The Date

 Yes Angela said to herself this year is going to be different. Donning her black designer leather coat with white hood and dangling tassels she stepped out into the icy night, her breath pushed forward like a small white cloud in front of her. She pulled out her keys and engaged the mortice lock pulling hard on the door handle to make sure it was locked. Above the clear sky showed the universe in all its glory seemingly falling in on top of her. It was so rare to have a clear night sky in suburban Dublin but tonight was special.

 Now down the steps, careful to avoid dislodging the loose concrete tile on the last one. Angela makes a mental note to get Keith to fix it when he’s over next Friday. She scrapped the thin layer of ice off her windscreen with her Dunnes card and thrust the keys in the ignition with a sharp twist to the right.

 Driving cautiously she edged her way through the evening traffic. It was January and though the snow had stopped more than two hours earlier the wet sludge covered roads and with the temperature dropping she’d have to be careful on the way home. The wipers swept away the little crystals of snow flakes falling from trees and other vehicles. She turned left into Templeogue village and ground to a halt six cars back from the slow changing traffic lights. She’d just missed a change so it would be 3 minutes before the next green. Angela reached onto the passenger seat and rechecked the directions the agency had sent for to-nights date. Another part of new Angela was being slotted into place tonight.

 “La Bonhomme” in Rathmines……. Time 8.00pm, OK its 7.20pm now…. Angela made a vow not to be early. She’d have to fight her better nature and sit in the car till 8.05pm. She re-read the name … Hans Glutzen, Hans Gluten, Hans Gluten….. tried to commit it to memory and failed. The agency idea was not hers but after so many years of trying out her own ideas it seemed logical to try one of Tricia’s. Tricia had some success with this method of meeting new men and though her liaison had come to naught she insisted she had had fun trying it out. Tricia had rarely problems meeting men, Angela wryly observed. Keeping them was another matter.  The burp of a motorist’s horn brought her back to reality and she slipped the car into gear and the rest of the journey was completed uneventfully.

 Angela found the restaurant rather more easily than the double empty parking space she needed for the car. There was just time for a last spray of Red Door, a tightening the straps of the slingbacks and glance in the mirror to check the face. Her hands were remarkably steady for a girl going on her first blind date in 20 years. She locked the car with her zapper and strode the short distance to the restaurant, a warm yellow glow emanating from Parisian styled windows that guarded the canopied doorway.

 Hans had arrived at “La Bonhomme” with time to spare. He prided himself on his timekeeping and had left his offices in Dalkey at 6.00pm.  He didn’t bother going home as he had gone to the tennis club at lunchtime for a game of doubles and had showered & dressed casual for the afternoon. The business pre-occupied him and he found it hard to switch off even now. Being early he chose his table carefully, by the window with a clear view of the door. He settled in with an espresso and read a copy of todays Der Speigal on line thanks to his Samsung Galaxy smartphone.

 Tonight was his third date and he sincerely hoped it was third time lucky. Yes there was an agency fee but it wasn’t the money that was an issue for him but more the women that had been matched with him. He’d already spoken with Jacinta his relationship contact in Doves Dating Agency and made it clear to her that if tonight’s offering was wide of the mark he would have no alternative but to look for a full refund.  How hard is it to find a women in his age range (45 -55), interested in sport, theatre, nights out with a view to something more? However he felt good tonight. Having relocated with Mercedes Benz to Dublin 10 years ago he had fallen in love with the country and with the house purchased at half what he expected for Dalkey (thank God for the recession) he just needed a partner to fill it. He wore an open shirt with a navy blazer and a full head of blonde hair, his own he hastened to add. He toyed with a gold ring, twirling it round his finger while he waited.