The Blind Date

Believe it or not, I had never been on a blind date. I guess I just don't seem like the type that people constantly want to set up with guys. But I've always wanted to go on a blind date, just to have the experience.
Last week my cousin Mark told me he wanted to set me up with his roommate. He asked me what kind of guy I liked, and I told him a guy who loved the gospel and honored his priesthood. Well, my cousin just laughed.
"Yeah, that's a give-in," he said. "I meant what do you want him to look like!" He then preceeded to laugh hysterically.
I didn't think it was that funny.
"Don't worry, Erin," said Mark. "I know you don't like gamers, and this guy isn't a gamer!"
Oh, so that's my only requirement.
But anyway, I wasn't really counting on this date going through...but two days after talking to my cousin, I got a call from Mr. Blind Date himself.
Our phone conversation was extremely awkward. What do you say to someone you've never SEEN? I got the impression that he was kind of a weird guy, but I tried not to have the wrong impression before I even met him. I mean, maybe I was the weird one.
"Mark told me you're really down to earth, and that you don't like gamers," he said.
Thanks, Mark. Thanks.
So the Blind Date, who I'll call Marshall, shows up tonight. I could tell that he wasn't really my type, but I decided to give it a try anyway.
First we went to the Malt Shop for hamburgers and shakes. I thought it was a bit weird that when he shut the car door for me, he asked me if I was clear before he shut it. Then he told me that a friend of his came back from a date with a bruised leg because her date slammed the door on her leg.
Ouch.
So the dinner at the Malt Shop went pretty well. At least we kept the conversation going for the most part. Then he asked me if I wanted to do something else. What could it hurt, right?
Next we went to a nickle arcade. We went around playing all the machines and winning all kinds of tickets. It was actually pretty fun. I felt like a kid again.
The best part of the date, I think, was launching my prize parachute man off the apartment balcony. He got stuck in a tree and we had to rescue him with a broom.
So now I can say I've been on a blind date. I'm not sure that it's the best way to find the right guy, especially when your cousin thinks your only requirement for a guy is that he's not a gamer...but at least I had a good time.
Mission accomplished.