Giovanni's and The Stepford Wives

This Friday I'll be having Italian food with the 45-guy. Afterwards we'll go to see "The Stepford Wives." The movie doesn't start until 10:05 which is annoying. I'd really like to get home before midnight. This is his second, and likely final, date with me. I just can't get over the age difference.

I took my time in arriving. I guess B was there early because he mentioned walking down to the bookstore beforehand. I didn't see him standing outside the restaurant. I peeked inside to check if he was waiting at the bar. As I scanned the room, I saw him walking towards me. He had already been seated.

He looked okay. He's not a bad looking person. He was dressed decently in black pants and a plaid, button-down shirt. I thought about his height and it seems okay, but I'd have to say his height is definitely the minimum I need. It's funny how just an inch or two can make such a difference.

The restaurant was a bit loud to have a decent conversation. I couldn't lean back if I wanted to hear everything he was saying. It was also difficult to eat without sitting on the edge of the bench seat.

It is probably true that people can improve upon you the more time you spend with them. It's not bad talking with him. I guess maybe I approach these dates a little too formally at times. The conversation is interesting but a little dry. I smile but there's no jokingly or laughing much. I also found a couple times that he just kept talking and I had nothing to say.

I don't know what life with him would be like. I fear it would be boring. He had a cousin over this week with their two kids. It sounds like he had a decent time entertaining them. He never mentions much else that he does. He obviously is very used to living alone. When we were eating the bread, he would continually dip his bread in the vinegar/oil mix. I think he eventually noticed that I was breaking off pieces before dipping them. On his second piece I think he avoided double-dipping his bread.

We talked about 9-11 because it turns out that he was in D.C. at the time. It was a challenge to deal with everything but he still managed to get some site-seeing done. He expressed that the whole ordeal taught him to let go of the petty, little worries that happen in everyday life.

I found some of our conversations started to repeat things we talked about before. I just didn't know what to ask that wasn't totally direct and serious.

Again his travels seem to be always alone. I told him that I don't prefer to travel alone. I'd rather save my time and go with friends rather than take an extra day on business travel to explore. He told me how he once he went to Club Med in Cancun. He spent most of his time seeing Mayan ruins. Not exactly how I'd spend my time at a Club Med. Apparently there weren't many social events and since he wasn't interested in any water sports there wasn't much draw for him. Personally that seems like such a waste. I still don't get the impression I'd be very happy hanging out with him. Not much of an outdoors person, but then, how often do I really plan to go out?

He drove us to the theatre. He has a 16-year-old Acura Integra. I can't say it surprised me. He has some 190,000 miles on it and has only has to invest in a new fuel valve. When I asked about how long he'd wait to replace the car, he said this is now his second car. He didn't bother to mention what his new car is. The Integra is more for driving to the city because it's small and he wouldn't worry about scratches or dents. He's taken good care of it thus far. But why pick me up in this car rather than the newer one - just because of the tight parking in Mt. View and at the theatre?

When we got to the ticket line, I asked if I could buy the movie tickets. He seemed please and said I could if I wanted. As I paid for the tickets he thanked me as he put his hand on my shoulder.

Inside the theatre, we had to figure out where to sit. He prefers to sit on the edges because of his height. It helps to sit at an angle to avoid being blocked by a taller person. He says he's 5' 5". We laughed about how it becomes an unspoken rule with tall friends how to arrange people in a car. We also talked about old 70s tv. His favorite show was "The Bionic Woman." We discussed Star Wars and Star Trek briefly. He recalled standing in line with friends for the Star Wars premier, but he did add that they were chaperoned.

The movie was okay. It was rather bizarre at times. I loved the gay guy. At the end when he joked about having more highlights in the world, I thought of Tim.

He drove me back to my car. As I prepared to leave, he held out his hand to shake. He expressed the expectation of seeing me again though he understood that I'm already pretty busy next weekend.

I don't know what to say. Could I really be comfortable with someone who is a decade older than me?

I just sifted through Yahoo Personals to see if I could find any information on him. Sure enough, he's there. He last checked in a few days ago. The profile describes him as 43 years old and 5'6". So what is accurate? He sounds okay in his self-description. If it weren't for his age I might think him okay. It doesn't completely jive with the impression I've gotten from talking with him. It just goes to show that it's easy to judge and jump to conclusions before you know enough.