First Date…

I had rushed home from work and hurriedly jumped in the shower to be sure I had time to redo my make up and pick out just the right outfit to wear.  First official date with a new older guy and I wanted him to sit up and take notice, but not assume I was more experienced than I was.  That’s expecting a lot from clothes, I know, but I wanted to look just right!  Because I took the train to and from the city, it was past 6:30 before I got home and he was picking me up at 8.  And I still had to feed the cats and blow dry my hair…

He got there right on time and since it was early November, I’d finally decided to wear dark brown velvet slacks, a clingy coral scoop neck top and brown boots.  The look on his face when I opened my apartment door assured me that I had made the right choice.  We went to a club that had live music and he found us a quiet table and ordered drinks.

I was starving, but I didn’t want to seem like I expected him to buy me dinner, so I drank my drink, we talked and danced some slow dances and talked and laughed and, after awhile, had another drink.

Now I’m the first to admit I’ve always been kind of a lightweight with alcohol, but this was a Friday night, I’d been up since 6 a.m. and the last time I’d eaten was probably around noon.  I’m not sure if I actually ate or had a diet soda and a cigarette, which was sometimes lunch, I’m ashamed to say.

After two or three VO and 7UPs I was feeling a little lightheaded.  My sweet date noticed that I might have been getting a little woozy and asked me if I was feeling all right.  I sheepishly admitted I hadn’t had anything to eat since lunch and wasn’t much of a drinker. 

He felt terrible because he assumed when I told him not to pick me up until 8 p.m. that I’d already eaten dinner and just wanted to get drinks.  He kept apologizing and suggesting places to go eat, but I was so flustered that I told him it was late and I didn’t think I could eat anything.

By the time he got me home, I was feeling  better and we ended up steaming up the car windows a little bit, until somehow he got his watchband caught on the waistband of my velvet pants.  Setting me carefully back in my own seat, he told me sternly that was it, he was walking me upstairs before things went any farther that night.

And a little less than seven months later, we got married on a beautiful day in May, 35 years ago today!  We still laugh about our first date and I promised Minaxi at Gameplan Happily Ever After that I’d write a post about it.

So thanks for all the wonderful memories, sweetheart, and all the great ones we still have to make!   (He’s taking me to dinner tonight to celebrate and I just might have a whiskey and 7UP for old time’s sake…)

~ Diane D.