#FirstDate #FirstDates #FirstDatesIRL #Dating #Kilkenny #KilkennyHibernianHotel #Ireland #LEGO
First Date #54 was with an Irish woman living in Inistioge, County Kilkenny. We matched on Bumble. She is a businesswoman with a pretty important job here in Kilkenny. We agreed to meet at the Hibernian Hotel on a Monday evening for dinner.
On the afternoon of our first date, I noticed that I had a message on LinkedIn. It was from FirstDate54. I thought she might have been canceling or postponing, but she was just confirming that the person she was messaging on LinkedIn was indeed the person she was messaging on Bumble. I know I have been cyberstalked in the past as dates have let slip something they’ve read about me online. This was the first time my date was telegraphing her cyberstalking. Shrug, I have nothing to hide, and I feel that the more somebody knows about me, the better. It won’t take two months of dates to find out that I’m actually the nerd I say I am. Also, I will definitely find out as much as I can about my matches before and after we meet. I think it’s just normal nowadays. Plus, this either meant she was into me or was trying to see if I was a serial killer. Although I don’t know too many people who put that in their LinkedIn profile.
It was a cold December evening, and I was dressed nicely but extremely warm too. She arrived bundled up as well, but looking sharp too. Fortunately, we were sat near the fireplace which meant I didn’t have to wear my giant coat through dinner.
Although I had been observing Meatless Mondays for all of 2021, this was the first time I had to put that to the test on a First Date. Part of that was the fact I had dated far fewer people during the COVID years. The other part was that I didn’t usually schedule dinner dates for Monday nights. Anyhow, I ordered a bean burger as it was one of the few vegetarian options available. I did have to be that guy to let her know why I was having the meatless option. It might show some of my weirdness right up front, but I hoped it was showing my sensitive side as well.
The meal was good, and the conversation went well too. She told me about some of the weird matches and dates she had experienced, and I told her some of mine as well. When it came time to pay for dinner, I insisted on paying so that she could get the next one. It was the time honored tradition of setting up the second date before the first date was over. She smiled and agreed.
As it was the Christmas season, I felt that I might be experiencing a Christmas Miracle. She was an attractive woman with a good job, she laughed at my jokes, and we had preliminary plans for our second date. I walked her back to her car, and she offered to give me a lift back to my house…
(First Date – 13 December, 2021)
