Hawaiian Shirt

It was a brightly colored Hawaiian shirt; you could see it from across the parking lot. He had told me to look for this detail at our first meeting. I had never been a fan of blind dates and now I had one that looked like a tourist on his first luau. I smiled and figured I could be nice for lunch. What harm is an hour, right? We could make small talk about weather, careers, our mutual friends and then I would go home and chalk it up as another failed attempt at dating.

Has anyone ever told you that first appearances are everything? Well, I must agree and disagree. This man shattered every assumption I had of him. He was smart and had an amazingly sarcastic sense of humor. He was handsome and polite, caring and charismatic, but not in a cult leader way. His practicality was shown in his conversation and mannerisms, yet you could see a spontaneity and almost bohemian nature lurking beneath the surface. (There will be more on how Hawaiian print is the visual description of this complicated man in another post)

Our conversation came easily and broached every subject, from our upbringing to movies and books. He was interesting, traveled, and well educated. We both taught, had daughters, and each had a failed marriage behind us. Looking for someone new and fun, our mutual friend had set us up on this date… which seemed to be going oh-so-well UNTIL he looked over and saw two women whom he knew. He went over to say hello as I waited and watched their interaction. When he rejoined me at the table, he explained that they were in fact the mother and sister of his ex-girlfriend. His ex-girlfriend that he had not only been with for over five years but had also shared a home. I couldn’t help but feel a bit uncomfortable knowing that they would correctly assume that we were on a date. I was ready to leave and began thinking of how to nicely suggest such, when out of the corner of my eye I see the parents of my ex-fiancé. What are the chances?! The universe was definitely sending out warnings. We were both wondering about the odds of such a moment. Fortunately, he suggested we leave the restaurant and go have a cup of coffee, which I would later learn, he does not drink.

We met at the coffee shop and sat for over an hour talking, mainly about religion since I was currently in university for religious studies and working as a youth and women’s pastor. I loved that he was well versed in various religions and shared my views on many of the controversial questions surrounding the Christian faith and its followers; I will delve into my past with the Church at another time.

The time passed quickly, and the date had come to an end. As he walked me to my car, I was unsure what to expect but figured on a quick hug and a promise to call. Once again, he surprised me. He told me that under no uncertain terms could I leave without kissing him. I laughed, thinking “oh this man,” but obliged. I couldn't help but smile on my way home. It was a date that I would never forget.

I can’t remember if he texted me that night or the next day, but I remember being quite happy that he had reached out. We started talking and texting every day.

Would I see him again?? Well, that is a whole other story.