Moonlight & Merlot

Let me start by saying that I have not been on a date in a very long time. I was in a relationship for 5 years. I ended it when I realized it was going nowhere. I wasn’t really looking for another relationship, but after 2 years of being alone I decided to jump back into the dating game.

Putting myself out there again was definitely an eye opening experience to say the least. I started looking on dating sights, talked to some matches, and even had a couple of meetups. My so called “matches” had too much baggage. Like 4 DUI’s, crazy ex-wives, or adult children not working and still living at home. One even still lived in his parents basement! I was about to just give up when an old friend-of-a-friend from high school, Josh, found me on Facebook. Back in the day I knew of him but we never really met. We knew some of the same people but we did not have any classes together. He said he would love to take me out to dinner sometime. Even though it was only dinner, it just felt too soon.

After chatting on Facebook for a while, I gave him phone number. We had no awkward silences. Our conversations came very easily and felt natural. As time went on, the calls became longer and more frequent but I could tell he wanted more than just talking on the phone. After several times of politely declining his advances I finally gave in and said I would meet him for dinner. When discussing a place to meet, he told me he would prefer to pick me up and take me to dinner as opposed to meeting somewhere.

“You know, like a traditional date,” he said.

After some hesitation, I agreed.

He made a reservation at a mountain chateau nestled in the foothills Friday night at 7. He told me he would pick me up at 6:00. Even though I was really excited, I was also quite nervous. Now if I could just figure out what to wear...

So I called my best friend and asked her to come by Thursday evening to help me decide on the best outfit for my date. She said she would, of course, but it would cost me dinner and a bottle of wine. “Deal!” I said.

Since I don’t work on Thursdays I made chicken alfredo for dinner and chilled a bottle of white wine for her. I like a good merlot but she prefers either a white wine or moscato. I laid out some outfits I was considering wearing on my date. When she got to my place we ate an early dinner and I told her all about Josh. I told her where he was planning on taking me for our first date.

“Funny,” she said, “Isn’t that your favorite place?”

“Ya, it is. It’s like he knows me already,” I replied.

“Okay, so what are you going to wear?”

After we cleaned up the dinner dishes I told her I would go put on the first outfit. She moved

over to the couch with her wine and asked, “How many do you have?”

“Three,” I said.

The first outfit I selected was a nice pair of dress slacks and a blouse with flat sandles. She

said it looked too business casual, so I set it aside. The second outfit was a long sleeved, cotton dress that came down just above my knees. It had a nice flowery print and a spring feel. I selected a cute pair of short heels to go with this one. She said she liked the combination but wanted to see the next outfit anyways. The last one I showed her was a long flowing skirt with a satin tank and a silk shaw. I had a pair of sling backs that matched the dress perfectly.

After looking over all of my choices she said she liked the last outfit best but that it was important to wear whatever made me feel most like myself.

“That way you are not putting on a facade.” She advised.

I agreed, but told her I will probably feel more comfortable wearing the sandals from the second outfit since that was more my style. Now that we were both in agreement, I knew what I was going to wear.

Josh arrived at my door promptly at 6 and had a nice arrangement of spring flowers for me. I thanked him for the bouquet and told him they were beautiful. I then put them on the kitchen table and grabbed my shaw. We walked to his car and he politely opened my door for me. We took the scenic route to the restaurant. Although we both admitted to being nervous about this date, we were now surprisingly relaxed. When we arrived at the restaurant, he pulled up to valet parking. The valet opened my door and helped me out of the car. Josh took my hand and we walked up to the restaurant. We were seated outside on the patio under the light of a nearly full spring moon. He asked me if I would like a drink. I said “A glass of merlot would be great”.

When the waiter came to our table, Josh ordered a bottle of the Best house Merlot and an appetizer of shrimp cocktail. After the waiter left to get the wine, Josh said, “I have been here before. I love this place. The Sea Bass is awesome! What looks good to you?”

I told him that the Sea Bass was also one of my favorites and as we discussed our options when waiter returned.

He showed Josh the bottle of wine and poured a him a flight. Josh swirled the wine in his glass and the strong legs were immediately evident. I could even detect the nose from across the table! Josh tasted it, smiled, and nodded to the waiter who promptly poured us both a glass. The waiter then took our orders and left us to enjoy each other’s company as much as we were enjoying our glasses of merlot in the moonlight.

I have to say, it was the perfect first date. Both Josh and the glasses of Merlot left me feeling a little light headed and happier than I have felt in years. He was a perfect gentleman and I look forward to discovering what our future tomorrows may bring. But regardless of what the future may hold, I will always treasure our evening of moonlit merlot.