The Bodyguard

Location: Nettle & Rye (originality = nill!)

Had some interesting messages leading up to this date. He had actually booked tickets for us to see a comedy gig, but me clearly having more dating disaster experience than him, managed to convince him into just going for a drink instead.

As an aside, having discussed this with a few people now, I really believe the purpose of a first date is simply to find out whether you fancy each other - a quick drink with pre-arranged excuses in place on both sides to avoid any awkwardness if the fancying does not occur. If you are not instantly put off by each other then you can retract the excuses and stay for another. A first date is not about going to a gig or the cinema where you can’t talk to each other, or a meal where you are then locked in for hours!

Anyway, back to the date in hand. In our messages we had gotten onto what we did for work (I should just copy and paste my response now as I’ve had to answer that question so many times!) and he said he was ‘employed in the security industry’.  Reading this out to my colleague Jo and in her typical blunt fashion she said: ‘well he’s obviously a bouncer!’ 

But then he said he was off to Costa Rica to help rescue a guy cut off by the hurricane, which threw me a bit, so to get a reaction I jokingly said ‘my friend thought you might be a bouncer’! He wasn't that impressed and replied quite defensively saying ‘I am not a bouncer. I get paid to risk assess and keep people out of trouble. Usually the rich and famous’. Sounded very James Bond/The Bodyguard if you ask me! But for safety’s sake I told Jo exactly where I was going on the date and that I would message her afterward!

We had a good evening though. He’s a bit older (41) and quite interesting, he even found me funny! And because I finally established that part of his role was being a bodyguard, I asked him if he had a weapon on his person right at this moment. He paused to think for a second and then reached into his jacket to retrieve…(I literally didn’t know what he was going to pull out at that point!)…a penknife! Apparently it is useful for cutting string…mmmm!

I retracted my made-up excuse that I needed to drive home that evening and although I was still in bed (by myself!) by 10pm on a Friday night, I was open to a second date, especially as he said I could go for a ride on his motorbike. 

Second date revealed that the slow way he spoke, which I had initially taken as being mysterious and exciting, was him actually just being slow...sorry! Didn't even get that motorbike ride :-(