Our First Date and What I Did To Secure A Second One!
After our first electric encounter in Paris, Mr. M and I flirted back and forth over WhatsApp. I didn’t even have WhatsApp at the time, but I downloaded it so I could keep up with my new mysterious man. We would speak on the phone while he was traveling in Asia and began to build a real friendship. Our conversations were honest and real, I was curious about who the real Mr. M was, and wasn’t afraid to sound naive in comparison to the world he was living in. Later, I would learn that my husband enjoyed my positive energy, inquisitiveness, and willingness to learn. After few weeks of phone dating, Mr. M finally returned to New York and asked me to dinner at Chefs Club.
I was coming from work, so I was way underdressed. High ponytail, jeans and some Chanel sling back kitten heels. My future husband was waiting for me at the front of the restaurant in a bespoke 3 piece suit. Have you ever been on a date with a man in a bespoke 3 piece suit? Let’s be honest, I was overwhelmed. I can even remember his gold pinkie ring with an inlaid deep sapphire. He had a red beard at that time that fell just below his chin. A true gentleman mixed with alpha male. He had reserved for us a table at the back of the restaurant and asked me what I would like to drink. At the time, I was unknowingly drinking a daytime white wine even at night (I’m mortified!), which he graciously ordered for us. For dinner, he asked for everything on the menu. He felt it was important to try everything as the Chefs at the restaurant rotated every season and believed we may never get to experience the meal again. His style, his charm, his scent - it was all so mysterious and luxe, I couldn’t help but get pulled into the decadence of it all.
Our conversation over dinner was so incredible that the plates sat barely touched in front of us. The chef came out from the kitchen to say hello to Mr. M and was shocked to see that the food was hardly eaten. We felt embarrassed while the man was still hovering at our table, so we comforted the talented chef with words and bites of the food as my date winked at me from across the table.
It’s hard for me to recount what we spoke about that evening. I just remember feeling as light as a feather, perfectly serene in a room full of strangers. It’s strange, but even that evening I knew we were meant to be together; I just couldn’t fully understand it.
As the dinner came to a natural end, I boldly suggested we swap tiramisu for tequila shots. Mr. M laughed thinking it was a grand idea and ordered 2 shots of 1942. Now, I am not a natural tequila drinker, but I did know that Mr. M drinks tequila and I wanted to end the evening on a very high note. I had planned all along that I would slip away into the relatively early evening leaving Mr. M wondering where I was going and a little happy tipsy. So, as we were walking out of the restaurant door, I had strategically called my Uber to be waiting outside. Unknowingly, Mr. M walked me to his chaffered car and introduced me to his longtime friend and driver. I shook his hand and looked over at my date and said I had a wonderful evening and hoped I would see him again. He smiled at the Uber behind me, surprised at my resistance to continuing our evening over more tequila shots elsewhere although he had never flat out asked.
He leaned in to kiss me on the cheek and I felt every one of my bones tingle with excitement. Not wanting to give into Mr. M’s curious eyes, I quickly skipped away into my Uber leaving my future husband and his driver on a soho curb. Later in our relationship, Mr. M would tell me that he indeed had planned to take me to another cocktail bar, but the surprise and shock of my sudden exit left him excited for our next encounter.
