An Unusal First Date

A Story by Willys Watson

An Unusual First Date

They happened to appear in the same Philosophy section at the same time. When she noticed he pulled Carl Jung’s ‘Man And His Symbols’ from the book shelf she studied him closely for a few minutes.

“Excuse me, Sir, and I don’t want to seem rude, but I’m wondering if you think the book you’re holding really belongs in the Philosophy section?” she asked him.

“Oh no, it doesn’t belong here, Perhaps Eric Hoffer belongs here, but not Carl Jung,” he told her.

“So, it should be in the Psychology section?”

“That, or Sociology,”

They talked for perhaps a half hour. The subjects they talked about covered subjects like their loving to read, the authors they admired, their educations and other interests. But, because it was Saturday and the used book store was very popular in their part of town it was full of people, younger and older.

“It would be nice if we could find a place far less busy where we could continue talking without so many people around.” she told him. And he responded by pointing through the window to the local city park.

After they paid for the books they bought, they walked across the street to the park.

In the park she leaned against the trunk of a large Oak tree while he sat Yoga style on the grass about six feet from her, facing her. It was a mild afternoon and the Sunlight was defused by the leaves of the large Oak tree. They studied each other silently for perhaps five minutes.

“Well?” she finally asked.

“I’ve been wondering what you think about often.”

“That’s an unusual pick-up line,” she teased him, then added, ‘Most people would ask what I’m thinking about.”

“A single question usually comes with a single reply. At any moment an intelligent woman could be thinking about a number of things, things sometimes not related to each other. I find you very interesting, but that doesn’t exactly mean I want to date you.”

“That’s true,” she admitted, then added, “I find the life of Van Gogh very interesting, but if he were alive now I would hardly want to date him.”

“Nor would I want to date Marie Curie.”

“You’ve got a refreshing wit, and my name is Susan.”

“No, you’re the one with a refreshing wit, and my name is Steve.”

“Glad to meet you, Steve. So, what would you like to talk about now?” she asked him.

“Anything that comes to mind, or we could just enjoy this mild afternoon for awhile,”

“I can enjoy a mild afternoon by myself, Steve, so let’s talk awhile. Let’s find out if either of us are likeable enough to want to see each other again.”

“I know I’m very likeable, but I’m not too sure about you,” he teased her.

“I know I’m very likeable, but I’m not too sure about you,” she repeated his line to tease him.

“This isn’t some kind of Serendipity thing, is it?” Steve asked.

“We’ll decide that after we get to know each other better,” she responded, then suggested, "so let's pick a time and place for our first date."

On their first real date Susan and Steve sat at an a sidewalk table provided by the restaurant they bought their food from. Neither one of them talked until after they had finished eating and their table had been cleared. Susan stared at Steve for a few moments, first smiling, then chuckling.

“To celebrate our first official date, how about a quick question and answer to understand each other a little more?” she asked finally.

“Of course.”

“I know it shouldn’t be important, but can I ask your age?” she started.

“Twenty nine.”

“I’m twenty eight, Susan informed him, then asked, “Any current wife or ex-wives I should know about?”

“Nope. And your ex-whatever?”

“No to the whatever you’re implying, and that was asked in a clever sort of way.”

“Thank you, Susan, but do you have a current boyfriend?”

“No, but I’ve had several in the past, none of whom I was ready to get serious with.”

“And I’ve had girlfriends in the past that I wasn’t ready to get too serious with. But two of them I wanted to remain friends with. And one of them has been a long time friend. So, any more grilling of our past do you want to ask questions about?”

“Just a few more, Steve. I know we both love to read so are you. by chance, a writer?

“I mostly write verse and sometimes short stories. But neither has been published.”

“I write short stories, none of which have been published,” Susan told him, then asked,” Do you live close by here?

“About a half-mile from here in a small two-bedroom house. But I bought it because of the large back yard,” he responded, then asked her, “And you, close by here?”

“One block over. Two-bedroom house, without a large back yard.”

“We’re doing great in this quick question and answer routine, but I assume you work for a living, right?”

“I teach tenth grade English at the local high school,” she told Steve, then asked him about his vocation.

“You promise you won’t laugh?”

“Why should I?”

“I’m an editor for a large Ad Agency, hired to make sure their ads don’t have any typos or misspelled words. Or bad grammer."

“Interesting, and the pay is likely good enough, but why did they hire you?”

“I was editor of my high school paper and the editor of my college pager. That, plus the fact that I was an English Major. So, Susan, any more questions?”

“We both did well in the first round, but now it's time to notch it up to a few serious questions. Like, assuming we both decide to take our relation to a physical level, meaning sex, are you allergic to cats?”

“First off, I’m not too keen on the phrase ‘having sex.’ Sex can be bought on the street. I would use the words making love. And I’m not allergic to anything, unless you include liars and those who support the liars.”

“I like what you’ve told me very much so far, and we’ve had a wonderful first date. But I should mention in advance that I won’t kiss a date until our tenth date.”

“How about a more realistic compromise? Why don’t I walk you to your house and say good evening to you when we’re standing on your front porch?”

“Fine with me, and maybe you can change my mind by the time we reach my front porch.”

“So they slowly walked to her and she smiled at Steve as they stood on her front porch for a moment.

“Is your life often filled with quirky humor?” she asked him finally.

“It usually depends on who I’m with and how receptive they are.”

“Susan smiled at him again as she unlocked her front door and invited Steve into her house.

© 2023 Willys Watson

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E.P. Robles

Bravo! I very much enjoyed this poem! Very excellent. Your poem showcases the art of capturing fleeting moments and subtle emotions in everyday encounters. You skillfully craft the dialogue and interactions between the characters to create a sense of authenticity and intimacy. The poem explores themes of connection, compatibility, and the potential for love to emerge from unexpected circumstances.