NICE TO MEET YA!: Where We Started, part 2

You're always on my mind,

You fixed the broken pieces of my old life

I needed you around

And I can only see it now

Ya always on mind

But now I realize I don't need anybody else at all in my life

I'm done, I've won, I came, I saw, we know now

That there ain't no need to slow down

No there ain't no need to slow down

Come on in, come on in

N-n-n-n-n-n- nice to meet ya

Ya know you're alright with me

Ya know you're alright with me

—"NICE TO MEET YA!," Written by Christopher Whitehall, Joshua Hogan, and Max Styler, Performed by The Griswolds

And so I joined him that day. Hi, I'm Christine. 

The series of events that brought us together feels like a miracle, as Scott said. 

Before I dive further into our first date, let me tell you my side of the story.

I came back to OkCupid in late August. At first, I was hesitant because I wasn't sure I was ready to be bombarded with notifications. The first week I was on the app, I found myself drained and tired of sifting through person after person, talking to multiple people, and hitting dead ends. I gave up early and felt defeated by the amount of energy and time I wasted. I deactivated and deleted the app on August 23rd. However, I started to feel like I shouldn't have. I couldn't let myself give up on something I want. So, one night while walking my dog, I had the idea of just being on the app during the weekends, from Friday evening to 11 PM Sunday night. So, Friday, August 29th came and I was back on OkCupid. I just didn't think that single weekend would be the last I'll ever be on that app again. 

When I responded back to Scott on Saturday, our conversation started off slow. Then that Sunday came and things were starting to pick up. I was so excited to tell him my story of my journey with my camera and the subjects I photograph. But then... I didn't hear from him for the rest of the day. That evening, I was contemplating how to tell him that I'm disappearing from the app that night. We had been talking for less than a day and I wasn't too keen on giving him my number. Yet, when he wrote back that he would love to hear more of my stories, it changed my perspective. Our last text exchanged from that Sunday night went to Monday morning at 1:24 AM.

Our first phone call did last that long. I went swimming Monday evening, and instead of listening to music on my drive home from Long Beach, I texted Scott, "Would you be interested in talking on the phone? I'm driving home now." I waited for a bit, but figured he was away from his phone so I started driving. To my surprise, he called! I could hear how nervous he was. Yet our conversation carried on as if we already knew each other and were simply catching up. The moment he captured my heart was when I was talking about the struggles of being a single dog mom. He said that he hopes I wouldn't be a single dog mom for long. Out of all of the first phone calls I've had with prospective dating candidates, he's the first to make me feel something. We then hung up for a bit so I could go shower and get ready to walk my dog. I was so eager to continue on talking with him after.

I didn't think Scott would actually get his camera checked out in Culver City the next day. Around noon, he was telling me that the camera failed and the photos came back blank. When he texted, "Crazy idea…join me and see for yourself?" about the pastrami place, I paused. I wrote back "Hmm." and finally "Okay." 

As I drove to Culver City, I didn't get nervous until I exited the 405 onto Sepulveda Blvd. I was suddenly somewhere I've never been to before. The moment of panic came when I saw the place and his car parked in the parking lot. Right before getting there, I had to swerve a little at the intersection because a car was trying to nudge itself out of the right turn lane. The added adrenaline turned into slight panic. I was like, oh my goodness, this is really happening. Instead of turning into the lot, I kept on driving. I needed a moment to breathe and then make a U back to Johnnie's Pastrami. I am not the type that would stand someone up. I... just didn't anticipate to get caught in construction traffic at Washington Blvd. As I sat in traffic and calmed down, I called Scott to tell him that I was in the area but stuck. By the time I made it back, I was a little flustered.

Meeting Scott was a little awkward at first. I couldn't see the rest of his face and forgot what he looked like in his profile photos. Yet, hearing his voice gave me comfort. After we ordered our food, we learned that there was no outdoor seating due to how small the place was. Scott inquires the cashier of where we could go to enjoy our food. She mentions a park down the street, and so, we decided to go there.

Picnic in Tellefson Park

Luckily, I had my picnic blanket in my car. After we settled down and took our face masks off, I see how attractive Scott is. My, oh, my. Any hesitation I had immediately went away.