It seems like if you want an active dating life right now you need to have connections. Much like job opportunities, friends and families seem to be the people to go to to find a partner. Most of the people I know met their significant other through a friend and some of them are married. So, I thought that it would work out for me too.
I don’t have many friends and I’m not a social butterfly either. I had to trust the few friends I had to be my match-makers.
“Maybe I should think about settling down,” I said to Shirley, a good friend and workmate.
“You’ve been saying that since last year but you haven’t found someone yet.” she joked.
“I know. This time, I want to do things differently. I want a friend to set me up with someone.”
“Who do you want to set you up with a friend?”
“You?”
“Me? My friends are players.”
“You must know at least one good one. You’re the only one I can think of who can help me.”
“Okay. I’ll try but if it backfires don’t blame me.”
“I won’t. I promise.”
Shirley took her role as the matchmaker very seriously. She started sending me pictures of some of the people she thought I would like as we were having drinks.
“What do you think of that one?” she asked after sending me a picture.
“He seems good.”
That was my response to almost all of them. By the time we were done with our drinks, we hadn’t made any progress.
“I don’t know who to choose for you. You like all of them.”
“Just choose the best of them.”
“Okay. I’ll send you my choice tomorrow.”
As I said, Shirley took her role seriously. She sent me David’s number early in the morning.
“Call him today.” she wrote alongside his number.
David was one of the guys I had taken a liking to. He fit my preference and Shirley also preferred him. I was already picturing what our relationship would be like.
I messaged him later that day to introduce myself.
“Hey. My name is Gertrude. I got your number from Shirley. I’d like to get to know you.”
It was strange shooting my shot and I almost deleted the message. However, I saw that he came online and started typing immediately which made me calm down.
“Hi Gertrude. Shirley told me about you. I’d like to meet you soon.”
“Sure. How about tomorrow?”
I didn’t want to waste any time. I already felt like I was lagging behind my friends so I needed to catch up as soon as possible.
We met in the CBD and I immediately noticed that David was underwhelmed. I didn’t know whether it was the way I was dressed or he simply wasn’t attracted to me. The tone of his voice changed. When we talked on the phone, he was upbeat but when we met, he sounded dull.
I tried my best to change the mood but he seemed like he had made up his mind. I wasn’t the one. However, David was too polite to tell it to my face. He went along with the date and even tried to feign interest. We stayed at the restaurant for about an hour before he made up an excuse and left.
“My friend has an emergency at his place.” he said as he got up.
At least, he was courteous enough to pay for the date. I didn’t expect to see him or hear from him again. However, he reached out to me a few days later.
“I know our date didn’t go well but I think you’re a great person,” he said.
In the back of my mind, I thought he wanted to go for another date and give it another shot. I smiled as he talked and told me all the things he liked about me. Then, he dropped the bombshell.
“I don’t think we would be a good match but I have a friend who you would like.”
I was stunned. The man I went on a blind date with was trying to set me up on a blind date with his friend. I had hit rock bottom for sure. Out of desperation, I accepted the offer but I was hurt by the rejection.
“You can send me his number.”
“Great. The two of you will make a nice couple.”
I didn’t know whether he set me up with his friend out of pity or if he genuinely thought that he would like me. However, I kept an open mind because I didn’t have much of a choice.
Simon, David’s friend, wasn’t exactly my type. When we met, I had my moment of disappointment but I convinced myself to give him a chance. I always tell myself that it’s the people you least expect who become important in your life.
However, that wasn’t the case with Simon. He was not only unattractive but also he was painfully boring. We went to a cafe and when we sat down, he reached into his bag and removed his laptop.
“I have some work to finish up but we can still talk,” he said.
We didn’t talk since he wasn’t paying attention. I kept myself busy online while he finished his work.
After nearly thirty minutes, he closed his laptop. He then started talking about his work which I didn’t care much about. The conversation was so boring that I ended up scrolling on social media most of the time.
I was confused about how he became friends with David. They were nothing alike. By the end of the date, I was happy being single. There was nothing good that came from being in a rush. I decided to take my time in finding a partner and to trust the process.
While I appreciated my friend for her effort to set me up on a date, it clearly didn’t work out and I nearly ended up with someone who was the complete opposite of my type.
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