Another first date

As always, I’m describing another significant experience on my romantic travails after the fact. It’s becoming a superstition now, with me, to write about a woman only after things have ‘happened’ between us. To write too soon, to get my hopes up and speculate, is to risk too much.

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When I returned from Baltimore, I came back to find a handful of messages in my OkCupid mailbox. Some represented dates I had put off due to finals, hosting TGs, and traveling. One, though, was a reply from a swing dancer I had messages months ago. StormFish, she was called, was writing back late but with a pretty substantial message.

So we made a date. Already, I was slipping out of the new habits I was trying to form and ended up letting her choose the date and time. Stormfish, it turns out, is generally quite a busy human being. So we met at Real, a Gastropub downtown near Honolulu with one of the more impressive beer lists I’ve seen on the island. It also has the distinction of having the most expensive beers I’ve had on the island.

I walked around the area a bit and scoped the place out, making sure I wasn’t too early, but when I re-entered the bar five or ten minutes late, she still wasn’t there. I stepped outside and took a glance down the street and there she was, heading in my direction, red curls bouncing and the wrinkles at the corner of her mouth curled into a smile.

I can’t remember how we greeted each other, but soon we were talking beer at the bar and sizing each other up. I talked a little about Japan and found out she had a short stint there with Nova herself. As we drank sour beers, she talked about how she grew up in Sweden, though her parents are Brazilian and American. We talked books, and threatre (she was a threatre major in college), and physics.

Afterwards, we exchanged a quick kiss, but not too much. I wanted to leave her wanting something more. The first date was a success!

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I waited a day or so before texting, but when I did we both agreed we should go for a second. The next locale was one of my choosing: Anna’s Irish Pub, which was a reasonable walking distance from my place. More to come on that later.