Episode 8 – The speed daters part 2

Our primo speed dating experience made booking the next one a no brainer. We tried a different company this time, and the venue was somewhere close to Blackfriars. The bar was smaller, and the male participants fewer.  My good friend and I ended up sitting beside each other as we took turns meeting ten new guys. We had our pens and papers this time to make notes. 

There was one guy I was interested in. We ended up chatting for a good ten mins.  A shy director, recently divorced father of a 5 year old girl.  He wasn’t very tall. Boyish looking (surprise, surprise). Nice smile. I really loved slowly bringing him out of his shell. We had a nice convo. I thought we hit it off, but he was nowhere to be seen after the event ended. We didn’t match either, according to the report.  There were clues though in his body language. I was the one leaning in mostly, and he sat about three feet away from me, a bit rigid. 

One of the evening’s highlight, I must say, is running into this chap we saw on our first speed dating event. We got to chatting a bit more and he shared this was his first of four speed dating events this week. I officially bequeath him the nickname SSD — serial speed dater. He shared a hilarious story about a woman he went on three dates with but turned out to be running a whore house. A few days later, I found him on Hinge and discovered he was an around fix-it (construction, electrical) guy with a penchant for ballroom dancing.  Ahh. The joys of meeting interesting people!

Episode 7 – The one with the walker

A Saturday evening chat quickly turned into a Sunday afternoon coffee meet up. I love these short turn around times. I was also fairly relaxed meeting this gent. He was a legal advisor / journalist. He seemed friendly virtually. So I showed up ten mins late (yet again!), and was surprised to find that he was a person with disability.  Looking back at his profile, some things finally clicked. Ah. That’s why he said his greatest strength is ‘embracing his life’s journey with a walker by my side.’ And also, there was an actual walker in one of his photos. 

He was warm, very complimentary. He said he liked that i was smiling in all my photos, that i seem like a happy person.  He’s been living in the UK for 3 years now. He was new to hinge, and has gone out twice with younger ladies (21 year olds who mostly talked about their fave cocktails). He clarified that he had feelings in all parts of his body and that everything is working as it should. He had CP, similar to my uncle who passed away years ago. 

He shared what he was looking for. We had the same dating ideologies — get to know someone first and then the other intimacies would naturally follow.  We parted ways amicably, he alluded to seeing each other again. 

Takeaways : 

• I guess it’s pretty normal to be openly talking about sexual matters during date 1. Im not used to it, but it’s kinda refreshing. 
• Not really sure what else we might have in common, interest wise.  Hmmm.

Episode 6 – The 43+2 IT guy

Tis second guy on my dating list who doesn’t drink alcohol.  He seemed somewhat cool. He had sunglasses on all his Hinge photos. Finally someone in my industry.  Over chat, before meeting, i reminded him about my height, he assured me he knew and that he was also attracted to chubby girls.  And here’s a first: “you’ve not lost weight since your photos right?”  Oh wouldn’t it be nice if all guys were like this?

I suggested the venue, ensuring it was a bit of a walk from Paddington. And it was! I arrived 15 mins late, flushed, and thirsty. He was initially sat on the tall chairs, and i asked we sit somewhere closer to my centre of gravity. 

The date was… ok.  Nothing romantic. He shared that he was actually still officially married but is separated from his wife, mum of his 18 and 10 year old kids. He mostly shared his experiences in online dating. I was surprised at how candid he was about this girl he previously dated who was into violent sex, having had a traumatic experience in her youth. We shared a pizza, and in the end it felt more like two single people sharing their dating travails. In the end, i recommended that he try speed dating. 

He didnt ask much about me and i doubt we had anything much in common.  He confessed that he was actually 45 years old and not 43. 

Moving on.