Dating 21st century style........

I had been out of the dating scene for a while, when I decided to take up an offer for a cinema date with a guy I used to know in my college years. Whilst at university we had ultimately lost contact. I ran into him again at a club a while back, we exchanged numbers or should I say (he asked for mine and I told him its better I had his). This is because I wanted to call him on my own terms not his.

After a few weeks I sent him a courteous text message with a simple hello. After a couple of weeks of talking on the phone we arranged a cinema date. I was very apprehensive about the whole thing because me and this guy had a past and was it really a good idea to try and re-light a flame that had lost its fire a long time ago. What the hell....I decided to give it one more try.
We met at the 02 cinema in Greenwich; he looked as good as he had when I saw him at the club. I thought my one too many JD and coke might have impaired my vision but it seems it hadn't. The downfall that he only had was he's height. Being 5'2 its not that hard for someone to be taller than me, but I do like my men over 5'6 and he was still the miniature 5'4 that I had left him 4 years ago. Nevertheless, height didn't affect my intentions of getting to know him again.

We continued on into the cinema where we qued to pay for the tickets. Even though I'm a 21st century woman I still believe that men should pay on 1st dates. I would offer but I think that these men should decline to the offer handed to them as quickly as possible. Anyway, whilst at this que he saw that the que for the food isle was just as long. So to cut quing time for both of us he told me I should proceed to que for refreshments. Oh yeh and he didn’t forget to tell me to get him a hotdog and that also he preferred sweet popcorn rather than salted.....Okay so he didn’t even have the nerve to ask me if sweet was fine with me, if he had asked he would have found out that it was in-fact the latter.

From this moment on I thought that this guy was in-fact cheap or he just didn't know the fundamental rules whilst on a 1st date. Because I'm not one to tell him about these fundamental rules I decided to pay for our snacks.

Halfway through the film I decided to have a sip of the LARGE drink that I had bought. To my surprise I was left sucking on a couple of ice -cubes. I know that sometimes people get thirsty but this was a shared drink for two. He could have had the courtesy to think of my thirst before he proceeded in finishing off the LARGE drink.

"ummm I hope you're going to get another one" I asked, "oh sorry, I was thirsty I’ll go get another one" he answered. He came back holding a small drink and another hotdog which of course was for him. He handed me the drink and then grabbed the sweet popcorn that was on my lap and placed it on he's. Throughout the entire film he didn’t offer me the popcorn, I was on my P's&Q's the whole night just to get a handful of the popcorn that I had bought.

I was relieved when I saw the credits appear on the screen. This date had officially come to an end, its not that this was a nightmare date to say the least. It was a date where I didn’t feel like I was treated like the lady that I am. If it was just another date then I would no doubt help to pay for the date. However, considering that it was our 1st date I was very surprised to be asked to pay. So the next time I go on another date, I will not make the mistake of assuming that all men like to pick up the bill.

Until next time.......

Elle, Writer and Editor