever really being comfortable... It just didn't really seem to make sense, you know?

The next guy seemed really promising - musician as well as a computer guy, interesting website... He seemed to have promise. We chatted well online, so we move to talking on the phone... He spends the entire conversation telling me about these other girls who couldn't resist him and jumped him, or wanted to marry him or couldn't control themselves around him. Okay, so he's trying to impress me by showing he's attractive to others... Alittle overkill, but he's nervous. I know I was a little like that when Stevan and I were in the predate stages. Except he does it again the next time we talk as well. Met him anyway, despite the fact that I was rapidly disenchanted. He looked alot more like the stereotypical computer guy than the intense musician. Continued to try to impress me, but it was having no effect. I did not find the blue eyes completely irresistable.

So that brings us to the final guy. One last try. One last first date. Then we put the Match.com profile to rest and give up that game. This guy was a clinical researcher, but he also draws - so we had that nerd-artist thing in common. He also drives a motercycle - which everyone on my dad's side of the family does. I opted for the super-safe "coffee" first date. I had less than no expectations. I was ready for the quick exit, and then a night in front of the tube.

But I guess it goes to show that the saying is true... When you stop looking - it happens. I really expected that last night's date was going to round out my duds from the Personal... When he was a couple minutes late (parking is rough) I was ready to write him off as having stood me up (hey its happened before) - that is how low my expectations were. But you know what? I didn't get home until midnight thirty. Ironically (or maybe not since hockey is my everything right now) - it was talking about hockey (he is a Jersey fan, but I am not so petty as to dismiss him for that reason - now if he had Stevens on his jersey, it might be another story) that helped us break the initial nervousness (at least that is my assessment). It gave us something safe to banter about while we were doing the initial getting to know each other.

That's right - Akiko has made it past the first date. We did the standard dinner and a movie second date and it was fun. Unfortunately, this all happened in June... I went home for a week, and had my accident which pretty much screwed up my summer, and this guy and I haven't connected since then. I've got some post-traumatic stress I'm dealing with, and just don't have the energy for dating, so my Adventures in Online Personals are over. But I made it past the first date. Even if I didn't make it to the third *grin*

The start of the story: The Dates and Responses
The ridiculous story: The Penis Guy
The strange story: The Pastor
Return to the Writing Section

***Writings copyright 2002 j.a.n. (Akiko Meigetsu)***