Canceling a date at the last minute is never well-received, no matter how good the reason. Perhaps that’s why Shannah, 45, chose to push through a fever and a stomach bug to meet with Thomas, 37, for dinner at Union Bar and Kitchen in Soho. Thomas did his best to make Shannah feel better, administering a heavy dose of charm — but as it turns out, a doctor of love was the last person Shannah needed to feel better.
He said:
Shannah was already seated when I arrived. She is very pretty and I was hopeful she would also be fun to talk to, but we got off to a slow start. My gut instinct quickly suggested we weren’t a good match.
I never felt like Shannah loosened up. I offered to order some more interesting food items to share, but she doesn’t like oysters. I ordered the fish tacos, which were sizable and tasty. Shannah declined to try them.
It wasn’t until the end of dinner when she said she wasn’t feeling well. I was willing to consider a second date, but when I asked if she wanted to meet again, she declined. I appreciated her honesty, and am glad not to have a follow-up date. She seemed like a nice person, but I left with not even a platonic interest.
She said:
I was feeling horrible on this date. I think I picked up a touch of a stomach bug, and it hit me that day. I went into it with a fever, so I was feeling really out of it.
I asked Thomas how dating in NYC compares to Austin, Texas, where he’s from. He said the women in Austin are more hippie, whereas New York women are more ambitious and smart — so he prefers the latter. That was a good answer, and he’s clearly a smart guy. Unfortunately, since I was feeling so horrible, I didn’t feel like I was interesting — and on top of that, I felt no spark. So even if I felt well, I don’t think it would have helped.
When Thomas asked for my contact information, I told him I wasn’t feeling the chemistry. He handled it well. I thanked him, said it was nice to share a night out with him and ended the evening with a hug.