The 1st Date Curse

*Name changed to protect identity/pride

I went over 2 years without really dating anyone. That was fine, I had crushes. But I had been through a really tough break up and was on a major self-discovery kick. Well... I have been starting to open up to the whole dating scene over the past 6 months or so. But it has not been coming so easily. There was this guy a few months ago, we'll call him DK* (like Donkey Kong). We had been introduced through mutual friends. He seemed great; a little older, studious, charming. I gave my number and a few weeks later we decided to head off to a show at the theater. Great date idea, might I add. But they were my tickets that I had to...I digress.It had been years since a real date and I was overly excited. To my dismay, DK didn't call as he said he would. Was I mad... a little. But I continued to get ready as if the date was still on. The show began at 7, I believe. I was graced with a phone call by the gentleman caller around 5:30 or so. In my anger, I was very short. Now, in retrospect, I do slightly feel guilty. He gave a long-winded story of his soccer game that day and his friend who was in a car accident. He said he had been in the hospital with his friend all day, and that I was not on the front of his mind. I do not expect to be in his thoughts all the time, but there is a lot of down time in a hospital.

We did not go on the date.

Just a few weeks ago, I was finally asked out by a guy, who we'll call Darrin* that I had been friends with for a long while. I was really exited. We had been hanging out with our group of friends and he was finally ready to have just the two of us go out. I was starting to lose interest in him, but I was still excited. On the day that we were finally supposed to go out, he calls on when he knows that I will be on my way home from work; he is thoughtful that way. But he calls to let me know that there is a good chance that he cannot make it for our date tonight. OK, I think. But "why?" I ask. "Well," he says, "I got in an accident today; rolled and totaled my truck." WHAT!! He was so calm about it all. Who just totals their truck? I don't know, I guess a lot of people do. But it made me very sad for him that he was so apologetic when something so tough just happened to him.

The moral...We did not go on the date.

The next day, I met a guy; we'll call him Tyler*. Tyler was a boy that I had noticed months ago but thought was way too good looking and social and flat out too good for me. He is perfect; the epitome of whom I am looking for. Anyways, Tyler and I met as I was trying to get him and another friend to converse. She thought he was cute, he didn't know who she was, and so on. He began to talk to me a little more than my friend, but I did not notice. He tells the story of our meeting differently than I do.

I digress.

He asked me out for that Friday evening. I accepted and we decided to talk about it later that week. He had made plans for us that I wasn't allowed to know about, so I was pretty excited; more excited than I had been with the other dates over the past while. On Friday, while I was at work Tyler sends me a text message that says, "I might be a little late tonight, I'm at the hospital." My initial thought is that he might be working there; he is studying a medical field. But I respond by questioning whether or not he is all right. All he said was "kinda..." Kinda? What does that even mean? Now I am worried. Not for my own selfish reasons that come into play later, but because I might actually like this guy. He calls me a bit later in the afternoon; still at the hospital, to let me know, from his drug induced state, that he still was not sure if he would be on time this evening. He was at the hospital! He works a bit in construction and was hit in the face by a piece of flooring while working. He had to get stitches just above his lip, left of his nose. Funny... how one guy can think of me while at the hospital with his own injury and I do not even cross the mind of another while there for a friend.

We did not go on the date.

But I suppose I have been on second date with these guys. Well... is it a second date, or another shot at the first? I am dating Tyler now, and loving it. I am having a great time, but with my habit of mishaps and trips up with fate, I don't foresee silly circumstances changing anytime soon. Maybe this is a test so I don't just settle for any guy. I will end up with someone who had to work to be with me. All relationships come with mountains, who knew that all of mine would be cliffs?