My First Online Date

My friend got fed up with a guy she’s been going back and forth with. She jumped on a dating app, and immediately went on several dates. She might’ve gotten my attention.

We are twins in the dating arena.

She waited years to date after her divorce, and usually turns most guys down.

It’s time I told myself.

Why?

It’s my history. I got online several years ago and never got back to one guy who liked my profile on Bumble. I hopped back on again about eight months ago.

I finally began communicating with a few guys.

Success!

Baby steps, right?!

And then I cancelled the dates that I did make. Old habits die hard. But watching my twin dive in made me realize how ridiculous I’ve been. Well, that and there might have been a few other motivating factors.

Including my upcoming birthday next week.

Another year makes a girl panic…I mean think.

You got me? There’s only going to be more candles and fewer men.

Although God might’ve thrown me a bone last night.

My friend had a romantic emergency. She broke up with her boyfriend. I didn’t want to go out but I am a first responder. I’m not gonna leave a girl suffering alone.

I met her at an outside bar.

My friend got up to go to the bathroom, and the guy next to me started talking to me. One thing led to another and he was doing the empathetic divorce starting over thing.

“I get it,” he says. “We’re old, it’s not easy out there.”

“Thanks for saying ‘we’,” I say.

“No, seriously,” he says. “I mean it. I’m in my 40s too.”

At this point, I have to turn away. I’m laughing that hard. So hard that I’m unable to correct him. My friend returns and I fill her in.

“Don’t correct him,” she says. “You don’t look your age.”

“You’re right,” I say. “God’s throwing me a bone. Who am I to throw it back? A little early birthday present. He doesn’t need to know.”

Anyway, you get the point.

A few things motivated me to finally go on my first online date.

I like the guy I’ve been talking to.

He seems like a good guy. It’s refreshing to just talk to a man. He’s not speaking with sexual innuendos, or a lot of the other unattractive stuff some dating app guys do.

There should be a course in what not to say to a woman on dating apps.

He’s also handsome, nice, and funny.

To be fair, I did cancel on him once. But this time I didn’t do it out of last minute hesitation. I wasn’t feeling good. He was great about it. Another plus, he seems to be easy going.

I’m going on my first online date.

Success!

No more baby steps for this birthday girl.

I’ll be bringing my heart but not my rose-colored glasses.

Sometimes a girl needs to take them off.

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This post was previously published on medium.com.