As the daughter of two attorneys and someone who works for a law firm, I would definitely prefer not to date a lawyer. In fact, I have a mental list of professions I would prefer my significant other practice. They include Rabbi, teacher, veterinarian, plumber or even an accountant. Lawyers are a different breed. At least from my experience working in a corporate law firm, they are serious, uptight, usually socially awkward and I’m almost positive they can only speak in legal jargon. I have contemplated how my parents are so wonderful and choked it up to a simple miracle.
When I started talking to Aaron, I had no choice but to pretend I didn’t realize he was an attorney. He was warm, kind, patient and, most importantly, very funny. At 5’11”, he was plenty tall for me, had piercing blue eyes and a full head of blond hair. When I made a joke about his being an attorney with blond hair and blue eyes (an uncommon mix among Jews) he explained that he was born and raised in Austria. I was even more intrigued. We exchanged emails discussing our experiences working for large corporate law firms, what our childhoods were like, mine in New York and his in Austria, our families and what we were looking for in a significant other. Each time we spoke, we seemed to be more and more on the same page.
After two weeks, we made plans to meet last Saturday night. Burnt out from a long week, I cancelled. He was totally understanding and we agreed to meet on Thursday (real-time: 48 hours ago). I wasn’t surprised when he asked me if I would be ok meeting late since the earliest he could be out of work was 9:00 PM. I told him that wasn’t a problem and that I had plenty of work to keep my busy until then. Over the next four days, we exchanged text messages daily checking up on the other’s day and work load. It was sweet.
It was Wednesday night and I was beyond excited. So far, we had been able to hold solid conversations on various topics and he seemed so promising. I was in my closet trying to piece together an outfit for the big date when my phone rang. It was him. He was calling me. The phone was ringing and he was on the other end. I had just responded to a text a few minutes before so I obviously had my phone with me and couldn’t dodge the call. I answered. As soon as I heard his voice, I thought I was going to melt. I guess I had never before heard and Austrian accent and did not know what to expect. He sounded as beautiful as he looked in his pictures. As far as I could tell, we were hitting it off. I tried not to sound as flustered as I felt and conversation actually flowed pretty smoothly. He asked about my day and I asked about his. We each made jokes that the other appreciated and laughed at. And then he laid it on me.
“So tomorrow, you and I will go to dinner at 9?”
Dinner? I never agreed to dinner. I was thinking more along the lines of a drink. If there is one thing I have learned from dating, it is that things are never as they seem. No matter how flawless Aaron seemed in emails or even on the phone, there was still the chance that he could be a total freak in person and I was not planning to sit through an entire dinner with someone who was crazy.
“Umm…”
“Great. I will be in touch tomorrow with the restaurant. Good night!”
I felt like someone had just pulled a fast one on me and I had no choice but to accept the invitation and hope for the best.
* * * * * * * * * * * *
I spent the entire day on Thursday walking around work with a smile on. I was excited about the potential the night held. I tried not to, but couldn’t help play out how I hoped the night would go. Everyone warns you not to get too excited about a date because there is a good chance building it up in your head will only lead to disappointment. No matter how many times I experience this first hand, I can’t help but always hope for the best.
When 9:00 PM rolled around, I was beyond nervous – regretting all the time I had spent imagining how the night would go. We met at Hillstone. The restaurant was romantic with live jazz. Aaron gave his name to the hostess and we were seated right away. Impressive. We sat down and the conversation poured out. From the moment it started, it didn’t stop. At no point did we run out of things to talk about or did I stop smiling. He was charming, funny and a total gentleman.
At one point, when he was telling me about what life in Austria was like, I asked him if he planned to move back home or stay in New York, unfortunately my wording wasn’t too smooth.
“Do you want to go back home or stay here?”
“What?!” he asked, seeming totally confused.
“As in move back to Austria or stay in New York…?” I explained.
“Oh my god, I thought you meant do I want to go back to my apartment together or stay here,” he said as we both broke out in laughter.
This kid was on my level. I was laughing harder than I have on any first date and couldn’t help but look at him and think, this was someone I really wanted to get to know.
From countless Cosmo articles and other dating blogs, I have learned that if a guy is interested, he is supposed to secure a second date while still on the first. With this theory in mind, you can imagine how thrilled I was when Aaron asked me what my plans were for the weekend. I told him I would be in the city. Then, silence. He didn’t ask if I had other plans or if I wanted to see him at some point over the weekend. Weird? I tried to let it roll off my back and not pay too much attention to it.
As we were finishing dinner, Aaron asked me if I would mind if he checked his work phone. I told him I completely understood and he should not feel the need to ask. He got an email which seemed urgent. He apologized and told me he had to head back to work (conveniently located in the same building we met in). I know this may sound like he was coming up with an excuse but I had no doubts he was telling the truth. I told him I completely understood.
He walked me to the subway and told me he had a wonderful time and that we should be in touch. We kissed on the cheek, he apologized again for having to return to work and we went our separate ways. Overall, it was a great date.
Going on two days later and I haven’t heard from Aaron and, surprisingly, I’m ok with that. If he wasn’t feeling the same spark I was, I know I will be more than ok. My mom always reminds me, it only takes one. I’m learning slowly but surely, to be more patient and trust that things will work out the way they are supposed to.
Excited to see if this goes somewhere…