Thursday, August 6, 2009

The Small-Business Owner




The first thing I notice about this guy is that he likes to rock climb. I’ve been really getting into this sport myself lately and have been looking for more people to climb with.

Initially, we meet up at the climbing gym not really as a date but just because I wanted to climb and he was going to be there with a group. We have a few moments alone before the others show up. I learn that he was an international reporter for CNN for about 8 years. He speaks a little about his experiences and the people he met along the way. This sounds exciting to me and I am eager to hear more. However, another climber shows up and we focus on other things for the rest of the night.

When I move to leave the gym for the night, he walks me to my bike and asks if I’d like to go to dinner with him sometime. We make a plan for later that week.

He picks me up right on time and as we enter the car he informs me that I have three choices for where to go eat. I pick the Vietnamese joint (one I’d been to before and really enjoy) and off we go.

The conversation is a little less flowing than with my previous Denver Dudes. This guy seems nervous and pretty socially awkward.

As soon as we sit down at the table, he informs me that he could never date a vegetarian woman because he needs to be with someone who is willing to try a variety of foods. A lot of red flags go flying off in my head. He insists on ordering for both of us.

There are a lot of ways in which I like to make my own choices, but probably none more than what I put in my body. I could have and probably should have insisted on ordering for myself. But, I don’t. I end up with a big platter of fried meat. It's a two-person meal that he ordered because it is what he likes to eat.

The rest of the night continues in a one-way conversation between Mr. Meat and himself. I think that I would rather have it that way than to be stuck in awkward silence all night. Still, I am kicking myself for saying yes to dinner before having a shorter coffee date with him first.

Funny enough, he says several times throughout the night that he knows he talks too much. He invites me to just jump in anytime I feel the urge. I try once and he interrupts me almost immediately.

Well, you win some and you lose some. I can honestly look at this date and this man and say it’s a lost cause for me. I wish him lots of luck on his journey and appreciate the fellow climbers I was able to meet through him.

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