First Sight

So I am on my way to FFW's house and drive exactly as I (Dad) had done three days earlier on Sunday. I had heard soo much garbage about first date etiquette and rules that it was coming out of my ears. It just so happens that most of this chfret came from same person but there was one thing that he said that seemed to make a little sense to me. He told me to give a call when I was about two minutes out and so I did. I came to what I knew to be the very last traffic light before I would reach her house and I whipped out the cell like I was getting a call from the President. I looked at my watch and saw that it was only 5:15 and dialed the number.

(note: Ah you are all going to ask but how could I call her if I didn't have a cell phone? Well if you did ask give yourself a hearty pat on the back. I had my mom's cell. At this point my mom still had a really old Nokia with the original snake on it. It was so old it had the VoiceStream logo on it)

She picks up and being that I was early (wasn't supposed to show up until 5:30) I let her know where I am and ask if she needs some more time. I could tell by the way she answers me that she is thinking a of couple things.

1) What the heck is this guy doing calling right before he shows up
2) Why even ask if she is ready what does this guy think he's gonna do sit out in the car for the next 13 minutes?(i think i offered to)

She tells me that she's fine and ready and then it hits me. I just painted a target on my car. If she wasn't looking out the window before she will be now, and every single thing I do from this point until I knock on that door is on display like Manet at the Louvre. I make the last turn and I'm Rolling down the block at a careful speed well aware that I'm being watched like the season finale of 24. I see the house (it's now on my right) but there is no parking in front so I keep rolling down the block hopefully making her think that the black Nissan sentra that she just saw pass isn't me. I reach the corner and pop a u-turn and find parking across the street from her house. There were wind gusts as high as 27 mph the previous day (I checked up the historical weather data...yes McOrn I have no life) and there were some branches down by where I parked the car. I had just made the first mistake of the night! parking on the opposite side of the street put the passenger side door on the far side from the house by a bunch of moist grass and a wad of downed branches.

Knowing that I was being watched I slowly turned off the engine and just sat for a second. I'm not sure if I sat there for my sanity, since I was in fact trembling like a nine year old watching chucky, or to give off a certain impression since I knew I was being scrutinized. My mind began racing faster and faster.

What if she doesn't answer the door?
What if she invites me in?
How could I not have scripted out something for all possible situations?

I take a deep breath and get out of the car. Im so sure she sees me that I feel like waving vaguely to the windows of the house but refrain because...well because I was never really gonna do it anyway. I walk up to the house and ring the bell. "who is it" says the voice ive heard before; "It's me...FFD". Next thing I know she bolts out of the house like it was on fire and I'm chasing her to my car. I didn't even get a good look at her. I knew it she heads right to my car and I didn't even have to show her which one; she must have been watching from the window. I walk over to the passenger side and open her door unlock it and apologize about parking by all the branches. "sure" she says as she laughed sarcastically and gets into the car. I roll around to the other side and place the key in the door and have some difficulty in getting it open. I wasn't using my dad's original set of keys and this copy wasn't as smooth in opening the door. It feels like a minute but it was probably only like ten seconds, but at that moment I was reminded of why my dad liked my mom on their first date.

My dad arrived to pick up my mom and it had been raining that day. By accident where he parked the were some puddles and she happened to step into one on her way into the car. She didn't care at all. She wasn't upset and just took it in stride... Score one for mom. Then as he was going around to the other side of the car she reached over to open his door. He was taken aback! It's the little things that get him going and the devil is in the details.

I had no such luck. This story is running through my head and she's just sitting there staring at the windshield like there was a movie being projected onto it. Finally get it open and climb in. I feel like I'm taking my road test and I'm even more nervous than I was then. I know I shouldn't say this but as I started the car I couldn't help but smell whatever perfume she was wearing. It had a vanilla smell without being to sweet. I make sure she's got on her seatbelt (I'de heard that some frum girls don't because of the way it wraps around) start the car, turn on the signal, look over my left shoulder , and we are on our way...