JACOB D.: 24 / mariner / musician
ON A DESERT ISLAND, HE’D BRING: A Celtic harp, an Irish flute, and a WikiReader
HIS INTERESTS: Rail and water transportation, folk dancing, and literature
MARY B.: 25 / employment specialist
WHO PLAYS HER IN THE MOVIE: Saoirse Ronan, because they’re both Irish
WHAT MAKES HER A CATCH: She’s passionate about helping her community/world.
6:15 P.M. HOJOKO, BOSTON
ORDERING OUT
Jacob On Sunday nights, my family and I do a dramatic reading of that week’s Cupid column.
Mary I read the column, plus I love taking a survey.
Jacob Unfortunately, someone stole my bicycle the night before the date. I had time to look at a few replacements before making my way to the restaurant.
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Mary I went to a spin class, did some cleaning, and picked out a cute outfit I had been wanting to wear.
Jacob The waitstaff showed Mary to the table. Mary was . . . how to put this . . . drop-dead gorgeous. Once she smiled at me it was game over.
Mary I could definitely tell he put effort into his outfit, which I appreciate.
HEATING UP
Jacob Mary really cares about her community and the people she works with and for. We talked about her educational background, pets, musical preferences, travel history. She’s really a fascinating person.
Mary He has interesting hobbies. He plays a few different instruments and does Irish dancing and wants to get a master’s in urban planning.
Jacob I was comfortable from the minute she walked in the door, but then again, I’m too comfortable around everyone all the time.
Mary I felt comfortable, I’m usually a pretty good conversationalist and he was really outgoing.
Jacob We were so wrapped up in conversation we had to send the waitstaff away three times before we were finally ready to order. The service and the food were phenomenal. The roasted eggplant appetizer particularly stood out.
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Mary We got the wasabi roulette, a spinning plate with sushi on it. One of them was filled with wasabi but you couldn’t tell which one. I, of course, got the wasabi one but I think I handled it like a champ.
Jacob There was one brief pause in the conversation where one could hear a brief grinding of gears. After that, it seemed like anything romantic was off the table. In retrospect, blurting out how lovely I found Mary’s facial expressions as she realized that she had lost (won?) wasabi roulette was probably a mistake.
Mary I didn’t feel a ton of attraction, but he was really kind and we had fun.
NOT BITTER
Jacob Mary said some of her friends were in the area and that they were all going to get drinks. I’d read enough Cupid to understand what that meant.
Mary I had plans to meet up with some friends.
Jacob On the way out, Mary said she wanted to be straight up that she didn’t feel a romantic connection, but she’d be happy to hang out as friends. I was disappointed, but not surprised.
Mary He seemed to understand and was really nice. He definitely will make someone super happy.
SECOND DATE?
Jacob No. For whatever reason, we’re just not compatible.
Mary No, but I would not mind being friends.
POST-MORTEM
Jacob / A-
Mary / B
Go on an in-person or virtual blind date. We’ll pick up the tab. Fill out an application at bostonglobe.com/cupid. Follow us on Twitter or Instagram @dinnerwithcupid.
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