Two Years Together

Today marks two years since my girlfriend and I first went out on a date.

I actually remember it, too (my memory is fairly strong for such things).

We were set to meet at the Tiger's Tail in Montgomery, New Jersey, which is in between Hillsborough and Princeton. The name of the place is a reference to the mascot for Princeton University sports teams.

As I recall, I was running late. As I pulled into the parking lot, she was waiting by the entrance, although I was not actually sure that it was her. It was very hard to tell if that was her or not, though. It kind of looked like her picture, but I could not be certain. Her hair was not nearly as curly, although the rest of the descriptions fit.

As I walked toward the entrance, I went up and asked if she was who I was looking for.

"No." she said, smiling.

Feeling mildly embarrassed, I mumbled an apology, and headed towards the entrance of the Tiger's Tail, before she called out, telling me that she was just kidding, it really was her.

Here's the thing: I thought I looked sharp on that night. Like most of my first dates, i wore a kind of cream colored shirt, and back pants. The shirt was something that I had gotten a few years before, after my then wife and I parted ways. I remember I was looking for shirts in a store, and tried that one on. A couple was also in the store trying some clothes on, and the woman came up and told me, out of the blue, that the shirt looked good on me, that it was a nice color on me.

Now, maybe I should explain something. Women receive compliments from guys all of the time, so it's like it's nothing to them, you know?

But when a woman compliments you, especially on your clothes, it's time to pay attention. They obviously have a better sense of style, by and large, and so when a woman says something like that, it takes on added significance. Every now and then, a woman has complimented me on clothes that I was wearing, but it is rare. It is even rarer when they compliment clothes that I actually picked out, and that cream shirt was one of them.

So, it instantly became pretty much my favorite shirt. When I was wearing it for the date, I was still under the impression that it was set to impress, that she would probably think, "Wow! This guy has a good sense of style! That's a rare quality in guys, so surely she was going to be impressed.

And that was pretty much what I thought, until just recently, when she revealed otherwise to me.

You see, that shirt was already was getting a bit old at that time, I guess. Having worn it for every first date that I had gone on, it began to look slightly (or maybe not so slightly) worn. To my eyes, it seemed fine, though.

When she saw me, she apparently thought, "Wow! This guy needs some help!"

She told me that what she was thinking during the date was, "I need to take this guy shopping!"

There I was, thinking I was looking quite dapper and stylish, and apparently, I more closely resembled a basket case, committing a fashion faux pas of an almost criminal level.

Over the years, I have grown used to her criticizing my clothes, and wanting to refurbish my wardrobe. But for all that time, I had believed (obviously mistakenly) that she had been at least a bit impressed with the way that I dressed for that first date. How naive I was being!

Yet, despite it all, we have now been together for a full two years! Like any relationship, it has had it's peaks and valleys. Good times and bad. Yes, we have had fights every now and then, although we always try to remain respectful of the other. I would like to believe that she's learned some things from me, but I know that I have learned some things from her, particularly on being a bit more organized for my own life - something I definitely needed (and still need)!

So, I am appreciative of her presence in my life, and thankful for the times that we have gotten to share together. From our trips to Europe (mostly Poland) last year to Canada (mostly Quebec) a couple of years back), it has been very memorable, and I look forward to much more shared time together!

I love you, honey!

This was one of the ticket stubs from our first date.