A first date and end-of-day report at the beginning of a possible romance. Does the first date decide the fate of the relationship?
I took one last look in the mirror, took a deep breath and took my first step out the door. Today I am the protagonist of a first date and I don’t have the usual stomach ache. After a few minutes I see the other protagonist of the story waiting with two cardboard cups. I smiled politely and reached her with a quickening of my steps. “Shall we take a walk?” her question was like a confirmation of this pre-planned walking date. Hay hay hay gets the first point for being polite and the second point for remembering the coffee I usually drink. We glide softly through the crowded streets towards the city park. It was during this time that I realized I still didn’t quite feel the nervousness I had experienced on first dates. It wasn’t like previous first dates. It was like a romantic journey where we were walking together, not towards a destination, but with a goal in mind. Imagine a first date where you can be completely yourself, alone in an ever-changing environment, in relatively comfortable clothes and without the possibility of parsley in your teeth. For those who are curious, this is just one of those moments when I say ‘this is living!
FACE TO FACE AT A TABLE
We continue our romantic journey, passing by children on bicycles, lush green trees and loud young people sitting on benches. First of all, you should know that I am not a very socially successful person, that my inner voice is louder than my outer voice, and that I am very scrutinizing of potential romantic partners. For this reason, sitting as one of the opposite sides of a table makes me feel like I am the interlocutor of a business negotiation or a diplomatic crisis. This implies a negative mood that mortgages both the present moment and our future good times, and a grumpy manager’s demeanor that communicates negative outcomes. My possible lover walking next to me – nothing is clear yet – seems to have planned this walking date to guarantee our future. He gets the third point for this move, but unfortunately he is oblivious to the score…
It radically changes an ordinary first date, and over time, empowered by the physical activity, it puts me in a positive mood. I naturally become more cheerful, more vocal and more relatable, and although she has beautiful eyes, as you can imagine, long eye contact can be awkward at first. But this time I feel less pressured and it feels so good to walk down the road shoulder to shoulder.
LOVE PROTOCOL
Along the way, with big laughs, little silences and furtive glances, we almost signed an unspoken pre-protocol that we liked each other. To be honest, I’ve seen all the romantic comedies and I’ve witnessed long walks in almost all of them, so I think it’s okay to imagine us as if we were in a movie scene. Yes, us. Moreover, in the movie trilogy consisting of Before Sunrise, Before Sunset and Before Midnight, many of us may have envied the long walks taken by a couple at different stages of their lives. Otherwise… Anyway, it’s time to catch our breath. In the meantime, it wouldn’t be bad to take stock.
THE UNBEARABLE LIGHTNESS OF MEETING
There’s a couple having a picnic right in front of us, a dog playing detective with its little nose at the base of the nearest tree, and a young woman out for a run, probably because she only had time. I couldn’t have asked for a better opportunity to say that I enjoy running, that I am an undisputed dog person and that I enjoy picnics. If we were having dinner in an expensive restaurant, I would have had to list what I knew about truffles instead of mentioning these pleasures. Instead, I was sharing a bench with a would-be foodie, who I learned was a street foodie, even if he didn’t like the idea of picnics. I can’t help thinking that this less formal rendezvous was the best way to get to know him. But we’ll deal with the picnic separately, right? We chat and I learn and learn and learn more about her. By this time my outer voice has already drowned out my inner voice and I resemble a nightingale. Time passes quickly, it’s time to go home.
The magical effect of relocation allowed us to cram dozens of appointments into one throughout the day and learn different things about each other’s lives. I could feel the excitement of having an adventurous experience together (finding a bench to sit on, walking the same path again and not getting lost) in my heartbeat. The reason why my heart was beating so fast could be the smell of perfume carried by the wind to my nose, but that’s another topic. I don’t like goodbyes, but we have to leave for the end of the day report.
THE ORDER OF THE WALK
I walk through the door, proud of successfully completing 10,000 steps a day and a first date at the same time. This time in the mirror I see someone who can’t stop smiling and is enjoying the joy of knowing a new life. How can I summarize today? I feel at the beginning of a possible romance among the city lights on a breezy night, just like in the movies. Now I imagine us acting out a musical like Mia and Sebastian in La La Land watching the lights of the city. And I write a message: It was a great day, shall we repeat it tomorrow? Now it’s my turn to walk.
