[ WP ] You 're on a first date and its going very well until you make a huge mistake . You somehow get a sign from future you telling you that this person is `` the one '' . Do n't screw it up .

`` Hey,'' his smile was warm. He outstretched his palm and shook my hand. The pressure was welcoming. I found my lips turning upwards despite myself. They tended to be all the same; the same charming laugh, the same greasy lines, and the same disappointed grin when I left in my car instead of theirs. 
 
 But this time, the smile I was offered radiated something pure, something very close to naivete. It was endearing, in a way, but I wondered immediately if it was put on. 
 
 `` Hey there,'' I answered, sitting down. He'd already pulled the chair out for me. Scooting it in, I flicked my eyes once over the menu and decided on what I was going to drink. The same thing I always did: Diet Coke. If he was annoyed, I decided, he was a prick. If he smiled on with those perfect teeth, he wanted to get laid. 
 
 The waiter arrived before we could say more, asking us what we wanted. 
 
 `` Water,'' said my date, adding quickly, `` with lemon.'' Classy. Dignified. I opened my mouth to add my little shit-test of a drink order, but he spoke again. `` and a cherry.'' 
 
 *And a cherry. * That reminded me of Nana. She always said I should get out there, should talk to boys and fix my hair up. I remembered her slapping my wrist when I grabbed cookies with my hand, soothing my tears with the same snack: water with a maraschino cherry plopped on top of the ice cubes. 
 
 `` When I die,'' she always said to me, the last time on prom night when she lined my eyes and spun my hair up before I went, before she took a nap and breathed her last. `` You'll know I've picked a good man for you'cause he'll know how to make you feel better just the way I do.'' 
 
 `` Nana,'' I had laughed at her, `` if you're dead, you wo n't be able to talk to me.'' I patted the elegant swirl of hair she'd put up for me. 
 
 Her wrinkly lips quirked up. `` Oh, yes I will.'' 
 

