Blind Date

The deep red liquid swirled around the glass as I nervously sat watching pedestrians walk by outside of the rain flecked windows. The restaurant picked was expensive and somewhere I would have only dreamed of going before. Merlot seemed a safe pick for the evening as I felt it went with everything and I had no idea what was served here. I came early, being the anxious, over-prepared type, thinking that I could get an idea of what to order ahead of time. That idea was quickly flushed as they preferred to only present me with the drink menu until my date arrived.

I had never met the man before. I was set-up by one of my more, to put it nicely, exuberant friends. She had a co-worker, that had a lawyer, that had a friend, who was apparently "perfect for me". How she would know that was beyond me, and why I agreed to it even further. But if I were to admit it, and I barley could to myself, I was feeling a little desperate and pressured these days to "get back out there" and "start dating again". My last relationship went south fast. As soon as we got together it's like a switch was flipped and the smooth, gentle man I knew before was turned into some other creature that later came to haunt my dreams. It took a long time and a lot of hidden therapy appointments to get over that one.

So here I sat sipping on the sweet and fruity taste of my drink of choice, not wanting to go overboard with it, and staring out at the damp street where it had so recently rained. My heart did a nervous conga every time a man passed by unaccompanied. The sun was just setting behind the buildings casting long shadows across the street and reflecting rather beautifully off the road. Each pool of reflected sunset looked like a portal into another world that passing cars might get pulled into should they stop over one too long. Half of me wished that time would stop in this moment, that I wouldn't have to continue this evening and I could bask in the glow of the beauty that was my city just coming alive.

New York was pretty by day, but other-worldly by night. Though a lot thought it gritty, dirty and cramped, born and raised here I saw it as nothing short of beautiful; and evenings were by far the best time in the city. You still had the last light of the day casting a glow that made everything look soft, and everyone's lights were just being turned on as well making it just as vibrant as it was soft.

I looked down and noticed that I had unconsciously drank about half my glass of Merlot. I would have to slow it down and stop taking little, nervous sips as they were quickly adding up. I also did not want to order multiple glasses before my date even arrived. As if me getting here several minutes early wasn't pathetic enough. I wanted to order at least one drink to have something to hold, swish, swirl, sip, keep busy with, but ordering multiple drinks? I glanced at my watch. He would be here any minute now; that only made me more edgy watching people pass by.

Suddenly a pair of dark leather shoes appeared at the table, the kind of shoes that talked money without throwing it in your face. My breath caught, steeling myself, I slowly began to look up. Resting atop the shoes was a perfectly tailored, dark blue pant cuff, the pant was straight cut and seemed to fit the man to perfection. A dark navy suit coat followed that held a gorgeously fit body in a white button-down shirt inside of it. The shirt was an in between tight that suggested the presence of muscle-tone underneath, yet not too tight that it suggested the wearer was trying to draw attention there. Finally I exhaled, the crimson wine in my glass down to about one fourth now, and looked into my date's face.