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Kit was surprised that so many men in their 40s and older were still so terrible at communication and making a good first impression. She tried to be forgiving, though, because dating and meeting someone for the first time was awkward enough even under normal circumstances. But when you only had seven minutes to impress a woman, however? Different story.
She had decided to branch out of her comfort zone and go to a speed dating event for the first time. This particular event was for singles over 40 and it was Sadie Hawkins-style, meaning the women stayed seated while the men rotated tables. She had considered going to a more traditional event where she’d be the one moving tables every five to seven minutes, but decided against it when she noticed most of the interested attendees appeared to be in their 30s. She didn’t consider herself a cougar, as much as she took pride in her appearance and self-confidence.
So far, she had only met three men, but she didn’t particularly care if she didn’t see any of them again. Maybe one guy, Curtis, was worth it. He had never been married before but wasn’t insecure or overly emotional about it, and he didn’t seem intimidated by the fact that she was a busy surgeon and recent divorcee. Still, although he seemed nice, she didn’t sense much chemistry. Perhaps they needed to go on a longer date or two to figure it out.
The horn sounded, indicating it was time for the men to move to their left, and she breathed a sigh of relief and smoothed her hands in her lap as her latest date, Tim, moved on. They couldn’t have anything less in common, and it was the slowest seven minutes of her night as they tried to make polite, awkward conversation. Hopefully the next man could carry on his side of the conversation or take an interest in her.
A gray-haired man who looked familiar smiled and sat down, and she glanced at his name tag, which read Randolph.
“Now there’s a name,” she said, holding out her hand. “I’m Kit. Lovely to meet you, Randolph.”
“That’s not a bad comment about my name, is it?” Randolph asked with another grin.
“Oh, no. It seems a bit old-fashioned, but I like it. And you look handsome.”
“And you look beautiful. You know, I have the sense we’ve both been around the block, no different than anyone else here, of course, and we only have seven minutes. Let’s get right down to business. I can’t help but think I’ve seen you somewhere…”
“Same here.” She squinted a little. “Wait. I think I saw you on a billboard or at least maybe passing by at a surgical conference. I work at Atlanta General; we’ve probably talked or been in the same room at least once in our careers.”
“Well, I don’t want to sound egotistical but that is my likeness on the side of the Chastain Memorial building. I'm also on the board of directors there. Sometimes I don’t know how I feel about being so recognized, though.”
“What’s it like to be famous?” she asked.
“It has its pros and cons. I can’t say I’m the most popular person at Chastain, but at the same time, I’m pleased with everything I’ve accomplished in my career and it’s been fun to go on TV to do a healthcare segment every so often. Do you have a similar status at Atlanta General?”
“I’m afraid not, but I like it that way. My work in the OR speaks for itself, and as a female surgeon, that’s what’s most important to me. So, tell me, when you do surgery, what kind of music do you like to listen to?”
“Oh, I don’t want to get too carried away in my OR. I like the classics. Think Mozart, Haydn, Beethoven. Instrumental and soothing.”
“We’re total opposites there,” Kit replied, laughing. “I love rock music. Because you know, surgery gets me pumped up and I get a lot of energy from cutting someone open and putting them back together. And I love going to concerts whenever I can in my off time. You should try rocking out some time. I’d be falling asleep if I had to do surgery to the sounds of a symphony. Give me Def Leppard, Bon Jovi, Guns ‘n’ Roses, even Metallica.”
“You seem very spontaneous,” Randolph said. “I think it’s cool that you’re not afraid to let your hair down and have a good time. Are you into local music too, or just the big rock concerts at arenas and stadiums? Like could I take you out to a club to hear a good cover band?”
“That actually sounds like a nice date. You and I, sitting at a bar, having a drink or two and talking in between songs.”
“Perfect. That leads into my next question. Do you have any other ideas of a perfect date? I hope that isn’t too…generic. But I’m curious. Or is a night out at a local club or bar with some music good enough?”
“Well, as much as I enjoy that, I’m also perfectly happy to go out to a quiet, candlelit dinner and get to know someone better. What kind of food would you want to have?”
“Italian is always a safe bet to set a romantic mood,” Randolph answered without hesitation. “Or a steakhouse. If you wanted to keep it casual, it’s hard to go wrong with pizza at home. After all, when you have a relationship with someone, you’re going to spend a lot of time comfortable at home and not dressed up in the slightest. I’d want to make sure I was happy just doing nothing and relaxing with a woman before settling in for the long-term; that’s as important as fancy nights out, if not moreso.”
