Today was date day! A real date day not just the wine and dine kind of date (or in our case the beer, wings and game type). The kind of date you look forward to in advance, with a plan and romance and time just for each other.
We decided on a hike to a near by water fall area and a little picnic on a side trail somewhere along the way. We would bring sandwiches and those little single bottles of wine. It would be just us and it would absolutely epic.
Only our big date day didn’t go exactly as we had discussed. Nobody brought the sandwiches, nobody bought the wine. We didn’t even decide which falls to go to ahead of time. The weather wasn’t quite warm enough yet in the day but we still had the convertible top down. We had such good intentions.
Then this happened:
Her: (for the 5th time) ” I need directions, I don’t know where I’m going”
Me: “then maybe you should pull the ******* car over and put the top on. I’m freezing my ass off and I’m trying to find the directions!” Have you ever tried to read your phone with the open sky glaring down on it? You can’t see a damn thing. I was doing my best, it just so happened that I expressed it poorly and in a loud, possibly hysterical tone.
Her: “Then maybe we should just go home then.”
Me: “Fine.” Well, that escalated quickly.
It didn’t take long for us to warm up and tempers to cool off. We laughed at each other and headed on to our destination.
Once we arrived we realized everyone and their dog had the same idea. We were not going to be alone. Even if we had remembered the tiny bottles of wine we would not have enjoyed them in solitude.
There were couples, singles, families and kids of all ages. There were dog walkers and gangs of old folks with walking sticks. There were booty shorts and similarly questionable hiking attire plus backpacks a plenty. I am absolutely sure one group even brought the entire Ancestry Family Tree. There were parents and grandparents, cousins, aunts, uncles, in-laws and outlaws. Inside one particular group there was also a heavily guarded picnic basket. For a moment I considered ditching my date and joining the clan. We had after all forgotten our sandwiches. and a girls gotta eat.
Then there were all the lesbian couples. I’m not kidding. It was like we missed the note that said “Les Meet! Friday hikers start here!” There were so many. It was like we out numbered the heteros. I’ve hiked these areas a few times and I’ve never noticed this phenomenon. I would have noticed.
It wouldn’t be a big deal except there is this special way lesbian couples of my general age group great one another in passing. I like to compare it to when dog owners with the same breed meet up. Each eyes the other and quickly confirms that their bitch is obviously superior. Clearly. This is confirmed with a mutual nod and smile. It’s a little strange but true.
Even with all the head nodding, kid avoiding and old folk passing it was a great hike. We had a good time and we laughed like we did when everything was still brand new. We even made a sandwich and beer stop after the hike was over. Who needs wine for romance anyway.
At the end of the day we were happy to have had the time together, and that is exactly what a great date should be. It isn’t about what you did, but more who you did it with. I’m already looking forward to next time.
*head nod, smile*
My Idiotic Bliss 