This month, Mark and Diana enjoy tapas and cupcakes before Date Night really gets rolling.
When asked how your date went the night before, one is apt to reply in general terms such as “Oh, it was ok…” or “Last night’s date was great.” Wouldn’t it be better to have a quantitative formula to grade a date? Every great experience might be worth a point, and every undesirable one would minus a point. This way, we have an objective perspective of how a date went, something that is generally a very subjective judgment. Let’s try it out by putting my recent date with my wife under the microscope.
The night started off with us debating whether to go out or just stay in. Once we decided to brave the night, we moved on to the next order of business: she needed a handyman to put a new charm on her phone. Score one for chivalry.
We agreed that it was time to try the new Stuttering John’s Bistro in downtown Oshawa, only to arrive and find out that it was “Ladies Night”: an evening of makeovers, martinis and massages from Art & Technique Academy of Hairstyling and Esthetics. I was the only male customer on the premises. I scored a couple of points by being a good sport with several ladies as they remarked about my needing a makeover and manicure.
We took advantage of the special tapas board and started with a ceviche. Considering that we are hundreds of miles away from an ocean, the tuna marinated in lemon juice accompanied by a pair of wasabi and roasted red pepper aioli on endives was a treat. We matched this sophisticated starter with the in-house smoked meats and chip truck french fries, delicious. The food was very good and, well, my low-maintenance wife was happy because with me in tow, she had a great excuse not to get a manicure and makeover. I’ll add five points to our tally.
We opted to take dessert at the Mad Café as their cupcakes are renowned throughout the land. Their cupcakes are so good in fact, that I’ll give them the points I might have earned for suggesting them. We were seated with our hot teas and delicious cupcakes when we realized that we might be keeping the young lass at the counter from closing shop. We devoured the cupcakes and downed our teas, partly out of courtesy (three more points for thoughtfulness) and partly because we wanted very much to get rolling. Roller-skating that is.
As we were tying up our roller skates at Coachlite Roller Gardens, I offered my wife a bandanna because I thought it was standard uniform on the roller skating scene. I was wrong. Minus one point.
Once in motion, I feared for my life. The threat of a concussion seemed imminent. To make matters worse, some faux-hawked pre-teen was skating circles around me with one foot in the air for most of the time. He must have smelled fresh meat and kept looking over at me, probably hoping to see the spill of the evening. Maybe it was the New Order blasting from the speakers, maybe it was those forgotten memories of roller skating with my church youth group, but soon enough I was skating like an intermediate.
There is something about holding hands with your loved one while roller skating and listening to very loud ’80s music that is downright magical. That was apparent not only in the grin on my date but the pure joy that each and every person in that roller skating rink exuded. From the little girl falling every five steps to the older gentleman dancing and grooving to the music, everyone was caught in the moment. Forty-five minutes flew by and as bedtime approached, I used the same strategy as my young faux-hawked friend used on his mother and told my wife just one more lap…. just one more lap … just one more lap. We ended the night with a fresh love of eight wheels and a deep respect for the roller culture in Oshawa.
I may have lost count of the tally but I’m fairly certain it was over fifteen. No matter how you do the math, the night was superb.
