You feel pretty good about yourself. You have managed to get a date with a very attractive, if younger, client of yours. While it may not be entirely ethical or smart to date a client, she’s a smart and pretty client. And here you are.
And here is a fashionable Italian restaurant. You are out to impress tonight – fancy dinner, bottle of wine, and pressed shirt. She seems to be soaking it up. You’ve got 10 years on her. That 10 years gives you confidence. You are relaxed and you smile giving off an easy charm.
The conversation is going well. With her you cover the family, the job, and the formative years. Yet, you notice a shift during the entrée. She pulls back a little both physically and emotionally. She doesn’t talk so much as listen. Her eyes squint as if she studying you carefully. You offer to pour her another glass of wine but she refuses.
During dessert you realize that she is indeed pulling back. She has taken a careful read and found you lacking. As you empty your bladder in the men’s room, a quick shiver hits you. The reality is cold: this kind of hit and mostly miss dating could go on for years.
But that 10 years of dating you have on her has to be good for something. Since you aren’t in the pilot’s chair, you decide to ride it out all the way to the crash. You go back to the table and finish that bottle of wine by yourself with a smile on your face. After all, it’s a $50 bottle of wine.
