That One Time I Tried Online Dating: Part 3

Read part one and part two.

Now let's make something clear before going any further. I would not agree to pick up some guy at the airport that I had talked to only via email without doing some background research. I didn't want to make headlines as a missing person and become the main character on an episode of "Dateline." Fortunately, my girlfriend, Chelsey, recognized someone in one of Jared's online pictures (oh gosh, this online dating world sounds so crazy as I type it out). It just so happened to be Chelsey's husband's cousin and after a little investigating, we learned her husband's cousin was Jared's roommate. Following?? On top of that, I have a friend who teaches at Jared's school and he confirmed that Jared was who he said he was. I considered the guy vetted.

The day of the date arrived and oh my goodness, my mind was moving a million miles a minute. I couldn't think a straight sentence! I stopped by Chelsey's house on the way to the airport to get any final words of encouragement. With her son bouncing on her hip, she tried to calm my nerves but nothing was going to stop my mind from racing. It was time to rip the Band-Aid off and do this. I said a quick prayer and off I went to the airport.



As I parked my Toyota Prius in the DIA parking garage, my phone beeped.

"Landed! On my way to baggage claim."

My heart somehow managed to race even faster.

"Great! I'm wearing a red coat," I texted back.

I took a few deep breaths. I had so enjoyed emailing with Jared. What if it all ended today? That would have been okay. I had been through worse. But gosh, I didn't want it to.

I stepped out of the car and walked across the parking lot to the airport entrance. I walked through the sliding doors and stood at the bottom of the escalator that leads to baggage claim.

I decided that the only way I would calm down is by meeting the guy and surely he was still de-planing, so I could walk around baggage claim and calm my jitters. I stepped on the escalator and up I went. I stared down at my brown, leather Frye boots as I rose up to the next floor. As I approached baggage claim and prepared to step off the escalator, I looked up.

There he was.

Wearing jeans, a button-up shirt with a blue v-neck and staring at the baggage claim screen was Jared.  I'll never forget that moment. He looked exactly like he did in the pictures. I was relieved. He was real.

But wait! I was supposed to be able to walk around and calm my nerves before meeting him! I'm wearing a red coat so I don't exactly blend in! I can't run away! WHY AM I WEARING A RED COAT?!

I had no choice. I walked right up to him.

"Hi!"

He looked down from the baggage claim screen, gave me a big smile and a tight hug. We chatted for a minute about what to do with his bag before his next flight and then headed for the parking garage. I was still as nervous as could be as we made our way to the escalator and to my car. "Gosh, I'm shaking," I admitted to him as held out my hand to show my teetering fingers. "Why?," he asked. This guy was as cool as a cucumber.

We got into my little Prius and made small talk as we drove downtown to the Wash Park Grille. I couldn't believe he was actually real. That guy that I decided to email on a whim is now sitting in my car.

Jared and I had covered all the first date conversations via email. And second, third, fourth and fifth date conversations as well, so I wasn't quite sure what to talk about on what was actually our first date. And looking back, I can't exactly remember what it was we did talk about. What I remember most vividly about that afternoon was looking up at him during the course of our meal and he flashed the biggest smile. I can still see that moment in my mind. I love that smile.

After lunch, we drove down the street to the zoo where we found few zoo animals. Seriously. It was a gorgeous day but only a handful of animals cared to come out and enjoy it. Yet Jared and I still visited each exhibit. Twice. Neither of us wanted the date to end.

As we walked up to the seal exhibit, Jared leaned against the railing of the enclosure. "So, New York," he said. "Yep. I still haven't heard back from the schools, but I have to go." I told him how it had been my dream to live there since I was a little girl. He had been a few times for work and was surprised that I was so taken with the city. Little did we know what was to come for both me and him in the Big Apple...

As we made our way through the zoo, I began thinking how nice it would be to hold his hand. But here's the thing: I had told Jared dozens of times how I wanted to move really slow in relationships after my divorce. Like, snail slow. So I realized as the afternoon went on that there was no way this guy was going to make any type of move. If I wanted to hold his hand, by golly, I was going to have to hold his hand. So I did. And we didn't let go until we absolutely had to get back to the airport.

We slowly made our way through the afternoon traffic to get Jared back to DIA for his flight. I slowly pulled into the same parking spot I had been in hours prior. We slowly made our way up the escalator and slowly meandered to the security line. We gave each other a nice, slow hug and then we said goodbye.

"We should do this again sometime," I joked.

"Can we please do this again sometime?," I thought.