Date #3: Was He Really There?
The query presented in the title of my post doesn't refer to R, the saving grace of getting stood up at my last IJL date. You already know he exists. Instead, it refers to my IJL date, D. Was D really at Zaytinya that night?
The day after the date-that-wasn't, K from IJL called and left me a message. She was unable to immediately speak with me because, as a result of some deep-seeded phobia for which no therapist can identify a childhood trauma-related cause, I am unable to pick up the phone without knowing who is on the other end and why they are calling. So she asked me to call, and when I rang her back I fully expected her to chastise me for not showing up, as shifting of blame is one of K's specialties. How could she possibly be responsible for her clients not being able to find each other for their date, after she went to all the trouble of arranging the meeting in the most crowded bar in downtown DC with no reservation?
When I called her back, she asked what happened, implying that I hadn't gone. I explained that I had waited at the front door of Zaytinya for nearly an hour (a slight exaggeration for effect). I didn't mention picking up R while I waited for the date-that-wasn't, as that would have undoubtedly resulted in K inappropriately snagging credit for the meeting. I can hardly blame her -- she should take it where she can get it. She went on to claim that D was there, and promised to set us up somewhere quieter next time. And, perhaps, somewhere that takes f*#^ing reservations.
She called me back a few days later, but I was traveling regularly the weeks following and didn't bother calling her back, since I couldn't really find time for any dates. Admittedly, it was also probably a passive-aggressive attempt to demonstrate my irritation, combined with the dread that D was the unpleasant-seeming man at Zaytinya who had stormed off to the bar without even a glance at the people standing by the door. My bold ignoring of K led to a letter from IJL (literally within a few days of my lack of response), informing me that per my request I was "on hold" until further notice. I'm not entirely certain what this means, but I suspect they will manipulate the situation so that it appears as if my holding pattern is the result of a desire to exclusively date one of the fantastic eligible bachelors with whom they have matched me. This is the only rationale they gave me in my intro meeting for choosing to go on hold, though I suppose they didn't want to reveal that I was likely to reach a state where I'd rather be drawn & quartered than talk to my incompetent IJL contact.
So now I'm back from a long vacation, and I guess I'll have to give this another go. I dread calling K back, but I promised myself to slog through this, and I don't really want to have to admit to anyone that I shelled out $500 each for only two dates....
The day after the date-that-wasn't, K from IJL called and left me a message. She was unable to immediately speak with me because, as a result of some deep-seeded phobia for which no therapist can identify a childhood trauma-related cause, I am unable to pick up the phone without knowing who is on the other end and why they are calling. So she asked me to call, and when I rang her back I fully expected her to chastise me for not showing up, as shifting of blame is one of K's specialties. How could she possibly be responsible for her clients not being able to find each other for their date, after she went to all the trouble of arranging the meeting in the most crowded bar in downtown DC with no reservation?
When I called her back, she asked what happened, implying that I hadn't gone. I explained that I had waited at the front door of Zaytinya for nearly an hour (a slight exaggeration for effect). I didn't mention picking up R while I waited for the date-that-wasn't, as that would have undoubtedly resulted in K inappropriately snagging credit for the meeting. I can hardly blame her -- she should take it where she can get it. She went on to claim that D was there, and promised to set us up somewhere quieter next time. And, perhaps, somewhere that takes f*#^ing reservations.
She called me back a few days later, but I was traveling regularly the weeks following and didn't bother calling her back, since I couldn't really find time for any dates. Admittedly, it was also probably a passive-aggressive attempt to demonstrate my irritation, combined with the dread that D was the unpleasant-seeming man at Zaytinya who had stormed off to the bar without even a glance at the people standing by the door. My bold ignoring of K led to a letter from IJL (literally within a few days of my lack of response), informing me that per my request I was "on hold" until further notice. I'm not entirely certain what this means, but I suspect they will manipulate the situation so that it appears as if my holding pattern is the result of a desire to exclusively date one of the fantastic eligible bachelors with whom they have matched me. This is the only rationale they gave me in my intro meeting for choosing to go on hold, though I suppose they didn't want to reveal that I was likely to reach a state where I'd rather be drawn & quartered than talk to my incompetent IJL contact.
So now I'm back from a long vacation, and I guess I'll have to give this another go. I dread calling K back, but I promised myself to slog through this, and I don't really want to have to admit to anyone that I shelled out $500 each for only two dates....
posted by Katie S @ 1:23 AM
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