SWIPE LEFT

On Saturday, he came to the door to pick me up for dinner. I recognized him immediately from his profile pics. He stood at five foot eight with spiked light brown hair and hazel eyes. He reminded me of a linebacker, solid all over, from his broad shoulders to his thick arms and stocky legs.

“Hi. Selina? Wow! You’re even prettier in person.”

I blushed. “Thanks. You look pretty handsome yourself. I’m ready if you are.”

“Absolutely! This way to my chariot.”

We decided to eat at Red Lobster for their All You Can Eat Shrimp, which is my favorite time of year. We chatted as we waited for our seafood. I filled him in a little bit about my two kids and the challenges of being divorced and a single parent.

He spoke up and shared a little about his story. “The short version is that my wife had a lengthy affair with my best friend right under my nose. While I was doing session work or a promotion for a band, they were shacking up in my bed. I was out busting my ass to pay all the bills so she wouldn’t have to work, and this is how I got repaid.”

He continued. “I tried to forgive her. We went to counseling for a while. I couldn’t get past it, so I removed myself from the scene altogether. It may not have been the best decision, but I couldn’t even stand to look at her anymore. My daughter and I still have trouble to this day. She thinks I should have stayed, but I didn’t tell her about her mother cheating. She was a teenager when I left.”

“I can imagine that must have been difficult.” I didn’t know what else to say.

“It was. I questioned everything, especially my faith. I couldn’t believe that God would let this happen to my marriage. It made it difficult for me to trust anyone else. I haven’t actually had a relationship now for several years. I wasn’t ready to risk that kind of hurt and heartache again. It took a lot of therapy to get to this point.” He smiled at me.

“You’re doing fine.” I smiled back. “How about we talk about something else now?”

We chatted about movies, favorite TV shows, and music as we made our way thru several plates of shrimp. When we arrived back at my apartment, he walked me to my door. I couldn’t decide if I should invite him up or not.

“Thank you, Selina. I had a lovely evening.”

“Me too, Drummer Boy. Thank you for dinner.”

“My pleasure of course.” He paused a moment as he looked at me. “I would love to come up with you, but I am going to try being a gentleman this evening. I would very much like to see you again. Can I call you tomorrow? Or text?”

I smiled. “I would like that a lot.”

He couldn’t hide his excitement. “Yes! I was hoping you would say that!” He tapped his finger on his cheek. “Will you be a sweetheart and give me a kiss good night?”

I leaned over towards him and obliged. “Call me, handsome. And drive safely.”