A Date That Made Me Feel Like A Million Bucks

It’s been almost 3 months since I went out with a girl and knowing that 3 months is long, I thought I actually lost my appeal and charm to the ladies. Losing my appeal and charm is something I can live with as I accept the fact that my appeal and charm diminish as I grow older; to even begin with, I was never really the ladies’ prince-charming type so I’m hardly bother by the fact that I’m still single until now, unlike most guys I know. However, curious of how much my appeal and charm have already diminished through the sands of time; I’ve decided to find out through a delicate social experiment: by asking a girl out on a date. My social experiment did not only give me an unexpected conclusion but at the same time, it made me felt like a million bucks.

Throughout this semester I hardly knew any new girls in campus seeing that I’m never the social type and I’m already contented with my current friends; however, I managed to know a new girl in university from a Japanese class that I enrolled this semester. I wouldn’t say she’s a girl as she’s 7 years older than me but since she looks younger than me, this time would be exceptional. This girl I knew in my Japanese class isn’t a student; in fact she happens to be my instructor’s assistant. Saori is her name and she’s a Japanese (which also explains why she isn’t a student in my Japanese class). Saori is a very helpful assistant as she does not only ensures that no one is having difficulties in their work but also offers great help to those who need them. Initially, I hardly paid any attention to her as I realized that it would be difficult to know her seeing that she’s a boy magnet which attracts plenty of competition; however occasionally, she’ll ask me if I’m alright with my work and if time allows, we might have a chat for 1 or 2 minutes the most. The fact that our interaction is mostly restricted within the limits of just “hi” and “bye” , I never really thought of becoming more than acquaintance. However seeing that we managed to have a long talk with one another after a coincidental meet up in the campus hallway, we somehow extended our relationship into the “potential friend” zone. After that long conversation with Saori which ended with the exchange of our Windows Messenger’s e-mail, I knew we could be friends if we continued like this. When I thought of which girl would be suitable for my social experiment to determine what a turnoff I am, I had difficulties in the beginning as there were almost no girls for me to ask due to my anti-social behaviour. Saori was the only one in my list and I thought of asking her on a date but I was afraid that I might freak her out seeing that I’m taking things too fast. On the other hand, maybe a first impression would give an accurate conclusion so I decided to cowboy up and ask her out for a date. To my utmost surprise (and joy), she said “yes” the moment I asked her whether she would like to go out on a date with me; so I guess I still have some of my appeal after all.

Despite having a solid conclusion to my social experiment, the next problem was served when I was clueless regarding what to do on my date with Saori. I knew I had to come up with something solid as I did not want her to regret saying “yes” to me, consequently I spend the remaining days before our date, figuring out what to do. Luck wasn’t really on my side as I had no solid plan of what to do on my date but fortunately I briefly knew how to begin.

On the day of my date, I was nervous but I constantly reminded myself to stay calm and relax; unfortunately, it didn’t help much. I met Saori at the lobby of my apartment in the afternoon and I greeted her with a smile, which I hoped was not hideous enough to scare the crap out of her. We left the apartment and on the way to the bus stop, I asked her whether she’s into Mexican food or not; the second she said she was a big fan of Mexican food, I knew the both of us already had something in common. While waiting for the bus at the bus stop, we exchanged accounts of what we did for the long weekend. We also traded our own perspective of Kamloops and our experience in Thompson Rivers University. Seeing that she never met anyone from Malaysia, Saori had plenty of questions regarding my country and I was happy enough to oblige her enquiries. When the bus arrived later than usual, which I couldn’t be bothered seeing that I was enjoying my time with her, we hopped onto the bus and headed for the Mexican restaurant which was in downtown. On our way, we continued our chatter and this time we discovered each other’s hobby and interest. Less than 20 minutes later, we were already in downtown; after getting off from the bus, we stroll our way to the Mexican restaurant which was just a stone’s throw. At the restaurant, we discovered our second thing in common when we unexpectedly chose the same Mexican dish---Chimichanga, which later had us both laughing together. Over lunch, we exchanged our interest in the kind of books we read, the type of movies we see and the genre of music we listen to. To both of our pleasant surprise, we had a lot in common in terms of books and music. After our splendid lunch at the Mexican restaurant, we took a walk together at the park alongside the river at the same time enjoying its tranquility and the relaxing scenery. We snapped a couple of photos together and as the wind became stronger and colder, we were forced to leave the park; despite our short stay at the park, it was still pleasant. We later hit the comic book store and we browsed the Japanese mangas together. I later introduced my favourite comics to her and she did the same too which couldn’t be any more enjoyable for the both of us. After half an hour of comic browsing in the comic book store, we headed for a nearby coffee house where we continued our chatter. To top up the fun, we even traded jokes with one another which simply made our stay at the coffee house better. As the day was getting late, we decided to call it a day; consequently, we left the coffee house and headed for the bus stop. On our way back to the bus stop, the wind which became colder and stronger had us both running together to the bus stop. Although we had to miserably run our asses off, we somehow enjoyed the run due to the companionship that escorted it. It was a shame that we could not take the same bus back together as we were living in 2 separate places; nevertheless, we told each other that we will be looking forward to seeing each other again. My date with Saori was the best thing that ever happened to me so far this semester.

My social experiment did not only give me an unexpected conclusion but at the same time, it made me felt like a million bucks. I guess I got more than what I wanted and boy, it sure feels good. Despite the fun and joy I experienced with Saori, the fact that she will be leaving for Japan for good next Wednesday deeply saddens me. It is a shame that I did not know such a wonderful girl like her earlier on.