Chapter 4: A Date in Another State?

- Lovefool (The Cardigans)

I just stood there too baffled and tongue-tied to speak. What was she implying? Rebecca was really amused by my reaction but after a while she said with a more serious voice, "I figured you hadn't been on a date and I will give you some experience and pointers on how to behave. Remember though that I have a boyfriend and I am loyal to him. I have no intention of jumping your bone."

I though for a while, trying to calm down.

"Why out of state?" I asked.

"Mostly because of Linda. She will be keeping an eye on you and if she found out we were dating everyone would know within the hour. It's better to keep it a secret for both our sakes."

"I guess that makes sense." I answered.

"But first it is time for you to honour you're part of the agreement and help me study."

"I'd be happy to." I answered and we head back to Rebecca's apartment.

We spent a few hours studying and I really revolutionised her study technique. It was amazing how she got that far being that unorganised. Rebecca was really smart and she studied hard, but her self-learned study technique wasn't working for her.

Instead I though her an easy technique to remember and understand large amount of information. I thought her to read a passage she wanted to remember and then put it away. Then she should lecture about it to a wall. This would force her to summarise the text in her own words. If the lecture went badly she would just have to start over with that passage again. This technique really helped Rebecca and she was really grateful for the help.

We had finished about one third of her study materials before Rebecca announced that it was time for our date. My body froze up like a popsicle, with the exception of my heart that went into overdrive and beat as fast as some speed techno tune from the 90's.

"Don't worry you will be fine, try to relax." Rebecca said. Her confidence in me actually made me relax. "In an attempt to get through to you I'll try and make a scientific approach to dating. How does that sound?"

"I don't know if it will help, but it is worth a try." I answered.

"Ready?" She asked and I nodded in response.

"A date can basically be divided into four parts, pre-date, pickup, date and the post-date. We will now start with the pre-date or rather the planning of the date. Any suggestions of what to think of here?"

"Plan the location of the date." I answered with a tiny bit of regained confidence.

"Very good. Where would you take me tonight if it was your choice?"

"I don't know ... A dinner at a restaurant perhaps."

"Not very creative, but a good choice. The choice of location should reflect who you take out on the. An adventurous date might like snowboarding or paint balling, while a more introvert date would prefer a picnic or a movie. Regardless it must something you think you will enjoy as well. Nobody wants to date a martyr. You understand any of this?"

"I think I do. So far it seems pretty logical." I answered.

"Bearing that in mind, what kind of restaurant would you take me to?" Rebecca asked.

I thought for a short while and then said, "You very much live in the now so I would probably choose one of the more trendy seafood restaurants."

"An excellent choice." Rebecca answered and I felt pleased with myself. Perhaps I could pull this off. "But there are other things to consider during the pre-date. What if the weather changed, I had a severe seafood allergy, the restaurant burned down, your reservation was lost or a force majeure occurs. What do you do then?"

"So you mean I should have a backup plan?" I answered.

"Yes. At least one, preferably two since one accident seldom comes alone."

I nodded in agreement and was making up backup plans in my head.

"Now it just so happens I was the one to ask you out and have already arranged a table at the Venus de Milo tonight." Rebecca said.

I was a bit surprised and had to ask, "How did you know I would choose a seafood restaurant?"

"An educated guess." Rebecca answered. "Dinner is not very creative but a good first date location. It usually just takes one or two hours which is a good length to keep a first date. Enough to scout if your date is interesting and short enough to endure if the date isn't. Another plus is that one can have dinner regardless of dress code eliminating the problem of under/overdressing for the occasion."

"Wow, there is really a lot to think about when planning a date. But how did you guess the seafood?" I asked.

"Pure luck." she answered.

"Anything else I should think about?"

"Make sure you know how to get to each of the location, don't try to be someone you aren't and don't eat a vast amount of beans the day before the date." She said with a smile.

"Don't try to be someone you are not? Shouldn't I try to look my best for a date?" I asked for clarification.

"Don't get me wrong it is important to look your best, but don't hide your appearance with different clothes than you usually wear and stuff like that. If she is not interested in you things will never work out. If you don't dare to be yourself things will go bad in the end." Rebecca explained while I was digesting the information.