“Yes, I agree.” Kit nodded. “Romantic dinners are wonderful, but they’re only a small part of a relationship. And what about dessert?”
“Cheesecake. Easy.”
“Oh, no chocolate cake with a scoop of vanilla ice cream?”
“You have a point. I’ve seen some pictures of chocolate desserts that look just decadent. I can’t blame you. Plus, chocolate is a classic symbol of romance.”
Kit subtly looked over at the timer on her table. They had about four minutes left, but it was going by quickly. So far, she thought Randolph was charming and confident in himself without being arrogant. And she wondered how they had never much crossed paths until now.
“So, what do you want in a romantic partner?” he asked, breaking into her thoughts. “I already told you what I love in a woman, and you’re someone I could see myself spending more time with. I hope you don’t think it’s too early to say that, by the way.”
“No, they do say you only have six seconds to make a first impression, although I’m sure whoever said that didn’t also invent speed dating. Anyway, first and foremost, I want a man who’s going to support and understand my career. But we’re both surgeons, so that shouldn’t be a problem. And quite honestly, I don’t want to screw around. If I find the one, I want to move quickly. I can’t see myself being with a man who doesn’t know what he wants or who’s afraid to propose, or leaves me hanging for years.”
He smiled and laughed again. “I love that. I don’t know about you, but I’ve already been divorced, so I agree there’s little time to waste. That’s part why I came tonight. I figured if I’m serious about finding love, then there’s no better time to do it when you’re literally in a time crunch to make a decision.”
“You wouldn’t want to rush this in a slower-paced setting, though, right?” she clarified.
“Of course not. But I knew I had no choice but to come here ready to put my best foot forward. Because at least here if you’re not that into someone, you only have to deal with it for a few minutes. I went on a date once with a woman who I had a crush on, and when I asked her out, she actually admitted she had a little crush on me too. We were both pretty excited for the date, but once we got to talking at the restaurant…there was really no chemistry and we realized we barely had anything in common. We liked the idea of each other, but there was nothing there in reality. It was brutal. I don’t think either of us could wait until it was over.”
“Then it sounds like we’re on each other’s level. And how do you know if you want to see someone again?”
“If she truly seemed interested in me and wasn’t just looking to date me because I make a lot of money. If she’s like you and is making great conversation and seems to be enjoying herself, that’s definitely something I look for. And no clock watching.”
Kit blushed. “I hope my subtle glance at the timer didn’t turn you off,” she said. “I think it was out of habit or nervousness.”
“You did that? I didn’t even notice. I meant if you were looking at your phone the whole time and seemed bored. I understand we do things sometimes without realizing it. But I will tell you, you’ve made quite an impression on me. You know what you want, you don’t look over this even though I don’t know what kind of other dates you’ve had so far, and you’re very attractive. I’m almost sorry you don’t work at Chastain, because that’s how much I want to see you again. Work would be a lot more fun if we could talk shop every day.”
“And how would you feel about dating someone you worked with anyway?” she asked. “No worries about what could happen if the relationship goes south?”
“As long as everyone can stay professional in the event of a breakup, I’d say it’s worth the risk if that’s where you meet your match. Besides, who better to understand me than another surgeon? I know I can’t control what you put on your match card at the end of the night, but I hope we can talk more and go on a longer date soon.”
The horn went off, and Kit smiled. She almost didn’t want to see Randolph go, but she let him know it was nice to meet him and sent him on his way.
Much to her happiness, at the end of the night, they spotted each other walking out at the same time, and he waved her down.
“Look, let’s not wait for the organizer to call us both and see if we matched,” he said. “Like I said, I don’t know who you feel you clicked with, but I really felt something special with you. Would you like to exchange numbers now and I can give you a call maybe next week? How would you feel about that Italian food? And dessert, whatever we might be in the mood for?”
“That sounds like a great real first date,” she agreed. “How about next Friday? Or do you have to work?”
“Nope, that’s perfect.”
“Wonderful. I’ll be looking forward to it. And for the record, Randolph, you were my top match.”
“You were mine too. See, we’re on the same page. Not wasting each other’s time. I’ll talk to you next week.” He winked and started walking back to his car, and Kit couldn’t help but take a minute to watch him.
With any luck, this was her first and last speed dating event. She couldn’t wait to slow down with Randolph and see what laid ahead for the two of them.