In the process of sorting everything out, I had to take time off work, make numerous phonecalls and drive to the back of beyond because the delivery company kept messing things up. As you can imagine there was lots of stress, endless bouts of swearing and my bloodpressure nearly hit lethal levels.
After the numerous expensive calls I found out that the delivery company had no intention of actually delivering my parcel at all, so I was left with no alternative but to drive to the back of beyond to collect it myself whilst listening to angry music and muttering insanely to fresh air.
I managed to eventually locate the place in question and I waited patiently in the queue for my package. Whilst in that reception I got talking to an older gentleman in his late fifties or early sixties who was also having a fair bit of trouble from the company. We both had been left with no choice but to take time off work, and we also had to wade through the maze that the delivery centre appeared to be in the middle of. We had a good grumble and also said a few pleasantries to pass the time, eg "Where are you from" etc etc. Looking back it appeared to be just innocent queue chatter, but in reality it transpired that that wasn't the case at all.
I eventually became united with my new phone, and skipped happily back to my car to have a good look. Next thing I was aware of, the gent in the queue had driven on his moped round to my brum and asked me out for a drink! To say I was shocked to the core doesn't even cover it, in all honesty, that was the last thing I was expecting! Being asked out by much older men is not an experience I am familiar with, and dating them is not something I really want to try anytime soon.
Now please believe me when I say I am not a bitch. I do not go around thinking I am better than certain others at all, plus I don't get off on telling lies. But I obviously had to tell him I already had a boyfriend as the truth would not have been pleasant for him to hear. Responding with a "Please, you are old enough to be my Dad" does not a polite reply make. And "I don't go for older men, well almost drawing your pension older that is!" is a truth that the recipient would not want to hear. I feel a tad horrible writing about this, as in honesty the gesture was very sweet, but let's be fair, it would be the equivalent of me asking a babyfaced fourteen year old boy if he fancied grabbing a Macdonalds whilst listening to Tinie Tempah or something. I had to give this gent some credit though, he certainly had a lot of balls asking out an obviously younger woman for a date whilst having the thought that he stood a chance of her saying 'yes'.
It got me wondering, is this what dating for the Thirtysomething woman has become now? Is it commonplace to ask someone out whilst we queue for a parcel, do our weekly shop or pop to the bank? If that is the case then I best start making more of an effort when I buy my groceries. Pop my make up on to pay my credit card bill and don my little dress to get my petrol! Also is age no longer an issue when it comes to dating these days? I really hope that isn't the case, or I will have to watch where I walk in future, secondary school gates and /or old peoples homes may no longer be safe!
It is while we are here that I feel I have to be honest and say that I have been out of the loop for quite some time. It appears the whole dating game has run far ahead of me. When I split with my ex-boyfriend two years ago I decided to bow out and avoid all potential dates for the forseeable future. Plus, when me and said ex-boyfriend first met we didn't actually 'date' much as we initially had a long distance relationship. So as you can see, my experience in this field is more than a little thin on the ground.
Before the aforementioned ex came along, I spent most of my time partying with friends and living it up. I still lived at home (finances and the like) and I worked full time, so having time to date was a complete rarity. And when I did participate I found that the men often fell into one of two catogories 'The Desperate To Settle' or 'The Commitment Phobe'. Although my experiences in this department were not plentiful, the handful I did take part in went either one way or the other, rarely falling inbetween.
Lets start with 'The Desperate To Settle'. A date with this man usually occurs in a family bar or restauant. It takes on the feel of a job interview and more often than not he fires questions at you about your previous relationships. He may ask you where you see things going and you contemplate pulling out your cv whilst offering references. He wants to know your life history in minute detail and starts threatening violence towards exboyfriends and/or male friends. He tells you that he hasn't met the right woman yet, and he finds it hard to trust, but he takes your hand on numerous occasions and practically stares you out. I actually dated many a man like this, and one even had the cheek to go through my phone using the pretence that he wanted a Nokia like the one I had at the time! He claimed he didn't quite understand how to use it, so wanted a quick look. I handed it over like a trusting fool and next thing I knew he was having a good browse at my drunken pics and phonebook contacts with a distinct air of disapproval. It's safe to say we didn't have a second date.
Then there is 'The Commitment Phobe'. This man will take you on fun dates to lively bars and clubs. This usually occurs on a Saturday night, often with a constant flow of alcohol. The life history doesn't even get looked at, and you get the impression his life is dominated by nights out with the lads. But as I said these dates are fun, and by drawing on my own experience here, it doesn't often end with you both parting ways at the venue or with him escorting you home whilst promising to call. It usually plays out with you doing the walk of shame from his to yours at 8am the following morning, after putting back on the clothes you discarded on his bedroom floor the night before and rubbing off the smudged mascara from under your eyes. Action replays of this night are usually probable but he never seems to want to define the relationship. He is keen and very attentive when you are with him, but he can vanish from the radar for days on end.
A few years ago I dated a man for a couple of months who was a 'phobe', and I'll admit I did fall for him a bit. When looking back, I regret nothing that happened between us, as we had good times. But I do regret listening to others who managed to convince me that I was playing with fire and that all I was to him was a cheap disposable woman. Obviously I never did find out what his actual feelings were, and I am not likely to go banging on his door with the thumb-screws now to find out either. Time moves on, and everything happens for a reason. I can openly say that what times we did have together were good, and although I wish I'd had more faith, you can never change the past. He only had a shortlived role in my life, but with all that happened, I strongly believe he played a part, be it small, in making me who I am today.
Anyway enough of the old vintage dating! We are not here to go all old school. With all that goes on in the modern world it seems that my experiences in this field are beyond retro. It's all about speed dating, matchmaking and on-line hook ups. I read articles, and listen to friends stories about trying these things and I almost quake with fear. What on earth happened to meeting a man you like at a bar or gig, swapping numbers, and meeting up for a good old drink. These days it is all about poking, tweeting, getting your friends to set you up, as well as joining dating websites.
I must admit I steer clear of all this, maybe because I am a coward, but I always worry that the persons profile you are browsing through on the dating sites is so far fetched from the person you go on to meet face to face that you wonder if you read it wrong, or were halucinating. You go speed dating and the men who have ticked your box have ticked almost all the other womens boxes there too. You meet a man a friend set you up with and it's hate at first sight, which causes confusion and alters the relationship you had with your chum. You go on a blind date and you want to climb out of the ladies loos window and run for the hills.
With all this that goes on, it makes me seriously contemplate celibacy! But I know I cannot hide away forever plus I have had questions from well meaning folk about jumping back on the saddle. With all these things in mind, I decided that the best thing I could do was to embrace my single years and enjoy them. I don't think I'd have the guts to chat to a man online whom I had never laid eyes on. I don't really want to be set up with my friends 'sweet single mate who has a heart of gold' and looking at my previous experiences of blind-dating, it often made me wonder if the organisers thought I was desperate beyond words or something, so I won't be going back there anytime soon. If I do stumble across a decent single man whilst going about my day to day life (who is in my age range I must add!) well, who knows what will happen. But I am not going to go actively hunting for him, I haven't the energy! One things for sure I will not start waiting at the school-gates for a babyfaced fourteen year old lad, its illegal, and I will not be returning to the parcel delivery place to find my confident older gent. I will just carry on as I am and I will go through the routines of life as normal, but I may just start wearing my make up, doing my hair, and wearing my little dress before I take the rubbish out, you know, just incase a man my age wanders past.
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