<<< A dating tale - Joe meets Karen on the first date Part 12

The waitress handed each of them a menu and offered drinks.

Karen asked for water and Joe ordered his usual diet-coke.

He wasn’t sure if Karen was being polite and didn’t drink, but that’s a good thing he thought unlike the other woman he met a month ago where she downed the entire bar and on top of that he had to foot the entire bill.

He didn’t want to speculate or judge too quickly and again he put his mind back on the book he was reading about getting woman to be attracted to him and not show immediate interest straight away.

A dating tale - Joe meets Karen on the first date Part 14 >>>

<<< A dating tale - Joe meets Karen on the first date Part 13

Remarkably for Joe, who didn’t always go out socializing as much as he could, he was a self-confident and a poised young man, never rushing things, always observing and thinking.

Some woman he has met take a big liking to him because of his upbringing, demure and strong independence, he always had high standards for himself when it came to women.

“Did it take you long to get here” Karen said to Joe.

“Oh no, it was only about half hour on the subway, how about you”.

“Around an hour or so, I live in Forest Hills”.

Joe flashed back to the time when he was looking for an apartment in that area and remembered how nice that place was, quite upscale, he thought and pondered.

A dating tale - Joe meets Karen on the first date Part 15 >>>

<<< A dating tale - Joe meets Karen on the first date Part 14

“Long way to travel, maybe we could have met half-way”, Joe remarked.

Karen politely replied “I actually like the south of Manhatten for some reason, because I am so used to the northern part where I work”.

“Oh really, you said you had worked in marketing, thinking back to her profile in Jumpdates.com”, said Joe.

“Yes, but I am looking for a new job, this one is not too my liking..”, Joe thought he should drop this topic as he sensed Karen was not being too comfortable.

He says, “New challenges are always a good thing, what’s your passion, what do you ideally want to do..”

A dating tale - Joe meets Karen on the first date Part 16 >>>

<<< A dating tale - Joe meets Karen on the first date Part 15

Karen’s face immediately lit-up and for the next five minutes explained the previous jobs she had held, what she liked as a little girl and all the things that really mattered to her.

For a few minutes Joe thought that she was a six year old girl and he was flattered that she should feel very comfortable to be open with him.

It was an innocent quality that masked no pretentious attitudes or beliefs, someone who is very comfortable with themselves.

Joe thought for a moment and realized that this kind of person is also fragile and susceptible to the harsh realities of the world.

He suspected that she has been hurt quite a few times.

A dating tale - Joe meets Karen on the first date Part 17 >>>

<<< A dating tale - Joe meets Karen on the first date Part 16

The more they talked the more Joe found Karen intriguing and there didn’t seem to be any uncomfortable moments during their conversation.

The conversation just flowed and Joe found himself talking more than usual which is rare since Joe normally lets the other person do the talking while he would do more of the listening.

There were times he couldn’t be sure if Karen was making a point to attract Joe by some of her accomplishments to date but to Joe this was a good sign… it only meant that Karen actually interested in him.

He did surmise that her innocent exterior may be hiding a more darker personality beneath.

A dating tale - Joe meets Karen on the first date Part 18 >>>

<<< A dating tale - Joe meets Karen on the first date Part 17

Joe is normally a very open minded person and does not form a defensive wall around him when meeting strangers.

Although he has come to notice that some people can behave like this and he is baffled how such people can actually have ‘fun’.

He pictures these people in their own homes outside of public scrutiny and enjoying their own company and doing whatever it is they like to do.

Some people just don’t like the outdoor scene and only keep a very select few friends.

To Joe everyone could be a potential friend of any race, culture, religion or sex.

A dating tale - Joe meets Karen on the first date Part 19 >>>

<<< A dating tale - Joe meets Karen on the first date Part 19

Karen ordered chicken rossini while Joe was still contemplating the fish dish that he wanted.

He finally asked the waiter ‘what is the fish specialty you have for today’.

The waiter rattled of some dishes and Joe settled on the mahi mahi with broccoli, although he would have loved the shrimp dish but he realized he needed a change.

“Do you cook much”, Joe asked Karen.

“Actually, I do, I can make this wonderful lentil dish but you must add tomatoes, that brings out the best flavor’.

This was music to his ears, because Joe loved cooking himself and many a people have commended him on his cooking.

But Joe is a very modest person.

A dating tale - Joe meets Karen on the first date Part 21 >>>

<<< A dating tale - Joe meets Karen on the first date Part 18

One of the important aspects of human psychology that Joe came to learn over the many years of socializing is that some people choose to behave the way they do intentionally or some without knowing.

He has slowly come to understand that some people are just simply wired this way and to get frustrated over these personality nuances is just not worthwhile.

Some people are opportunists, some very quiet, some over the top, some like playing games, so on and so on. Joe has often thought how other people think of him.

Sometimes words may not be spoken, but by their greetings, mannerism and the type of reception he gets when bumping into other folks can also convey this.

A dating tale - Joe meets Karen on the first date Part 20 >>>