Date Night

"So what are you going to wear?" Gina plopped down on Missie's bed, eliciting a groan. Not that she was still sleeping, but she'd been satisfied just laying in bed with her high thread-count sheets wrapped around her.


"I don't know. I just woke up." Missie rolled over to face her way-too-perky friend. Rather than drive Gina home after work, Missie had suggested she just crash at her place and she'd take her home tomorrow, well, today.

Missie reluctantly sat up in the bed, adjusting her nightgown so as not to flash Gina. She glanced at the alarm clock.

"Gina, it's only nine. Why are we up?" Missie groaned as she worked free of the covers and walked into the bathroom.

"About that," Gina raised her voice so that Missie could hear through the door. "I forgot I was supposed to go antiquing with my grandmother today. I promised like a month ago and forgot to write it down."

Missie groaned and called back through the door, "What time?" She washed her hands then walked back into the bedroom where Gina still sat on the bed.

"Like ten, but I told her I'd get to to bring her to her house since she's nearby, so we've got some time." Missie just nodded and went about changing clothes and brushing her teeth.

"Really though," Gina said as she went to the closet, "What are you going to wear tonight?" Missie shrugged with a mouthful of toothpaste. She'd thought about it last night as she was falling asleep, but she was so tired she didn't get very far in her thought process.

Gina began to pull outfits from the closet making Missie laugh. "If I need to get you to your grandmother's we don't have time for this."

"These are just my suggestions, so that when you're getting ready later you don't have to hate that I'm not here. " Gina smiled over her shoulder and tossed another summer dress on the bed.

"You don't think it'll be too cool for some of these? I mean it's starting to get chilly at night." Missie picked up a sleeveless dress that hit mid-thigh. She laughed and held it up before adding, "And I don't want him to think he's getting any tonight."


Gina waved a had at her and tossed a few pairs of heels on the bed. Missie knew her friend was only trying to help, but the chances that she would pick any of these outfits for a first date was slim to none.


Twenty minutes later Missie was driving Gina across town to her grandmother’s. Gina messed with the radio and stopped when Journey came pouring out of the speakers. The girls sang along and Gina danced in the passenger seat to ‘Don’t Stop Believing’. The song went off and Gina laughed.

“By the way,” she fished her phone from her purse and used a manicured finger to find something. She turned down the radio and pressed the button.

“I don’t want anybody else…” Missie laughed, thinking she’d downloaded the ring tone, then heard the catcalls in the background and realized it was a recording from Thursday night.

“Gina! You recorded me!” She squealed and poked her friend in the arm. “You better erase that!” She threatened.

Gina cackled and stuffed the phone back in her purse, “It’s your new ring tone, my friend!” The two laughed as Missie pulled the car into Ms. Peterson’s driveway.

“Go help your grandmother. I’ll steal your phone later.” Gina winked and threw her purse over her shoulder.

“Call me tomorrow!” Gina scrambled out of the car. Missie waited until she disappeared into the garage and back out into the road. She drove home contemplating what to wear on her first date with the guy who asked her out after she’d performed The Divinyls. She laughed, remembering the whole ordeal, and imagining what someone who didn’t know her would have thought to watch the performance.

Missie went by the pharmacy and picked up a few things she needed, grabbing a new nail polish and some body wash. It was after ten, and it made her laugh that she felt the need to hurry home because of her seven o’clock date.

She left the pharmacy swung though the Starbucks for a mocha before going home to undergo the pre-date ritual. What a process. She’d have to shave and use her ‘smell-good’ soap. She’d take the time to dry and straighten her hair, then there was the make-up, and it was a fine line between looking like a hooker and looking like she hadn’t tried to look beautiful, she just did.

She needed to paint her nails, and then there was still the what-to-wear dilemma. She sighed. It would likely take most of the afternoon and she would still feel like she missed something.

Back at her apartment Missie put away all the clothes that Gina had pulled out. She pulled out a pair of black slacks and a rich purple tank top with a sequin design down the side. She grabbed a black blazer and cuffed the sleeves to show the teal lining. After hanging the clothes and picking out some jewelry she headed into the living room to paint her nails. She could do that while she watched the ballgame.

