The first date

I arrive at my sister's house for her birthday, I can already hear her music from a half mile away. She’s turning thirty and of course she's gotta go all out for it. I'm ready for some fun, I suppose but i don't know any of her friends. Hopefully it won't turn into me standing alone all night while she gallivanting through the party. She greets me with a squeal and a hug, looking like she's already had about four drinks tonight. I’m equally excited to see her but anxious about all the people, I try to keep it off my mind so she can enjoy my company. I scan the room, looking for someone else I know, that way I can mingle back if Ashley drifts off. Ashley pulls me to the side, to whisper to me quickly she says there is someone new she works with that she wants me to meet.. I look at her in disbelief, surprised at the thought of her trying to set me up. It’s been a while since I’ve gone on a date, but i didn't think it was long enough that my older sister would fix me up with someone. Curious, I ask about the person and she shows me his social media account and I decide to send a message, I mean why not? I try to be patient and wait for a reply, and spend the rest of my night chasing after my sister.

The next morning I woke to a new message, it’s Carlos, asking if I’d like to go out with him later this evening. Obviously, yes is the only answer. He says he’ll pick me up at 6:30, so thankfully i have plenty of time to get ready. Maybe it has been longer than i thought since i got ready for a date, what do people even wear on dates?!

I filter through my clothes, looking, searching for something that I don't feel too out of place in, but really why is it so hard to put some clothes on. I find something that appeases me, a skater type skirt with a cute but simple blouse and some wedge heels. I can't help but feel like i should cancel, but who knows it could be the guy I’ve been waiting for..

Carlos picks me up, and we have a little awkward meeting. He goes in for the handshake, I go in for a hug and we do an awkward juggle like that for a moment until we both just laugh.

“Well now that we’ve gotten the weirdness out of the way, did you want to go?” He said, laughing off his embarrassment

“Sure, let's go” I reply, equally embarrassed

We pull up to a restaurant, a pasta place it seems to be, which is good because i love anything pasta!

“Is this place okay?” Carlos asks

“Of course, who doesn’t like pasta?” I replied, jokingly

“Maybe people with gluten allergies, other than that I’d say only weirdos don’t like pasta” he jokes back.

I laugh a little about it and we go inside. The restaurant isa lot nicer than I initially thought, so I was glad I wore something somewhat ‘dressy’. We sit down and order, he seems like a regular guy. Works a decent job, and so now I can't help but wonder what's the catch. I go to the restroom to ask my sister what the catch with this guy is, because this has basically been like a dream date for me. Ashley says she is going to do some digging, but from what she has seen of him he’s just a decent guy. I decided to go back to our evening instead of bolting and calling a cab home, even though there is something inside me that keeps saying to run. I come back to the table, and there's a glass of wine waiting for me

“What’s this?” I ask surprised

“Well I wasn’t sure if you were coming back, but I ordered you a glass of Merlot.. I figured you might want it when you came back, or I would use it to drown my sorrows if you decided to leave”

I just stared at him for a moment, confused and unsure how to go about this. I sat down, and sipped at the wine while we talked. He asked me about myself and I learned about him a little and finished my glass. Carlos settled the bill and we went outside towards the car. We’re sitting while he's getting ready to drive, when he turns to me and asks if i'd like to stop at his place with him. Against my better judgement I say yes, but only for a bit because I have to work the next morning. He lives in an apartment building near the beach, much neater than most of the buildings in this city and a lot bigger than my studio apartment downtown. We walk into his apartment, perfectly spotless and organized, I just look around in awe.

“Another glass of Merlot?” He offers, which I nod and accept.

“Wow, your apartment is really clean. Do you have a company clean it for you, or are you really this neat?!” “I’m sorry that is kinda rude, I just mean people aren't usually this organized, or neat” I say.

“Well it’s just me, so i just try to clean up after myself. I do clean up pretty well though…” He chuckled, definitely feeling awkward now.

He hands me my glass and I take a generous sip, we chat for a while longer. I tell him I think it’s time I head home, and he helps me to the car. I must have fallen asleep on the way home, because I woke up the next morning and I feel like I slept on a brick. I try to reposition and get a few more minutes before I have to get up for work, but when I turn I feel ice cold water next to my face. I jump up, out of what is apparently my bathtub, filled with gallons of ice. It's noon, two days later and there's six thousand dollars in an envelope beside my tub. I look and see a freshly sown incision, suddenly my body fills with excruciating pain and I drop to the floor. I call my sister, and tell her somebody harvested one of my organs and that I need help. When the paramedics arrive, they ask what happened.

I said “Never accept a glass of Merlot on the first date”.