Let us Pray, Let us Pray

I have this friend, Olivia, from Chicago. She is great – you should know her. I don’t actually know her that well, we are fairly new friends. But she cracks me up and I like her stories and perspective on life.

One of the great things about this blog for me is that it is very therapeutic. Writing about my awful experiences, thoughts and perspectives. It helps me hash them out [and helps even more when all of you validate me with “mmmmm, yes” comments].

The other bonus is when some of you email me with your own stories because mine remind you of some of your own experiences and thoughts. So here, for your enjoyment, is one of Olivia’s. And it is a doozey. So feel free to validate her in how awkward this was with a comment or two [and don’t worry, she knows I am doing this and gave me permission].

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So I joined eharmony a couple of years ago just to see what I could find. (I had already done match, with no success...and I must be a masochist cause I signed up for match again this past fall and spent two months dating a guy who I thought was cool until I found out he likes to do coke from time to time.) ANYHOO...eharm....

I agreed to meet up with one guy from that website because all of the other ones were obvious "you have got to be kidding me" types. But this one guy seemed normal, nice, blah blah blah. So I emailed him and said, "let's meet at Danny's", a funky little pub in Wicker Park. He agreed and our first date was set. He met me there and we immediately ordered 2 pints. He started the conversation by saying that he had called his mom before the date and they prayed together about the date...prayed that God would be present and would guide our hearts together…Well, that's just fantastic.

So not only was I on a date with this guy, I was also now on a date with God. (And WHO brings up their Mom on the first date?!?!)

Then, as I brought the tasty Alagash White beer up to my mouth, eager for that first sip, he quickly waved his hands and asked if we could say a quick prayer together, over our beers. I just stopped for a second, the creamy beer just millimeters from my lips, and blinked my eyes a couple of times. Finally I mustered up a reply: "oookkkaaayyy," and then I let him say a prayer.
And then downed the pint in like 2 minutes. (I figured I was going to need to numb myself a bit in order to get through the rest of the date).

So we order a second round. He talks about church. And I sorta smile and nod and check my watch and down my second beer.

Then I ask for the tab. He looks surprised and asks if I want to go someplace else. I say 'yes, home...I have to get up early tomorrow'. The bill is laid down at our table and the waitress reminds us that it's cash only and he looks at me and says he has no cash on him. So I end up paying for the date!

So that is my one experience with eharm. Those guys are intense! Geesh!