Her team was losing in the third quarter and her nails were just beginning to dry when the phone rang.

“Hello?” She answered.

“Hey, Missie. It’s Mike.” Missie smiled and leaned back against the sofa. She’d been perched on the edge ready to scream at the television, but this conversation was preferable to watching the massacre happening on that field.

“Hey Mike. What’s up?” She asked, studying the smudge on her pinkie.

“Not much. Just making sure everything is still good for tonight?” Missie glanced at the clock, already four o’clock?

“Yep,” She hopped off the sofa. “See you at seven, right?”

“Six.” Missie stopped with his response. “Six?” She asked. “Oh, I thought we said seven.”

“Oh, well, seven is ok. Maybe I got mixed up.” Did he? She wondered, or did she. She was pretty sure that he’d said seven. Whatever.

“No, that’s fine. I can do six.” She’d just have to start moving. She had to get ready then make her apartment presentable. She walked him through getting back to her apartment and then went to hop in the shower.

She was ready by five forty-five and for once she was grateful that a guy showed up early. She wasn’t very good at waiting.

“Hey,” she answered the door, “come on in. Just let me grab my purse.” Mike smiled, following behind her.

“You look really nice.” He said, giving her a hug. Missie smiled at the compliment.

“Thanks.” She left him to study her living room while she grabbed her purse and checked herself in the mirror one last time. When she came back down the hall he was studying some of her framed snapshots around the TV console. He was wearing blue jeans and a button up top. His hair was freshly but and she could just smell his cologne.

Dating was nice. When she hung out with her guys friends they were usually scraggly and frumpy, never smelling of soap and cologne. It was easy to forget how nice it was to be around a man who smelled so good.

“Ready?” She asked. He turned around a flashed her a smile.

“Absolutely.” He opened the door for her and waited for her to lock-up. In his car he let her control the radio b noticed that she’d left the volume low and used the opportunity to ask her about her job at the apartment complex.

She told him how she’d fallen into her two job routine and shared some crazy tenant stories. He laughed and encouraged her to keep talking when she started to feel like she was dominating the conversation. It was comfortable and they were downtown before she realized it.

Inside the restaurant he continued to navigate the conversation making her feel comfortable. He told her about his first week at this job and some funny stories about some of Stacey’s friends who had become regulars when they all got together. It seemed he’d already found his spot as caretaker amongst that little group.

It made Missie happy that he was a pretty responsible guy. Usually getting picked up in bars meant meeting guys who didn’t know what self-control meant, and assumed that being a bartender meant she liked to get drunk on a regular basis.

They stayed at the restaurant until nine thirty, and Missie didn’t want to go home, except that tomorrow was Monday and morning would come early. The drive home was just as pleasant as the rest of the evening. Back at her complex Mike parked and walked her to her door.

“I had a really good time.” He said. Missie smiled and nodded, “Me too.”

She debated on inviting him in. Just for a drink, but worried he might think she was offering more. Maybe she was. She didn’t have time to work it through though.

“Can I give you a call tomorrow?” He asked.

“That would be great.” Missie said. Mike smiled and gave her a hug. When he pulled away he stopped to drop a kiss on her cheek, just catching the edge of her lips. Missie smiled and he took a step back.

“I’ll let you get inside and lock the door.” She nodded. She loved the protective air, and she really could get used to all the manners he practiced. Once inside she smiled and waved again as Mike disappeared down the stairs.

She locked the door, smiling. She sent a text to Gina. ‘Lunch tomorrow :)’ She tossed the phone on the bed and started getting ready to turn in. Washing her face and changing into PJs, she went and got a glass of water and shut off the lights.

Back in her room she had two text messages. Gina saying, ‘can’t wait!’ and Mike. She smiled as she read the message.

‘I wanted to tell you again I had a great time tonight. Sweet Dreams, and I will call you tomorrow. Can’t wait to see you again.”