Make Me A Match, Part 5
By: April Lynn
Tags: Matchmaker, Dating, Love Story, Matchmaking, Love

A selfie of April

Hello! Long time, no see. It’s been almost a month since my last update (See Make Me A Match, Part 4). I promised to update you again if and when I ever received a match from my matchmaker, Sheri. It’s been a long month, but here I am which means…I FINALLY HAD A DATE! My first matchmaker-booked date was last night, and I thought I’d share my experience with you while it’s still fresh in my mind.

If you recall, in my last interaction with Sheri, we decided that from here on out she would first get the green light from the gentlemen before presenting them to me. Basically, this arrangement was made in an effort to avoid any rejection on my part. I’ve been online dating for 10+ years. I don’t need more rejection.

So this agreement was reached on Friday, September 4th. I didn’t hear much from Sheri after that. She’d check in every week to let me know she hadn’t forgotten me, but it was apparent that no matches were working out. Then on Wednesday, September 23rd, I received a call. Sheri finally had an interested party! She gave me the details on my potential match (His name was David. He was 36. Never married. No kids. History buff. “Executive” whatever that means) and asked if I’d like to see his picture. Duh! Yes!

David from It’s Just Lunch

Here’s David.

My honest first impression was just, “He looks like a nice guy.” He obviously took some thought and care in these photos. He’s actually smiling a nice warm smile. He doesn’t appear to be a serial killer, which is something I’m overly concerned about. And so I said “YES” to David.

The next challenge was finding a time that worked for both of our schedules. Our first date would take place in NYC (more on this later) and so I needed to factor in that extra driving time. This would not be “just lunch”. This would be a big night out.

Finally, on Monday, September 28th, after some back and forward with Sheri, David and I found a date that worked. Our first date was scheduled for Tuesday, October 6 at Allora Restaurant at 145 E 47th St. in New York City! Eeek.

Now that the date was set, I could focus on the logistics: how to get into the city, where to park, what to wear! And, of course, I could now begin the ever-important task of absolutely freaking out…a vital step in any courtship.

On dating in NYC: I don’t live in NYC. I live about an hour outside of NYC in New Jersey (Jersey is not as bad as they say it is). When I heard David and my first date would be in NYC, I was a little disappointed, just because of the distance and frankly the hassle (ie. parking! tolls! pedestrians!) of getting to the city. But I figured it would be an adventure, if nothing else. And so I decided to move forward and say yes to the date with David.

A Little Black Dress

As the date approached I decided on an outfit. I chose the little black dress pictured here. It’s fun, but not too revealing. And I could throw on leggings if I felt the evening might get too chilly.

As far as transportation, I decided to drive myself into the city rather than take the train and subways (many passengers in a enclosed space seemed COVID-y to me). I actually don’t mind driving to and in NYC. I like the freedom to leave whenever I want and get around on my own terms. But with that comes the responsibility of parking the damn car…not always easy.

I hopped on Google and saw several reviews for the restaurant that stated there was plenty of street parking available in that neighborhood, so in my mind parking would be a breeze (Spoiler Alert: Parking in NYC is NEVER a breeze).

With the logistics out of the way, I can really focus on the panic that is setting in. I’m about to go on what is essentially a blind date. I know what David looks like, but know next to nothing about him. What if he’s dull? What if I’m dull? What if he has a weird chipmunk voice or has a bum leg that he drags behind him when he walks. There really is no end to the possibilities! I comfort myself by telling myself that the worst case scenario is he sees me and immediately walks away. In that case, I would still have a nice dinner in the city and so no harm, no foul.

But then there was Pete to worry about. Pete. Pete. Pete. Oh! You don’t know Pete!? Ha! Funny story. While dealing with this matchmaking business, I kept some of my online dating apps going. I wasn’t actively pursuing/ messaging/ swiping, so there wasn’t much action. That is until Pete messaged me on Tinder and I messaged back. One thing led to another and before I knew it we were texting almost every day. After about three weeks of this, Pete asked me out. As of this writing, Pete and I have seen each other 3 times in person for dinner or a movie or a stroll. The bottom line is, though Pete and I haven’t had anything like an “exclusivity” talk, I felt incredibly guilty about going on a date with another man.

I’m not sure what this is about. I still feel guilty, at this very moment. Maybe it’s normal to feel such guilt. Maybe it’s a virtue to have a sense of loyalty to a man fairly early on. I’m still processing this emotion, but no one I’ve talked to about this has been able to calm my nerves on this issue. (If you have insights, I’d love to hear from you in the comments.)

So despite my nerves about the city and the parking and Pete and — oh yeah — the Pandemic, the show must go on. The day of my date arrived! I left my office around 4:30 pm on Tuesday and headed to the city. I didn’t hit much traffic and I found the restaurant without much difficulty. All good omens, I decided. Now for parking! NOT A BREEZE! I circled around a bit and finally settled on a spot I was 60% confident in. That’s more than half certain! I went for it and parallel parked my way into the spot next to 4,000 black sidewalk trash bags.

Allora Ristorante in NYC

I strutted up to the restaurant, faking confidence (fake it til you make it, folks!) just in case David was watching me from an unknown location. I gave the hostess my name and was taken to the back outdoor seating area where David was already waiting for me. He stood up immediately. “A gentleman,” I thought. “How lovely.” I took my black mask off and we started our date.

First of all, the restaurant staff were delightful the entire time. Attentive but not too attentive, if you know what I mean. Next, the food was delicious. I had some Chilean sea bass and my date had crab ravioli. For dessert, we shared one of my favorites, tartufo. Please know that it took all of my willpower not to take photos of all of our food because the presentation was lovely. But I didn’t want to be “that girl” on a first date, so I restrained myself . In conclusion, kudos to It’s Just Lunch for scheduling our date at this fine restaurant. It was very lovely.

On to David. My first impression of David was again that he was a gentleman. Also, I felt that he was more handsome in person. He had a big smile that he wasn’t afraid to show. As I sat down, he very quickly got the conversation started, which brings up the most important marker for me on a first date: Can You Hold A Conversation? He could and he did. On at least one occasion, I let an awkward lull in the conversation linger, just to see what he would do. He handled it like a champ and steered the conversation effortlessly. Topics of conversation included: our respective careers, our home towns, our current towns (fun fact: David lives in Connecticut!), families of origin, COVID-19, favorite Disney movies, US travel, world travel, music preferences, our love of NYC, Bob Ross, Marvel movies, sports and other hobbies.

After a lovely 2 hour dinner, David wrapped up the date, which I really appreciated actually. A first date shouldn’t go on forever, should it? It’s best to leave them wanting more. And I think I did, because David not only paid for the entire dinner, but he also then asked for my phone number. Hard Swoon. We left each other without a hug or a kiss, but I did have a warmth in my heart. The warmth of a successful date that could maybe lead to more…

Parking Ticket!?!!

I happily skipped my way the 2 short blocks to my car. But NYC doesn’t have time for this sort of giddy non-sense, and so I was slapped back into reality.

Important note about parking in NYC: 60% certainty is not enough certainty. Now collecting Venmo donations to cover my $95 parking ticket. (Jk — kinda.)

What’s next for David and I? Is Connecticut too far away? What about Pete? Should we throw in a third gentleman just to make this completely insane? I’m not sure what’s next for me, but when I am, I’ll be sure to update you here.

Until then stay tuned, stay hopeful and never stop believing in LOVE.