Date #2

Or, The One That Felt Like Counselling

You want a date, she thought? Join a dating website! All the cool kids are doing it these days, she had been told from a very reliable source, and it's not all just freaks and geeks. Apparently.

Well, it couldn't hurt, right? So on a whim, and a strong gin and tonic, she took the plunge, half wondering what on earth she was doing as she picked a profile picture and told the whole world she was single and desperate. Or at least that's what it felt like.

Then this guy started messaging her. He was too old and had too many kids (ie more than none) but said he worked as a TV presenter, and she was intrigued. Utterly shallow, yes, but still. Intrigued.

This intrigue was such that she agreed to meet him for a drink, half fearing there would be a whole camera crew there and that it was all some horrible set up for a show on internet dating. But thankfully, life isn't always like Bridget Jones. There was just a man, a man with a small face, and a pub, and some glasses of wine.

It felt, in all honestly, like a drink with an uncle. Which was to say, nice, but not in the least bit exciting. Turned out he still has (many) issues about his recently ended marriage. Which they talked about. Rather a lot. And no one asked for his autograph. She mostly just wondered what on earth she was doing there. It didn't feel as amusing as she thought it would do.

She got a bit too drunk, they left with a peck on the cheek, and she got cheap Chinese and went home. The TV presenter fell off the face of the earth.