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the first date Work had been fairly calm with just enough happening to pass the time. Going home was also easy since only one person from first shift would be coming in for the day. It was a holiday after all and only a skeleton crew was needed. Thankfully there wasn't any stress when he left and the rest of the day was completely free. Once he was home he ate some food and tried to decide when he should call her about tonight. Was nine in the morning too early? Should he wait until ten? Then lying there on the couch vaguely aware that the television was still on, he heard the telephone ring. It was her. They talked about what they wanted to do for the night and decided on a movie. Then she gave directions to her house with him scribbling them down as she talked. He had been to the town years ago when he was still in high school, but that knowledge was old. Where he was going tonight was something new. Within minutes of hanging up the phone he was asleep. ... He woke hours later with pleny of time to get ready. From looking outside he could tell that it was going to be a great night weather wise. Now he was hoping that things would be just as pleasant with her. This was a first for him. She knew what he looked like, but all that he had was a description from his sister who said that she was very pretty. Here was this woman that he had never met that wanted to meet him after seeing some photos of him in Australia. Oh, they weren't complete strangers. They had talked a few times on the telephone trying to get to know the other person better, exchanging stories and points of view. Tonight however would be the first time that they would meet and actually spend some time with one another. Nervous might be an adjective that some people would use, but there were other emotions as well. She had been hurt in the past and hadn't done much dating. In fact this was the first time in a while that she had gone out. In some ways the same could be said for him. He had also been hurt in the past and had put any thoughts of love somewhere towards the bottom of his goals in life. The idea didn't seem to exist for him anymore. It was just a fairy tale that people clung to like Santa Claus or other silly ideals. Despite any fears that he might have had, he soon found himself driving to her house. The ride was nice enough and it was the first time that he had taken his new car out on the highway. Wisconsin gave him great scenery to watch as he drove with green hills and a perfect summer sky with hints of cloud here and there. He must have slept through a great day. Soon he pulled onto a dirt and gravel driveway tucked away in some trees. According to the directions he had been given, he should have been at the right house but he wasn't sure. An older man came out of the house and our hero introduced himself and asked him if she was home. The older man who was her father said that she was and said that he heard that I knew computers. It seems that they were working on a spreadhseet for his business and that they were having some trouble. Our hero followed her father into the house and there she was sitting at the computer looking slightly frustrated. From her expression this probably wasn't the first impression that she wanted her date to have of her, but it didn't matter to him. He was smitten. Her face reminded him of his college girlfriend from his senior year. It was almost the exact same shape with the adorable nose and cheeks. Her hair was a different color with less curl, but that was a good thing. Too much of a similarity between the two of them might have allowed old memories to cloud his judgment. She wasn't his old girlfriend from years ago. Introductions were made to her mom and a discovery happened. The hero and her mom had in fact worked for the same company years ago. The mother's voice had sounded familiar on the telephone, but the hero wasn't sure at the time. Seeing her face to face completed the picture though. This past association also did something else. It gave him the seal of approval from the mother. The hero was no longer just some stranger taking her daughter out for the night. ... After solving the spreadsheet problem the couple for the night were on their way to the theater. One of the first things that she said was that she liked his car and that made him happy. He then told her that she was the first person to ride in his car and it was true. Having her sit next to him in the car made the hero feel as though he were seventeen again. He would have to thank his sister for showing the photos to her. Ever so slowly the tension from the computer problem as well as the embarrassment of her parents being there to meet him faded from her. It didn't matter to the hero and he tried to get her to forget about it. As they were talking he could smell her perfume and made a mental note of it. That scent would forever be linked to her even if they never went out again. He liked it, but didn't say anything. Soon they arrived at the theater only to find that the movie that they were going to see wasn't playing anymore. The online site had lied to him. It was a classic Charlie Brown moment for our hero, but he did his best to recover. Obviously they could check another theater and or see something else. It wasn't the end of the evening. Two different theaters later they decided to see something else. Sigh. Naturally this mix up made the hero nervous, but she said that she didn't mind. It was near the end of the movie when the second Charlie Brown moment of the night happened. The film broke. Of course this was nothing that the hero could control, but it still seemed too funny. After the film had been fixed and over, the couple started to exit the theater with some free movie passes in hand. Then just as they were about to leave the hero spotted someone that he knew. It was a girl from the class that he had taken in spring. A hug was given and introductions were made all around. The hero was happy to see the old classmate, but was worried about what the date might think of the hug. Had he broken some kind of date protocol? Did this make him seem like some kind of player with women recognizing him on the street? It wasn't something that he had planned on happening. She didn't say anything and he was quick to explain to her in the car how he knew her and that the guy with her was her fiance just in case she hadn't heard that part in the introductions. ... Soon they pulled back into her driveway after a ride home under the moon and he had to ask the one question of the night. Could he take her out again sometime? She said yes. ... Now this may not have been as exciting and or exotic as the dates that are shown on the television program Blind Date where the couples usually end up in a hot tub or have an acupuncture session or something just as offbeat, but that didn't matter to the hero. He was happy to meet her and put a face with the voice on the phone. Maybe this was the start of something new. He didn't know. What he did know that it was a great way to spend the Fourth of July and it was even better than fireworks.
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