Our First Date

A number of days passed between our introduction on the volleyball courts and our first date on South Beach. The Farmer pursued me slowly but surely and I tried my hardest not to trip over my feet in my excitement. Introductions turned into Facebook friends, turned into Facebook emails, turned into the Farmer taking a surprise work trip to Boston and asking me for my number so I could recommend places to sight see. Somewhere in an earlier email I mentioned to him that I spent time growing up in Boston. What I forgot to mention in that email was that I was only 5 years old then.

 Did I email him back and confess to him that my only memories of Boston were of ice skating and reading Arthur books at the library? No, surely not! I called my mom and asked her to tell me all about sight seeing in Boston.

Our first phone called turned into more phone calls, turned into me inviting him out to lunch when I got impatient with him for not asking me out yet. FOOT IN MOUTH MOMENT. Eek, how unattractive! Note to my daughters- always let the guy you are interested in pursue you. There is something beautiful and mysterious about a young woman who doesn't flaunt her beauty or chase after a guy. God created men to be the pursuers, so let him do his job. If he is the right man for you, then he will love the Lord and love seeking after you. I was fortunate that your dad put the kibosh on my over eagerness soon after our first date, but I wish he never had to in the first place.

And my asking him out to lunch turned into him inviting me out to dinner on South Beach. I wore a sweet white dress top and jeans. He wore a white stripped button down. He was, and still is, so handsome. We didn't kiss. We didn't hold hands. We didn't even hug goodnight. What we did do was talk. And walk up and down the street searching for gelato. And share an evening stroll on the beach. I wiggled my toes in the water and he laughed and refused to take off his dress shoes. 

I remember returning home with the largest, giddiest blush on my cheeks and smile on my face. This guy was a keeper, and somehow he had taken an interest in me!