January 2nd, 2015. A new year. A new beginning...and a date set up for 6:45 at the Wine Tap in Belleville. I'd never been to the Wine Tap before and I was thrilled to be going somewhere I could dress up a little. I work in the fashion industry. I have a closet full of dresses and pretty shoes and I've not had a lot of opportunity since moving here to dress up. So I picked out a new LBD (little black dress in case you aren't familiar with the term, or missed the earlier blog post about dresses) and wore my Tiffany blue heels and arrived about 10 minutes early. I like early. Not too early, but early enough that I'm not stressed. I sashayed (yep!) into the Wine Tap with a big smile on my face and enough nervousness making my heart beat a little askew. But it was a good feeling.
He wasn't there yet. I explained the hostess that I was meeting someone and would wait for him at the bar, which is right there as you walk in. She asked me if it was a blind date. Strange question. Not blind, I explained, but it was a first date. She smiled and told me to take a seat. I ordered a glass of pinot noir and a glass of water, and settled in to calm my nerves a bit.
Five minutes went by. Ten minutes went by. Fifteen. Oh oh. Twenty. He's now ten minutes late. What?! Am I being stood up? Is this a new first for me? I checked my phone for the 172nd time aaaaand... nope...no call. No text. Cue cricket sounds. So.. I texted a couple of friends in a panic saying I thought I was being stood up. Emailed my dad, who is in Mexico for three months, to let him know the same thing. Soon I would have been calling my friend Shirl back in BC. She is the one who gets phone calls from me when I'm crying. I even called her from Mexico when I needed someone to talk to. But thankfully, my phone rang and his name popped up.
I know I didn't sound my usual happy self. Was expecting to hear an excuse as to why he couldn't meet me. This was fifteen minutes after we were supposed to meet. He was talking a mile a minute. Something about a dog and getting wet and having to change...but there was music playing in the background at the bar and I couldn't really hear him. I did hear him ask me to wait for him. He said he'd be there in a half an hour. I agreed to wait. The bar staff was being very friendly, I hadn't finished my wine and I wasn't ready to walk away just yet. The hostess came up to me and I mentioned that he was running a little late and should be there by 7:30. She smiled at me, and explained that he had called earlier and explained that this was our first date and that he wanted to best table so we could talk and get to know each other. There was a reserved sign on the table that she pointed to. The sign was on the table before I got there. This wasn't something that he had just done. He really put thought into the date beforehand. Hmmm. This was new. I felt myself start to relax again. Deep breath.
He arrived right before 7:30. I felt the door open behind me. I took a moment and turned towards the door. The air went out of the room. Whoosh! He had his head down a little and looked up at me with a look of "forgive me?" on his face. He looked...nervous. Extremely handsome. Grabbed my heart right there and then. Shook it off internally and got out of my seat to hug him hello. O.M.G.
Want to hear the story as to why he was late? His son's dog got off her lead and bolted off for a nice Chariots of Fire run. I have a dog. I understand the panic this creates. He spent some time running through cornfields trying to get her back. His clothes got wet. His phone was back at the house. A perfect storm of lateness. Charming story, very well told. But he was so nervous and visibly shaken. Could not apologize enough. I couldn't convince him that it was okay, that I understood, so I decided to make a piece of pizza jump off my plate, hit me on the shoulder and fling itself dangerously close to the diners beside us. Just to break the tension. I'm good that way. :) Okay, I actually didn't do it on purpose, but it did happen. He got a good laugh out of it and it finally released the tension valve. And I'm glad my dorkiness came out to play so early on, as he shouldn't be surprised when things like this happen going forward, right? Fair warning...
We spent a couple of hours eating and drinking and laughing. It was comfortable. It was electric. There were major lightening bolts. I knew early on that I was in trouble because I was completely enamored. Hold back, Cat.
I asked if he would drive me home, as I had a little too much wine to drive home safely. Perfect gentleman, he agreed to drive me home and then take me to my car the next morning. On the way home we passed a local dive bar that I had never been to. Application of brakes and shortly after, we are inside talking to the regulars and continuing the date. This man is someone very special.
As he dropped me at my door, he handed me a brown paper bag. I opened it once inside and after my sitter went home. Inside was a beautifully written note (I read it daily). This was a first date gift. Three books that we had talked about on the phone, which he was lending me. Thoughtful...and he listens to me. A jar of homemade salsa. This man can cook!!! More to come on that in later posts. But the fact that he gave me something that he made...wow. And it was fantastic, by the way. Lastly, there was a cord for my son's laptop that I told him I was going to purchase the next day. My son's dog chewed through two cords and I made little man wait a few months to appreciate the fact that laptop cords don't grow on trees... This was something I had shared with T during one of our conversations earlier in the week. Again, he listens. And he acts. Honestly, this first date gesture made me cry. He put this together beforehand. I still have a hard time articulating this. This simply blew me away. Right out of the water. And every day since, every day since, this first date, I thank God for who He has brought into my life.
A great beginning and a wonderful month since that first time I set eyes on him. Cannot wait to see what's behind the next corner. I do know that it will be wonderful.
<3
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