Delaware

A lot of updates:
Initial panic-
At the host station, I told them my name. There's no reservation under my name. I gave them his name. Nope. I conceded and told them it might be under It's Just Lunch. They are scanning their computer and my stomach is flipping over. So she points to something and they ask me, "John and Lisa?" Did I say John OR Lisa? Really, do you think I made up the name Georgann on the way in? Luckily they have a table for us. Phew. As I take a seat at the table, I realize I am under a spotlight. At least it feels like a spotlight. I imagine the terrible shadows cast by the light above my head. There are three other tables with awful lighting, so I scoot around to the next seat., exactly at the moment the waitress is approaching. And now I have to explain why I am changing seats without sounding like an idiot. She asks if I've been there before. No. Then she asks if the person I'm waiting for has been there before. And now I sound like a complete idiot because I have to say I don't know. Based on the look she gave me, it was a slight "I want to crawl in a hole" moment.

The guy-
He's dressed casual but not shabby. As he sits down and introduces himself, I think I hear him tell me his name is Paul. His name isn't supposed to be Paul. I'm not sure what I heard, so now I have a millisecond to decide if I ask him his name again (which is one of the few things they tell me) or say something to make sure the right person was shown to the right table or just shut up. The thought of an awkward mix up sprints through my mind. I ignore my urges to say something. He has average looks, a nice smile, and I still can't decide if his hair is blond or grey or something else. When he first sits down he is either nervous or feeling rushed or trying to figure out a way to escape. That last part is probably just my insecurity.

The restaurant-
Harvest in Glen Mills. The address on their website doesn't really exist (at least not that I could tell), so if you need to find it- it's in the Whole Foods shopping center off 202. They serve local and sustainable food and it was fantastic. Most menu items are less than 500 calories. Delaware said he was starved and asked if I wanted to share an appetizer. I like people who share food. It was a smoked seafood trio. I wasn't carefully considering that smoked fish isn't really cooked, so I tried not to think about it. Still tasty. I ordered Autumn scallops. I highly recommend them but there are only three of them, so don't expect to be stuffed. The dessert tray looked fabulous but I decided not to partake. I had already had a glass of wine so I figured I was nearing my calorie limit. He had the pumpkin pie which looked tasty. Tiny but tasty. It had a great selection of wine and there about six other things I'd like to try on the menu.

The date-
We had nice conversation and I found out a lot about him. The first topic on these types of dates tends to be how far away you live. When I say Reading, I get the bug eyes and exclamation over distance. He lives in Delaware. DELAWARE. We talk about hobbies, work, the usual stuff. We share some outdoorsy interests. He likes gardening and beagles. Score. He seemed interested in my tales of canning. By the end of the night, I am not sure if I kept up my end of the question and answer period. Foiled again by my nervousness. It was very pleasant and I liked talking to him. He is the right amount of animated. And now the interesting part: the dissection of the night: He was personable, interesting, funny and the best part- he paid for dinner. But, three times during the meal he apologized for me having to drive so far to meet him. As many times as I said no apology was needed, he still felt the need to apologize one more time. He also asked me if I saw myself living somewhere other than Reading, where would that be? That replays in my mind. I said I like visiting cities, but wouldn't want to live in one.  I really wanted to ask him if he was ever in a long distance relationship. But I couldn't. I didn't want the answer. I didn't want to ruin what felt like a great date. We walked outside the restaurant together, I thanked him again, he apologized for me having to drive so far again, and kissed me on the cheek. We exchanged phone numbers. I thought for sure as I drove home that he would call me. Twenty-four hours later doubt has crept in. Did he keep apologizing because he felt sorry that I wasted my time driving down there? I didn't think it was a waste of time, I hope it wasn't. I hope he calls.