I've Got Mad Love: Putt-Putt to Glory

After the last I've Got Mad Love, where I explained the delay of our first date, Caleb and I finally lived the dream:

The Awkwardest First Date Possibly Ever.

I didn't want to wait until the next weekend to see Caleb, after our failed plans the weekend before. I'll admit that I stalked him on the instant messenger, waiting to "casually" bump into him online. The waiting didn't last long; my patience was rewarded by having Caleb show up Sunday night. He and I chatted about the upcoming finals week and how there were a few tests about which we were worried.

The idle chatter turned to our plans for the dead moments of finals week—waiting between test times and the utter lack of brain power to study. Being the bold lass that I am, I suggested that we reschedule our date for the next day (Monday); we could do the same things we planned to do on Saturday, but just in a daytime setting. He agreed to pick me up on Monday afternoon and we said goodnight.

As the next day rolled around, I was nervously excited. I had rarely gone on a date with someone I didn't know previously; the typical first date jitters were combined with the nerves of making a generally good first impression. Little did I know that Caleb already had a pretty good grasp on how he felt about me.

Caleb drove up in his little blue Saturn and came to my apartment door. To this day, he probably remembers what I was wearing and the exact conversations we had; my memory is lacking and I barely remember the general activities we did. That's not true—I also remember that Caleb agreed to take my then-roommate and always-BFF up to campus before our date.

Caleb claims that when we got into his car, I looked around and said, "SHUT. UP. You drive a stick shift?" I doubt I would have been that informal on a first date, but again, his memory is better than mine. After dropping Megan off, Caleb and I headed to Trafalga (the local mini golf/arcade). I felt super comfortable in the setting, as my first job was at Fiesta Village (my hometown's local mini golf/arcade). I knew I wouldn't embarrass myself.

We chose to mini golf on the indoor course; since it was the middle of the day during finals week, the place was deserted. Caleb and I had the place all to ourselves, which made the course maddeningly quiet. I tried to fill the silence by being extremely charming and slightly competitive; I wanted to show Caleb that I was interested in him, as well as being an independent and competent woman.

In response to my flirtations, Caleb was overtly distant and persistently unresponsive. If he putted first on a particular hole, he wouldn't stay back while I took my turn; he would head towards his ball and calmly wait for me. When I would touch his arm while saying something funny, he would noticeably recoil. My competitive trash talk was met with polite responses, like one would overhear at a tea party or at an embassy. I was sure that we would not be having a second date—I was doing a terrible job being fun!

We neared the end of the course; our scores had been comparable, but I had taken the lead as we finished up. The last few holes had an Old West theme to them, and I watched as Caleb took his turn. He walked away, I took my turn, and I walked to my ball. As I was walking, I kicked a railroad tie that was sticking up out of the ground; I'm a perpetual sandal wearer and my baby toe was smashed to pieces.

At the next hole, I quietly noticed that there was a tiny pool of blood on my sandal. Bleeding on a first date isn't my idea of a good time, so I casually mentioned to Caleb what was going on and begged off his suggestion that we leave. My putting score went sour, as I was trying to cover up the pain. We finished golfing and we headed to the car.

This is the part of the story when Caleb would probably like me to fill you in on his behavior.

He apparently had a great time on our date, marking it as the beginning of a promising relationship. His physical and emotional distance were due to the fact that he is a gentleman; by then, he knew that I was "attached" to someone else, and he didn't want to make me feel uncomfortable by putting the moves on me. When I put the proverbial moves on him, he recoiled only because he didn't want me to do anything I would regret. His view of our date was one of excitement, even though I ended up bleeding.

Anyway, Caleb walked me to my door, for what I was sure was the last time ever. Because my mama raised me right, I offered for him to come in and watch a movie or something; I figured he would say no, since he was probably through being tortured in my presence.

What he decided to do was a big surprise to me, but we'll save that for next time.

Today is Caleb's 28th birthday, and it's been 2,342 days since our first date. Things have become a bit less awkward over the years, but there are still a few times a year where I'm overly flirtatious and he's the cause of someone bleeding.