[ IP ] And we sat , and we talked , and the world went by

Tonight isn ’ t like the other nights. I ’ ve been to this restaurant about a dozen times, each time on a first date. This restaurant is perfect for a first date. It ’ s a small place and enough outside of the city that it ’ s not too loud or too busy. The food is good and the servers don ’ t check on people too often to interrupt the conversations of a first date. Or perhaps they always know I ’ m on a first date and give us some berth. 
 
 Tonight I ’ m meeting Erica. We ’ ve been talking online for a few days, so I expect this one will go well and rather easily. I always hope they will, though. Some of my dates here have been as bad as people think blind dates can be. Thankfully those ended quickly. 
 
 I ’ d been waiting about ten minutes when Erica arrived. We said our hello ’ s to each other, but then quickly went inside. I ’ ve learned that there ’ s something comforting about the “ shield ” of a table and the comfort of a familiar environment. This restaurant doesn ’ t have hostess, so we seated ourselves. I try to get a booth and I always sit facing the door. Erica and I began talking while we waited for the server. 
 
 Before I knew it, our plates were clean, we hadn ’ t stopped talking, and the server was asking us about dessert. I asked the server to give us a moment to decide, I wanted to ask Erica about not ending the date just yet. Outside it was a quiet, clear night and perfect for sitting outside with the moon and the cityscape. I proposed my idea to Erica which included coffees to go, and she accepted. 
 
 After receiving our coffees and paying the check, we moved outside and just a few feet up the block to a bench. If I had to say, I ’ d estimate that we sat there for a couple hours. Our conversation roamed from getting to know each other, to teasing, to laughing our asses off. At times, I feared I was dreaming of the perfect first date, maybe even the perfect girl. Though I ’ m not one to allow myself to get that far ahead of myself. Still, this was a good night. We had fun, sitting there and talking, smoking cigarettes in the dark.
