A First Date That Wasn't A Dream Date

Grenoble, France, Friday, 26th March 2021

"I will be 10 minutes late. I apologize for the delay." a message from Ranjita before our first date popped up on my phone. I wait for her for the first of thousands of dinner dates coming on our way. While I was excited to meet her, at the same time, I was nervous about how our first date would be. I still remember that day.

I texted back, "Sure, see you soon." I kept my phone on DND mode while thousands of words run on my mind, especially, "Is she the type of girl I used to dream?" "I don't know. I know nothing about her except her name", replied my consciousness.

The only earlier instance we met each other was a week before, that too with limited communication. Our parents fixed our marriage ceremony for 27th March 2017, much before we ever planned our first date. Yes, we each would be marrying a stranger.

The first-ever date for me, and I was excited like nothing else. But this was more a kind of a blind date with no choice for each other.

I had always dreamed my first date to be a memorable one. While slow romantic music would play in the background, I would ask my partner for a dance after the first sip of merlot. In every of our dance steps, I would look at her eyes with a smile and whisper to her how restless I was to witness this aromatic moment. Before Thakali dinner would be served, I would recite the best of my poems. After dinner, an hour of a walk at the bank of Lake Phewa, and few more poems. I dreamed our first date to be a memorable moment.

Sadly, the reality of the first date was nowhere to the one I had imagined. Ranjita and I had not even heard each other name till two weeks back, and more than any fantasy, a priority of the evening was to let us be known.

I was continuously looking at the door of the restaurant waiting for Ranita's arrival. When I saw her, she greeted me with a smile. As she approached our table, I stood up and gave her a rose, a greeting card, and nothing else.

We sat down facing each other. After a few moments of silence, she was the one to break the ice. The first question she asked me was about my writing. I narrated to her about my niche and recent blog posts. To my surprise, she had read most of them. She wasn't a fan of reading or writing blogs, but she read them to know me. I smiled while she questioned those plots that she didn't understand in my fiction.

She further explained about her work, her studies, and how she carried them together. She worked with an organization that teaches older adults how to read and write Nepali alphabets. Wow! I exclaimed. At just 23, she had already made an impact in the society she lived in.

I could not add any special moments to our first date. A glass of merlot was not there, nor was there any possibility of background music. We had to be content with a plate of Momo and a soft drink when repetitive sounds of vehicles honking in the street disturbed our concentration.

Our first date lasted for an hour. We bid goodbye, carrying thousands of hope and dream. Will she judge me till the last breath for not bringing any gifts on our first date? After reading the fictions of my blog, was she disappointed not to have any cards or poems on our first date? How will she narrate our first date to our children?

Like our first date, our wedding ceremony was forgettable. But a small seed of trust and love that we planted on our first date grew along with time.

We took time to understand each other, and slowly we could be a motivation for each other.

On 27th March 2018, our first marriage anniversary, we went to Pokhara to fulfill my unfulfilled dream of a memorable date in a Lakeside Restaurant. Of course, a glass of merlot was also there.

We danced, we walked, and we talked about poems and fantasies. We enjoyed a closeness with no barrier around us. Still, the first marriage anniversary date was not as memorable as our first date for both of us.

Ah… I meant the first date was the most memorable one, irrespective of flaws and distances.

We had lots of fights in our life journey, but we loved each other after every fight as if nothing ever happened. We loved each other like a soul mate. I hope we are soulmates for each other.

Tomorrow is our fourth marriage anniversary. In the last thirty-two months, we are far from each other by a distance of over seven thousand miles, but with an immense love for each other. We carry a dream, hoping we share them soon. We live with hope; our love will endure every pain and conquer every obstacle. 

We still fight through our words and have many arguments, but we also love each other as if God made us for each other. I hope we are made for each other.

Thanks to our first date, that broke the ice and helped us remove the barrier of strangeness. It wasn't a perfect date, but it was a memorable date. It is still, and it shall be the most memorable date of our relationship.