Disclosure

So, it is the morning of my first official date originating from an Internet dating website. It occurred to me this morning that there are many people whom I would like to tell that I am actually going on a date this evening. However, I can't seem to bring myself to disclose.

Who would I like to tell? Well, I would like to tell two of my favorite interns. They are always prying into my personal life and have been insisting for weeks that I should date a certain co-worker. What they don't know is that I actually did, briefly, date said co-worker and am now no longer really speaking to him. Yet, if I tell them I have a date tonight, invariably I will need to disclose details and somehow the fact that I met said individual on-line is certain to come out. Now, part of me thinks the interns would certainly be accepting of online dating. After all, I did some quick math this morning and determined that the Internet has been around since they were in elementary school. However, they are also currently in college. Thus, they still have not been forced to enter the "real world" of dating. They are surrounded by people their own age day in and day out. And, LBH, no one dates in college anyway.

I would also like to inform the evil co-worker of my plans just to show him I've moved on...yet, again the stigma. So with the exception of a very select few friends, my plans this evening are largely secret.

Oh, except I did tell my mother. Now, I should begin by saying that my mother and I do not have a Gilmore Girls type relationship. We do not, as they say in the world of litigation, participate in open discovery. We get along fairly well though. Disturbingly, I find myself growing more and more like her each day despite my teenage decrees that I would do nothing of the sort. So last night, I decided to tell her about my upcoming plan to meet young engineer for coffee this evening. Two interesting aspects of this conversation. First, she asked if he plays golf. Now, I don't play golf. So, this question was not aimed at attempting to determine whether we have common interests. My father, however, does play golf. He's quite accomplished. The question was posed for one of two reasons. My mother may have concluded that my father is a great guy, my father is a golfer and therefore all great guys are golfers (hello LSAT). Alternatively, she has decided that any one I potentially may date must be able to golf as a means of bonding with my father. I haven't decided which of the two of these conclusions is more disturbing.

Secondly, as we were concluding our conversation, she reminded me to "be careful." It subsequently occurred to me that as one who has watched a lot of Law and Order, CSI, and Without a Trace over the years, I should perhaps be more nervous as I approach this first Internet date. Yet, I am surprisingly calm. Maybe it's because, he's a golfer.