Getting Stood Up

We often go to a very cool restaurant that is a comfortable mix of singles, couples and families, making it the perfect (safe) spot for first dates and blind dates.  At this place there are often couples who meet in the restaurant or bar for the first time, perhaps Internet daters.  You can tell because one is usually already seated when the next one comes in, a brief introduction, and then the dreaded, or perhaps wonderful first date conversation ensues.  We like to quietly observe the ritual...it can be very amusing...and we try to gauge how the date is going.

Sometimes they get touchy pretty quick, sometimes they are painfully awkward looking, sometimes just clearly not attracted......you can actually observe chemistry. I've done this with my female friends too. Lot of fun actually. My friend actually once asked the waiter to ask the happy couple a question we all had. Pretty nosy I know.

Yesterday the Raz man and I took ourselves out to an impromptu dinner at a really nice restaurant. We were waiting for our food when the hostess seated a young man at the table beside us.  Tall, good looking.  Nervous. He had a book with him which he was reading while waiting. "Big Date to my right" I said to Raz man.  The waitress went to his table, poured 2 glasses of water, a brief conversation ensued, and soon a champagne bucket was set on the table.  This is a pricey place, so it must have been a BIG DATE.

"oh oh....she's really late" I said to husband.....He was checking his cell frequently.  He got up to make a call in the foyer, then sat down again and started reading his book.  He was flipped the pages pretty fast, glancing at his cell over and over.  By this point I was getting nervous for him......

I lost track of him when my dinner arrived and 10 minutes later, he was gone.  The waitress was clearing the table and removing the champagne bucket.

Of course, she (he) could have had an emergency, but I suspect he was stood up.  I also wonder how confident he was that his date was actually going to arrive in the first place given that he must have asked for the wine/champagne, but it was not brought to the table to chill while he was waiting, plus he brought along a novel....not what you bring to a fancy restaurant when you know someone is meeting you in a minute.

That got me thinking about how awful it would be to be stood up.  It;s never happened to me, but I did have my prom date cancel the night before.  Have you ever been STOOD UP.