The Date was Mostly Sunny with the Possibility of Showers

Seven-thirty had arrived.

I stepped into the restaurant and looked around. I asked the hostess if she had seen a tall, blonde-haired man come in by himself.

"No ma'am," she replied, so I excused myself to sit in the waiting area for him.

Seven-thirty became 7:35, which quickly became 7:45. We hadn't exchanged phone numbers, so I couldn't call him to make sure he wasn't in a ditch somewhere. I patiently waited.

Just then, the door opened, and I saw him.

He was cute! Actually cuter than his picture, which is completely unheard of! Tonight might not be so bad afterall, I thought. Donning a polo shirt -- tucked in, mind you -- jeans and hiking boots, I was glad I hadn't dressed up much more that I had. I was wearing some bowling shoe-type sneakers, a corduroy jacket and jeans.

"Sorry I'm late," he apologized. "I got a little turned around out by one of the docks." I laughed and said I'm glad he made it, and we shook hands. The hostess led us to the table.

We got to talking, and I could tell he was nervous. He hardly looked at me while he answered my questions. I started to recommend the Bloody Mary and get going with our drink orders, but he said, "I'm hungry. How about you?"

"Um," I hesitated. Sure I was hungry, but when you skip drinks and go right to the meal, you have to worry about who pays. And I hate that part. "Um. I could eat, but I had a pretty big lunch, so I won't get too much."

"Well, I'd like to get something to eat if that's all right," he said. I was cool with that, but I apologized for choosing such an expensive restaurant. "I had no idea if we'd want to eat or not," I said. He said it wasn't a problem. We ordered beer. Then he got shrimp and I got soup, figuring if he pays, I wouldn't be getting something too expensive.

We dove into the conversation. And conversate he did. Maaaan, he was Mr. Chatty McChatterson. But that was fine with me -- I don't like being the talkative one all the time. He told me all about his job. His family. His interesting college choices -- University of Hawaii for an oceanography degree and Florida State University for his masters in meteorology.

He certainly was smart. That wasn't an issue. But my next question was: Did he have personality? He made a comment about his working with people in Japan and how he was glad they spoke English. I don't know if it was the way he said it or if it just struck me as funny, but I thought it was hilarious. Definitely a dry sense of humor but had personality none-the-less.

After dinner, he said: "Would you like to get dessert?" I took that as a good sign that he wanted to keep the date going. He ordered, and again asked me if I wanted anything. I said no, but the waitress brought out two spoons. He offered me some, and I took him up on it. And it was really delicious.

The check came, and he didn't hesitate to pick it up, which I thought was really nice. I didn't ever offer, but I thanked him. As he was signing the bill, Uncomfortable Moment Number 1 occurred:

Me: "You know, sometimes first dates are like pulling teeth, but this was really enjoyable."
Him: Makes a scrunched up face like "What the hell are you talking about?"

Awwwwkward.

He quickly changed the subject to how much I thought he should leave as the tip. I said maybe 15 percent. He figured it out, in his head, in about 10 seconds. And I'm not gonna lie. It was totally hot. What can I say? I go for the nerds.

At 9:45, I thought that was going to be the end of the date. "Would you like to take a walk around the lake?" he asked. Oh. I took that as another good sign. "It might be a little chilly out for a walk, don't you think?" I asked.

"Nah. You can wear my jacket if you'd like," he said.

Hmm. Let's recap. Smart. Cute. Personable. Gentlemanly. That's cool.

"That's awfully nice of you. I might take you up on that," I said as we stood up and headed to the door. We stepped outside and walked around by the dock and the boats. We joked around a little and talked our favorite Seinfeld episodes and family vacations. And my hands were jammed into my pockets, I was so cold.

"How about that jacket?" as he took his coat off and put it on me.

About 10:30, I mentioned I was getting a bit sleepy, so I asked if we could call it a night. He said sure and walked me to my car.

I gave him his jacket back, and Uncomfortable Moment Number 2 occurred:

Me: "I had a very nice time. I hope we can do it again soon!"
Him: "Yes, we'll be in touch."

Whaaa? I was a litle offended, but then I remembered we hadn't exchanged phone numbers. Maybe that's why he said that? I guess I will e-mail him tomorrow telling him I had fun and give him my number.

On the chance that I don't ever hear from this meteorologist again, I would say the date was mostly sunny with a chance of showers.