This past Friday night my husband and I realized we were going to be alone with no children, no place to be and we could actually spend some quality time together— alone. The first time with no schedule since AUGUST! What did this mean? Date night!! The fact that we wound up in Home Depot looking at wood flooring is irrelevant.

We started the night out at a nice restaurant. Now let me start by saying, my husband and I have been married for almost twenty years. We can spot another couple on a first date from blocks away. If you have been married for a long time, you know what I am talking about! The ‘First Date Couple’ actually make solid eye-contact, there are drinks and appetizers on the table like money is no object, the guy is hanging on every drab word about her day at work, and the girl is laughing at every single thing that comes out of the guys mouth.

This is cute to watch, at least to me.

I know my husband and I haven’t had a solid night by ourselves since August but this couple at the next table grabbed our attention. Something inside of me wanted to cheer for this new love that was blossoming.

It quickly went bad very fast.

After what I assume was one too many drinks they were having, I overheard her say something about being glad to be back in the area. From what I gathered (yes, I was listening!) she just moved back to the area and was glad to be out on a date and was happy their friends fixed them up on this date. She really needed a break from the move. IT WENT SOUTH FROM THERE!

I couldn’t see the facial reactions of First Date Guy to what was about to happen but she was like a train wreck that wouldn’t stop. I heard a story about her belief in UFO’s and her sightings of them. Not to get down on UFO people but a first date is not the place to bring this up! This went on for sometime. From there she kept talking about her bad relationship with her father, a crazy uncle, and at one point yeast infections. I KID YOU NOT! It was painful to listen to and it wasn’t like she was talking quietly either! She was very loud. I knew we had to be on Candid Camera because this was unbelievable. I wanted to get up and say, “STOP WOMAN! JUST STOP! ARE YOU NERVOUS! THEY HAVE TO HAVE MEDICATION FOR THIS!”

When it was time to leave, we paid the bill and headed to the front. My husband walked to the bathroom as I sat on a bench doing more ‘people-watching’ and trying to mentally digest what I just heard moments before when I saw First Date Guy walk into the bathroom where my husband was. I was quietly wishing that my husband would strike up a conversation with the First Date Guy in the bathroom and find out WHAT IN THE WORLD WAS GOING ON. Apparently, men don’t talk in the bathroom. I learned that Friday night!

I asked my husband when we walked outside, “Did you talk to First Date Guy in the bathroom? Or was he trying to climb out the window?”

His reply, “No. What were you wanting me to ask? ‘Were those facial piercings you have more painful than your date?'”

Isn’t it awesome to know that God makes us each unique! Maybe First Date Guy fell in love that night? My optimism for happy endings isn’t dead. Just because it was painful for me to witness, doesn’t mean it was painful for them. Maybe… Who am I to make this judgment? She was just being herself I guess.

So, yeah, that was our date night… it was pretty good…