The Blind Date

Hubby and I have a favorite expression: “I know I’ve told you this already, but I don’t care.”

With that said, if you know us you’ve probably already heard our “origin” story, but on this 30^th anniversary of our blind date, I think it’s worth repeating.

Sister-in-law L was playing in a softball tournament where this handsome young man happened to be volunteering to keep score while conveniently getting the word out that he was available and looking to meet someone to “do stuff with.”

I had been divorced around four years by this point and the subject of my being set up had never come up so when L called me that day to say she met someone, I, of course asked her, what about my brother? To which she said, “For you. You idiot!”

I was, shall we say, a little “mature” by this point to be going on a first blind date, but nervous, nevertheless, so I roped the whole family into joining me. My brother asked, “Why do we all have to be subjected to this torture?” To which, I said, “Shut up and get in the car.”

The date went well and a second was attempted but the phone company (there was only one back then) was doing work in my neighborhood and they crossed the wires between my house and a neighbor a few blocks away. Now I know this sounds like a bad 1970s sitcom so you can imagine what that handsome young man thought when he called the number he was given only to hear this lame-sounding story. But he soldiered on until he finally connected.

Then on that second date the handsome young man shows up at my house to find me with two little kids. “I thought you said you didn’t have any kids,” he said nervously. I told him they were my nephews and said, “By the way, I have to be home by ten to watch them because that’s when my brother needs to leave for work.”

And yet the handsome young man kept coming back. So not only did he know what he was getting himself into with this family of mine, but more importantly, who wouldn’t fall in love with a handsome young man who was willing to take a chance that just maybe this was the girl he would want to “do stuff with” for the rest of his life.