The Date

When I was 16 and in tenth grade, I went on my first blind date. A friend of mine from the frisbee team said there was a girl who liked me. There were several women who hung around the team (our groupies) so I was pretty stoked.

I became more wary however when he would not divulge any information to me about this would-be paramour. My best friend also knew the secret identity but was keeping his mouth shut tight.

Although it should have been clear to me now that whoever this person was, it wasn't Amy, Jennifer, Cairn (yes, that's how she spelled it) or one of the other girls I'd been lusting after. But at 16, anticipation and imagination still trumped reality. I put on my best faded jeans and, jeez, I think a yellow shirt, hopped in the 1973 gray Plymouth Duster with the AM radio (dad was too cheap even for an 8 track).

I drove over to Choice Cuts, a record store at Tenley Circle in what passed for a mall in D.C. in 1981. I was there looking at records with Sarge, the guy who had set this up. He was still being coy as we waited for his girlfriend and the mystery woman.

Then he said, `they're here.' I looked up, turned around and said, 'you fucker,' or something to that effect.

Needless to say, the mystery date was not what I had been expecting. Actually, considering how Sarge and my friend were acting, it should have been exactly what I expected.

Sarge could hardly keep from laughing as they drew nearer. I couldn't run out. We went to see a movie (The Howling) and then I dropped everyone off. I think I said three words to her and everyone else the entire night.

Unfortunately, while I had a bruised ego, there was a completely innocent victim to all this and that was the girl. She actually did like me (although not too much after that evening). She didn't ask for any of this. I could have been friendly and gotten through the night just fine and moved along in life. Instead I was a jerk.

Through most of our lives there are a handful of incidents that stay with us. Things we'd like to change. This is one of mine. I knew as that night went on that the way I was acting was bad, but I did it anyway. I can't undo it. Karma's paid me back many times since then, but that doesn't really do that girl any good. And yes, I know what is supposed to come next.