Speed Dating--Ch.1

I broke up with Ned.

It was a peaceful break-up. We basically gave up without a fight.

I guess it’s because we both got bored of each other after dating since we were both freshmen. Now we’ve been working for a few years, overwhelmed by the "excitement" in the working world, life as a couple became boring. We were bored by the lack of sparks, chemistry, chemical reaction or whatever.

And blah blah blah blah blah...we agreed to break up. I felt I've made the right decision after the long talk with Ned and was proud of both of us that we didn't make the whole thing ugly.

I was wrong.

It’s been three months. It did hurt. It was hard to get used to life waking up without Ned still snoring next to me. Sometimes I made breakfast for two without realizing that Ned was not living in the same apartment anymore. I resisted the temptation to call him when I saw Pearl’s ad. on the upcoming Prison Break Season Two, while recalling the days we snuggled on the couch in front of the TV. I grabbed his arm and he held his breath watching Michael Scofield attempt his break.

And at one sleepless night, I came to realize that, I couldn’t go without Ned.

I called my best friend, Mel. It's been a hundredth time I called her late at night, or should I say, early in the morning?
Mel gave a long sigh and said,"girl, you’ve got to go circulate."
"Circulate?”
"Circulate yourself. Your lone lone self. Let the men out there know that you’re happily single and you’re available for a new romance.”
"Huh?”
"Audrey.”
"Yea?”
"Can you please stop responding with just one word?”
I tried to think of a sentence to say, but all I could come up with to answer my personal 24/7 Agony Aunt was, “well…”
"You know what I’m thinking?”
"What are you thinking?” Ha! I managed to formulate a functional question! Not that bad for a heart-broken-and-emotionally/physically/socially-messed-up girl.
"I’m thinking about Speed Dating.”
"Huh?”
"3 minutes. All you’ve got to do is to talk to a couple of men, each for 3 minutes.”
"Sounds like my kind of thing.”
"You don't have to say much."
"Exactly."
I could visualize Mel rolling her eyes.

A week later, I was wearing this cute little baby doll dress, fresh make-up and this Anna Sui magic romance fragrance.

Magic romance, who doesn’t want one?

But my mind quickly flew back to the memory of how Ned and I met, how I caught his eyes in the university’s orientation camp. How he had led me to the dance floor and waltzed with me (awkwardly) on our first Valentine’s Day. The bunch of white lilies he had given me on my 21st birthday even though I started sneezing after I've insisted on smelling them as an act of appreciation. I was allergic to pollen. The next year he gave me a cactus.

The thought of the cactus which was still alive and healthy in my apartment saddened me.
Ned's gone. Cactus stayed.

Audrey, you’ve got to stop ruminating. You’re here to circulate.

Right.

I forced myself to focus on the reality. I looked around me and there were 5 other girls in this chic French-Italian-or-whatever-fusion restaurant. The girls looked thin and fabulous and sophisticated. Or more they looked calm, not the slightest bit of anxious. I felt embarrassed at my obvious fidgets that were going to get out of control.

We were then invited by the host to sit at individual tables that were about one and a half arms’ length away from each other so that we had “space to enjoy the chat.” The 6 male participants were supposed to circulate and talk to each of us. And then we got to put a “small tick” besides the name of the guys whom we’re interested in. The guys would do the same to our names.

Nice and easy. So that's what circulation was about, huh.


(To be continued)

Written in June 2008