He literally walked into the cafe just a dozen steps ahead of me, right at 7:30pm. I hadn't seen the guy's face, but I knew from the casual, wrinkled clothing, average body profile, and the stereotypical, plain Asian guy hair cut that it was probably Limey in front of me. As I shadowed him up the steps, I mentally rolled my eyes and questioned whether this would go well.
Limey stopped just short of the order counter, most likely looking around for me. I stood there, debating whether to tap his shoulder when he turned enough for each of us to confirm that we had found who we were looking for.
We nervously said "hello" to each other. There was a pause where we debated whether to sit first or order. He gestured towards the counter and asked what I wanted. I asked for a hot tea and he ordered two. When it was time to pay, he pulled out a weathered leather wallet. When he pulled open the section where he kept his bills, he paused as there was a lonely $100 bill tucked inside. I debated whether or not to offer to pay with smaller bills. He pulled out Ben Franklin and asked the woman whether she would accept the bill and be able to make change. In asking why he was carrying around such a big bill, I joked whether or not he had just returned from Vegas. He either missed it or didn't realize I was kidding.
The conversation flowed pretty well compared to our one phone conversation. We were both friendly, talkative, and mellow. I wouldn't say there were major sparks or animated conversation, just a pleasant, get-to-know session.
We discussed:
- Varieties of coffees and teas
- Lactose intolerance
- Being EB fans
- Cable tv
- Travel (as a kid)
- Favorite movies
- Six degrees
- Reading
These are some of the impressions of Limey I had during the conversation. I know you're all gonna shake your head at some of these comments, but it is what it is.
- clean-cut, decent looking but nothing attractive or sexy
- definitely geeky
- probably wears jeans and old t-shirts seven days a week
- very book smart
- might be somewhat immature/inexperienced socially
- sweet and honest nature
- not a go-getter?
- little brother personality
Prior to meeting, I had hoped to chat for about 45 minutes and go home. Not having a watch, I didn't pay attention to the time. I probably talked more than was good for my throat, but I had a good time (phew). I'm glad we met. Thank goodness I had eaten some chips and salsa before going out. Otherwise, my stomach would have been growling the whole time. Our conversation went 1.5 hours by the time I suggested it was time to go home.
As we exited the cafe, Limey pointed west indicating the direction of his car. My car was to the north. He thought about what to say and told me that he had a good time. I agreed. He dragged on his words as he debated what to do next. I wondered if we were going to shake or hug. Instead he simply said, "wellllll, I know you're going to be busy but how about dinner sometime?"
I told him that sounded good. He looked satisfied, and we wished each other good night.
As I wrote before, I'm not EXCITED at this point. He's a good guy and that's great, but I don't feel that intense pulse of energy that I've had when meeting people in the past. Sadly, I'm probably too jaded to let myself get anxious about anyone. He's what I would label the stereotypical Asian guy that my parents, relatives, and family friends would be pleased to see. I want to get to know him and like him for who he is. I have to be careful not to let my family's expectations sway me.
Hopefully we'll be able to meet up for dinner before I go on vacation.
2 comments:
sounds like you had a decent time. again, it's often hard to tell in the first date, even after 1.5 hours of talking. ;)
not that i exemplify everything, but almost every date i had when there was that initial excitement, nothing came of it. the guy just didn't call me back.
when i first started dating DK, as you well know, i wasn't very excited. and now it's like night and day.
just saying sometimes it's really hard to tell right off.
More often, all the men I've dated where I've had great enthusiasm ended months later. Why? Because when I like guys too much, I'm not myself. They initially liked me the way I was, and then I had to go and mess it up by trying to be what I thought was a good girlfriend. Go figure. It's probably better that I'm not that excited at this point.
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