My First Internet Date...

I know, I know, I stooped to a new level by subscribing to an internet dating site. But I didn't know what else to do. Remember folks, I went from living with the husband, to living with XBD, and now I'm single. Most of my friends are much younger than I, or married. And I'll be frank, I don't want to tell my friends I want to be "set up". Plus, I wanted to have the option of knowing what someone looked like, how they wrote, and if they seemed interesting in any way before actually meeting them.

So I joined a dating site and started getting emails. Some interesting, some immediately deleted. I communicated with one guy for about two weeks, and we agreed to meet this morning at a local coffee joint he mentioned. He didn't seem totally like someone I would date, but I'm trying to keep my options open. He had a kind face, he was funny, and he seemed pretty smart. Last night, I went out and looked up the coffee shop, read a couple reviews of it (very good), and got directions.

We agree to meet at "9:30ish". I leave my house at right about 9:30, because it was reasonably close to me, and shouldn't take more than 15 minutes to get there. I really wanted to leave earlier, but today was my day off and I slept in a little later than I had intended. So the problems start as I'm on my way when I realize that the route Mapquest had chosen for me was right in the path of, you got it, a detour. I find my way out of it, albeit losing some time. I make it to said coffee joint at about 9:50am. I walk up to the door, nervous as all get out, and..... IT'S CLOSED! It wasn't closed for good, there were signs out front showing that it clearly was open, and very recently. But it was closed nonetheless. I stand there for a minute, wondering what to do at this juncture. I look around, to see if maybe there's someone in their car, watching for me to walk up and experience the same thing they had. There's nobody. I slowly meander back to my car and call my friend Mike. The conversation goes something like this:

ME: Ready for the weirdest first internet date story EVER?
MIKE: Yeah....?
ME: Well, I get to the coffee shop and it's CLOSED!
MIKE: Huh? Closed? Like, for good?
ME: No, not for good, there were signs out front advertising protein smoothies and what-not.
MIKE: Hmm, that's odd.
ME: Who ever heard of a coffee shop that's closed at 10am? Should I just go home now?
MIKE: Wait, it was closed and he didn't wait for you or anything?
ME: No, I guess not. I mean, I said "9:30ish" and I got here at 9:50.
MIKE: I would have waited until about 10.
ME: Right. I guess I'll just go home.
MIKE: Sounds like a plan.

So I come home and send him an email. Telling him I went, it was closed, and asked if he'd like to reschedule. In my mind's eye, I saw him sitting in his car, watching me walk up, thinking my ass is huge, and peeling out of there like a bat out of hell. Mike tells me this is ridiculous, and tells me nobody would do this to me, if they truly saw me (in so many words). I appreciate the words of encouragement, but Mike knows the real ME, and he loves me because of my inner beauty, not the outward. At least I hope so.

I don't know about this whole internet dating thing. And I'm feeling awkward about talking to this potential suitor again. It's obviously a little snafu with the place being closed. If it were open, I would have went in, ordered a coffee and sat for a few. But it wasn't and I'm uncertain about what to do now. Is this an indication that internet dating is not for me? Is this confirming what I've always believed to be true, that it's better to meet people in their natural habitat of life, as opposed to forced meetings on the world wide web? Are the people that we're supposed to meet the ones that we meet in the course of our daily lives?

I'm going to contemplate these questions for a while. And I'll let you know.