For complete strangers, Enrique and Portia had plenty in common. Early in their date at Gramercy Italian restaurant SD 26, the pair realized they both went to Rutgers University and share a love of dancing. Throughout dinner, Portia, a 28-year-old applied economist, and Enrique, a 25-year-old partner at a marketing firm, swapped college stories and salsa tips. But did Enrique prove he’s a real Rutgers knight and sweep her off her feet?
He said:
Aside from Portia’s name, I didn’t know much about her going into the date. Thankfully, the mystery lasted only a couple of minutes. From the very beginning it was obvious we had a lot in common. We both went to Rutgers for our undergraduate degrees, and so we talked about our experiences there. It’s always fun to relive the college days! Portia’s life story is very interesting and captivating — I really admire how, as an economist, she continues to follow her humanitarian dreams.
Portia brought up that she knows how to salsa and merengue dance. I got her number so we can go dancing another time.
Overall, I had a blast. At the very least, we started the foundation of a great friendship.
She said:
I was pleasantly surprised — stunned, even — when Enrique sat down. He has a radiant smile, and is much more attractive than his photo let on. I knew right away that I was in for a very pleasant evening.
I’ve traveled pretty extensively and Enrique is from Colombia, so it was a lot of fun to share travel stories. He even showed me a video of his small hometown, which I found fascinating.
We were so engrossed in each other’s stories that the waitress decided to surprise us with our meal instead of waiting for us to finally order! By the end of the night we were the only people left in the restaurant, so we decided to head home. I mentioned to Enrique that I love to go dancing, and he expressed an interest in taking me out again, so we exchanged numbers to do so. I really hope we see each other again soon.