The 20-minute date

Am I a bitch?  I don't like to think of myself as shallow or rude.  But today when I opened the door to greet a date--a man I met online, I had to keep myself from slamming it in his face.  Unkempt, with a protruding pot --no this was bigger than any pot in a commercial restaurant -- belly, X grinned from ear to ear when he saw me.

And why shouldn't he?  Four nights a week of kickboxing, one day of treadmill and another of intense uphill walking--plus watching what I eat, keeps me trim.  Yes, I admit it, looks matter to me in the men I date!  And because I feel good about myself, I would never greet a date without primping -- just a little bit.  I want to look good.  I want to see that look of delight when they see who they are dating.  And I expect the same kind of care from the man I am dating.  But there was no way of predicting this one.  His photo was OK, albeit dark and while it didn't show much below the face, his profile body type read "average."  I guess I forgot that the average man today is overweight!  He sounded OK on the phone - friendly, nice.  But staring at him in close-up - well, just yuck!  I just couldn't imagine myself with him.  Not in public.  Not in private.  And then there's the part of me saying, "Hey, you were once obese...why are you being so damn judgemental??"

So here I am, faced with a man whose face and body repulsed me - and I shuddered at the thought of having to spend an evening with him watching him from across a table.  I guess I could have endured the evening.  But it seemed such a colossal waste of my time and his money.  And while I felt bad about taking his weight into account, I knew it was more than just the pot belly that was turning me off.  So, I decided to save us both.  I informed him that my daughter needed some face-time with me.  She had just gotten home and had homework to work on.  "I understand," he said.  "Kids come first."

Saved by the kid!  (And the whole ordeal was just 20-minutes - which no doubt qualifies as the shortest date I've ever had in my life!)  Next online date may have to provide his BMI before I agree to meet!