Chris N.: 36 / construction inspector
His ideal date: We eat a heavy breakfast, go home, and fall asleep on the couch.
His perfect Saturday: Stroll through a museum, identify its prized possession, come back at night, steal it, and take off to the south of France. I make it there by dinner time.
Colleen K.: 38 / social worker
Her interests: Old crime shows, crossword puzzles
Last thing she read: Never Lie
7:30 P.M. MIDA, NEWTON
A SCARY MOVE
Chris I went about my daily routine. My anxiety wasn’t high as I’m very picky about dating and did not have very high hopes.
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Colleen I did the crossword to distract me from my nerves.
Chris We walked in within 30 seconds of one another. She was also the only woman to walk in by herself in that time frame, so it was rather obvious.
Colleen The host pointed me toward the table.
Chris She presented herself well and put in just enough care to her appearance — what you would expect on a first date. She appeared to be quite social and confident.
Colleen He was handsome and well dressed. Good eyebrows and great facial hair.
SWEET SURPRISE
Chris We asked each other what we do, where we grew up, and talked about our travel adventures. We also talked a little bit about career paths.
Colleen He grew up in the next town over and we both live in Boston. He shared his love of Halloween and showed me photos of his decked-out house. We both agreed that we don’t normally go out to dinner as a first date activity.
Chris We both grew up in the Boston area, and we’ve both traveled to the Far East. In particular, we both have been to the Thai city of Chiang Mai.
Colleen We enjoy playing trivia and like hanging out with our friends. We both live alone and talked about the pros and cons. We enjoy a good scary movie. I appreciated hearing how he was going to celebrate his birthday by renting out an entire theater to watch Gladiator with friends.
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Chris Because I was going to the night shift for work, I ordered a soda, and she ordered a mixed drink. Both the food and the service were great.
Colleen We split the fried calamari (my favorite), pepperoni pizza, and Bolognese, at the waiter’s recommendation. The space was beautiful and service was great.
Chris As always, I was a tad nervous at the start. My comfort level grew, as Colleen was very easy to talk to.
Colleen I was nervous to start and felt like I was asking too many questions. It felt more like a two-way conversation toward the end.
BOO!
Chris She asked if we should do this again, and I politely told her that I did not feel it, but that it was nice to enjoy dinner with her. I did not feel a physical attraction.
Colleen I was impressed by his looks and his accomplishments, but am really looking for more humor. I wanted to laugh more.
Chris We finished dinner, paid the bill, and went our separate ways.
Colleen He had to go to work and I was ready to go home. We hugged goodnight.
SECOND DATE?
Chris Nope, but she made the evening rather easy to get through.
Colleen I agreed it wasn’t necessary. He’s a nice guy and will find someone, I am sure.
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GRADING THE DATE
Chris / B+
Colleen / A
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