Always

It all started with a swipe. Yup, one of those couples. Met on a dating website (Hinge), and a photo of him wearing a jumpsuit and aviators caught my attention. Top Gun 2 had just come out and I had Tom Cruise on the mind. I wasn't looking for Mr. Right at the time, just Mr. Right now and decided to give it a whirl. First date nearly never happened, started with a miscommunication about where to meet, then me wondering if driving 45 minutes to another town was worth the effort. Finding out that John was an avid reader and enjoyed similar books to me helped push me in the correct direction. It was a fairly standard first date, dinner at a cozy casual BBQ restaurant talking about books, movies, Sophia, and general life things. It was going fantastically for two very socially anxious and unprepared people not well versed in this whole dating thing. Then... the live music started. I think that is when I started liking John. The mutual decision to abandon the restaurant for the sake of sanity, hearing, and vocal protection drove us to wander the muggy streets of Statesboro instead of ending the evening. We journeyed aimlessly, not quite ready to end the evening eventually landing at the Comic Book store. Of course, we would both enjoy board games and anime and spent quite a bit of time perusing the shelves and giggling like children when we found something particularly risqué. I gushed about my childhood love of Sailor Moon and Death Note. He spoke about One Piece and watching Naruto with his Sister-in Law Julia. It was going quite swell from what I could tell. Eventually we ran out of time. I still needed to drive home, and I was getting the impression that he was worth more than an one night stand and a lost phone number. So… as the end of our date wound to a close, I dropped the largest, vibrantly colored, red flag I had. My ex-husband was living with me. He didn’t run, screaming, like he should have. Any sane person would. Instead, here we are, several years later, preparing to change my last name and tax deductions. Planning a party where we get to finally see many of my family I haven’t seen in years and bond further with his. And that’s how the Mechanic met the Scholar.

As Tabetha mentioned, it all started with a swipe and a lie. In a prompt regarding Two Truths and a Lie, I claimed to know how to dance the Thriller which was the lie but tried to cover it up with a picture of Michael Jackson's pose. So when she messaged asking me to teach her the dance, I was terrified I'd drive her away. But luck was on my side and she decided to give me a chance in person. Messaging back and forth regarding our favorite watering holes to establish a first date did not turn out as planned. I was in Statesboro nervously waiting for the lady of my dreams, and her in Savannah with an emergency exit ready to go if I flopped. It's nice to be able to look back and laugh at that miscommunication. Round Two worked out much better, as it allowed us another week to chat about our interests. I will forever be thankful for my Dog Park friends and their reading recommendations, or I would not have read the book series that we connected over. This time I was very deliberate and clear with the time, location, and date of the next location for the date. The fated day dawned and I got to stressing about my first date with a girl who had enchanted me through a phone. She proceeded to get out of the car wearing a t-shirt that featured Jafar, and I was smitten all over again. Things were going well and the conversation flowed easily until the live music arrived. Neither one of us was a fan of what was being played, but were not ready to part so a walk to the local comic shop was the next step. While there, I watched her face light up with glee at the Sailor Moon figures and other mementos of her childhood. I then proceeded to show my nieve nature and ask if I could see her back tattoo, which turns out would have required her to take her top off. Smooth move on my part, asking your date to take her top off on the first date in public. She laughed it off and we had to return as time was running short. When I walked her back to her car to see her off, she informed me she wanted to be upfront and let me know that her ex-husband was living with her at the moment. I was initially a little taken aback, but after she outlined her reasoning I was even more captivated by the concern that she has for her child to not let her see her father on the streets. As she was getting in her car to leave, she mentioned a text that she had received from a friend which involved a smack to the backside. And I again in my infinite wisdom and idiocy said with full confidence, that I too would love to smack her backside. The look I got terrified me as I feared I had ruined the best thing that had happened to me. And that was the fear I had to manage while she drove home radio silent. The last image I had was of the sticker on her back window that read, "Don't be afraid to get on top, if he dies he dies". But here were are, she was not driven away regardless of my inability to dance the Thriller or lack of common decency for first date decorum.