Yeah, I’m getting out there again, Y’all. Another “first date” group thing at the sports bar to watch a University of a Kentucky basketball game. “Go Wildcats!!” Tee hee.

I don’t actually know anyone in the group. This is a Catholic singles mixer. Paul is my pseudo random match. My bestie Sarah rigged it to hook me up the “catch” of the bunch. Thanks Sarah. I owe you.

My date is Paul. He drove down from Cincinnati which is like an hour + from Lexington where the bar is. Kinda cool that he’s putting the effort in like that. And, it’s kinda cool that we live almost 2 hours away, because that makes stalking harder. Right?

Of course I’m right!

Anyway, Paul is cute. Older than me. He’s 44. I’m 35, but with more mileage. lol. He’s divorced and has a 10 year old girl, works in healthcare and has no pets.

I’m done with the boring shit. I decided since I don’t know anybody here, I’m going to try something different. So as soon as our first round of drinks showed up, I decided to ‘open up.’

“Hey, this is kinda interesting. I’m really into bondage.” I maintained eye contact and a casual smile. Paul giggled.

“Ok. Wasn’t expecting that…”. I wasn’t done.

“Seriously. It’s like my actual hobby. I’m good at it. I guess I’m an expert at it. Depending on who you ask.” Paul gave me a quizzical look. Like, he was cool but not sure if I was kidding him.

“What. Like, furry handcuffs?” Paul was so polite. He was totally giving me an off ramp. Nah. I don’t want an off ramp.

“No, not toys and stuff. I really like getting tied up and being basically helpless. I write about it and people read my stuff. Like, I explain best practices. And share creative ideas. It’s cool.” Paul finished his drink.

“Waitress, can I get another?” I pushed my empty glass next to his. “Can WE get another. I mean, two. Two more please.” Not bad Paul. Not bad.

“Yeah, so, no big deal. I figured we’d get to hobbies and stuff. You know. First date chit chat. So instead of waiting for it to come up, I just put it out there.” I gave him my warmest smile. And I was relieved to have shared that. Like, I was instantly relaxed. “Let’s get some wings. Ranch or blue cheese?” Paul smiled too.

“I’m a ranch guy.” Right answer Paul!

“Perfect. I’m a ranch girl.” I realized I was twirling my hair. So I stopped. “What about you? What’s your hobby?”

(So far so good. Back to my date…)