The Shortest Date Ever

Picture from anomadslife.wordpress.com. 

When I was much younger I used to hit all of the hot local clubs. I saw her at just about every one and thought she was hot. She had this vibrant New York City style. She was a free spirit and we had fun whenever we saw each other. Periodically we talked about going out on a date but it didn't happen.

            I moved out of town for a little while and after I moved back, I started seeing her at the clubs again. Our conversations didn’t flow the way they had a couple of years before but she was still fine, so I didn’t really care. She could sing, was intelligent and had a body that just wouldn’t quit! Finally we exchanged phone numbers. After a couple of conversations we decided to go out on a date. We had been circling for about three years and it was finally going to happen.  I was psyched!

            We went on a double date to the movies.  We enjoyed the movie but there were no real sparks.  A few months went by with us not going out.  Then we decided to try once more. We didn’t have a real plan and figured since we always saw each other at clubs, we could hit a party.

            I talked to my brother about her as I dressed myself in anticipation of our next outing. I picked her up and was impressed as usual. She said she liked what I was wearing. She suggested a college party but when we arrived at the venue, it was empty. We decided to try our luck at a popular college hangout. Once we got there I remembered that other girls I was dating at the time would be there also. A similar thought must’ve entered her mind because she didn’t want to go in either.

            We sat in the car looking at each other with nothing to say. I asked her if she wanted to go back home and she shook her head vigorously. I dropped her off. When I returned home, my clock displayed a sad revelation.  We had only been gone for about an hour.  It took longer for me to get dressed than the actual date itself!

            Eventually we became the best of friends; however, dating was completely off of the table…lol

Written by Ntare Gault

Ntare Ali Gault is the author of the book "The Sun Will Rise: A Memoir of an Urban Family" and the play "Ain't She Brave."

Date From an Alternate Universe

Picture from www.popstrip.com.

A few years ago I got a friend request from a girl I dated on and off in high school and college. I didn’t think anything of this because I pretty much accept all requests that I get. We broke up under some strange circumstances but for the most part it was because I was far more interested in someone else. I was honest and told her that I wished to be with someone else. Now, I graduated from high school in the 80s so I’m figuring that we’ve done a lot of growing up and moving on in that time. Periodically we’d chat online but I wasn’t thinking too much of it.

One day I was about to shut down my computer because I was leaving the house to run some errands. Before I could shut down she sent me a message. I decided that it would be cool to have company in the car as I drove around town and I hadn’t really seen her in about 15 years except in passing, so I decided to ask her to come along for the ride and she agreed.

So I picked her up and realized that I hadn’t had anything to eat all day. It was about 5 pm and I was feeling faint so I asked her to accompany me to Applebee’s. As we sat there talking it felt like I was on an interview. Then out of nowhere she chastised me for concentrating too much on my career and not enough on settling down with a special woman.

I felt the conversation was becoming too intense so I cracked a joke (or so I thought) that we obviously just didn’t make a good pair. She said in a huff that she realized that midway through our conversation. I told her I knew it over 20 years before when I broke up with her.

A couple of days later I came home and logged on to my computer. I had an inbox from her explaining that she had to “unfriend” me because she realized that I wanted more from her than a friendship and she didn’t see me in that way anymore. She said that I had “tricked” her into going on a date with me when I said that I was hungry. I sat there wondering what conversation was she a part of in that restaurant. Then she proceeded to tell other old friends from high school how I had gone “weird” and was still chasing her. I just couldn’t understand what world she was living in because we were not part of the same reality.

Written by Ntare Gault

Ntare Ali Gault is the author of the book "The Sun Will Rise: A Memoir of an Urban Family" and the play "Ain't She Brave."

Strangers on a Plane

While out for drinks with a friend of mine, I shared my vision for this blog.  He wanted to know what was so unique about my dating life.  Boy did I have a mouthful for him!  What I didn't know was that he had a story of his own. 

​My friend *Jason was inside of an airport waiting for a flight to bring him back to his hometown.  A young woman walked up to him and asked him if the wi-fi in the airport was working for his laptop.  He told her that it wasn't, but he was using the wireless hotspot from his iPhone.   Without knowing a single thing about him (not even his name), she asked if she could use his hotspot for her laptop.  He allowed her to do so and a conversation sparked between the two of them.

As the conversation progressed, he discovered that this stranger shared the same birthday and initials with this mother.  He was drawn to her personality.  However, like most airport encounters, it had to come to an end at some point. They exchanged numbers and agreed to keep in contact. ​

​Jason visited his leer jet lover once.  Everything seemed normal.  He described her as a great gal.  After some time, they decided that she should come visit him for a weekend.  There was no serious relationship or commitment.  They were still feeling each other out.  She came on a Friday, and they spent all of their time together until that Sunday.  His mother phoned him to let him know that his uncle was in town.  He was scheduled to leave the next day.  Feeling awkward about having a woman that he barely knew meet his mother, he asked if it would be okay to leave for an hour.  That's when cuckoo bird came flying out of his love interest's forehead.

She became overly emotional and upset that he wanted to leave her alone at his house for an hour.  She didn't understand why she couldn't meet his mother.​  He agreed to stay with her and miss seeing his uncle (whom he hadn't seen in years).  Then she grew upset because she felt that he was unhappy with him so she pushed him and told him to leave.

​Sensing trouble, Jason left to go to his mother's house.  He received a text while he was there from his out of town visitor stating that she was leaving to go back home.  He went back home where the only remnant of his guest was the phone number for the taxi service that she used to go to the airport.  His response?

​"I know this chick doesn't think I'm going to run after her like they do in the movies!"

The moral of the story is that men don't like the drama.  ​Regardless of how we feel about a situation, handling our emotions with maturity will always reign supreme.  Do you believe Jason had a female frog on his hands?