The Quickest Hook Ever

Sept 27/13

In sports there is a term called getting the hook - it is usually referred to pitchers in baseball and goalies in hockey who play badly and are quickly substituted for during the first innings or period of the game.

Now you might wonder what this has to do with me and dating but just give me a moment and you'll clue in, hopefully have a chuckle, and send some sympathy my way telepathically.

As I've mentioned before in previous entries I'm on a couple of dating websites, not because I'm a player but more so because I think each one might offer me a different opportunity to eventually meet the one.

Over the course of the last week I've been chatting with someone from one of the websites and things were going as well as they can when one is exchanging emails. She mentioned possibly meeting for a coffee to see if we felt that click and I gave her my open dates this week working around a hockey practice and soccer meeting, we settled on Thursday night for 7pm at a Tim Horton's that is located directly between us.

I wasn't really all that nervous, which is rare for me when meeting someone for the first time, as we seemed to have some common interests and were both part time parents who placed a high value on being family oriented.

I got there a few minutes early and ordered a nice iced cappuccino, the one thing I can drink as coffee just isn't my cup of tea - pardon the expression, and within a few minutes A came in and ordered a double double while exchanging chit chat with the people serving her, it was quite apparent this was her usual coffee spot as everyone seemed to know her and that was actually kind of cool.

We spent the next hour and a half chatting about pretty much everything under the sun, learning about one another, what kinds of activities our kids are into, and even sharing some stories about dates gone bad that had both of us laughing. When it came time to say goodnight we hugged one another and said how enjoyable the meet-n-greet turned out and she said she'd like to do it again, to which I agreed.

Now comes the hitch...or the hook as they like to say

I live literally 5 minutes away from that Tim Horton's.....that is 5 minutes if I hit the red light and more like 3 minutes if I make the lights on green.

So when I got home I went to my home office to send A an email telling her how enjoyable it was to meet her and how I really could sense how involved she was with her daughters from the twinkle in her eyes when she shared stories about them. As I opened up my email I was surprised to see a message from her in the inbox. I opened it and was taken aback by the words she has typed.

She thanked me for the meeting but didn't feel like there was any connection between us, that my comment about being an involved date was a little off-putting, and that the fact that I didn't kiss her on the cheek showed my lack of interest.

I checked the time stamp on the message and was shocked when I determined that for it to be in my inbox when I got home meant she had to have literally pulled over to the side of the road and sent it from her Blackberry as I was still in the parking lot of the Tim Horton's!!

Now don't get me wrong, I totally get that not everyone feels the connection and in all honesty I don't think she had potential to be the one but it would have been nice to see her again to really see where things were between us as I can't believe I so misread the interactions between us as we sat there. It's not like I did all the talking and at one point she playfully tapped me on the hand as we talked.

I've just never gotten the proverbial hook so damn fast in my life!!

So as I was sitting there wondering what the hell is wrong with me as a potential date/partner that not only am I getting the thanks but no thanks messages, something I've sort of come to expect, but now women can't even wait to get home to send them but are using smart phones to send them.

Moki the wonder puppy must have sensed my mood as she jumped up into my lap and curled up into a ball so I could rub her back, something she never does when I'm sitting at the desk in my office. I looked down at her and thanked my lucky stars for her ability to make me smile.

I've mentioned this whole thing to a couple of female co-workers this morning and both are amazed at the response and more so the speed of the response. Both assured me I'm not damaged goods and that there is someone out there for me, maybe I just need to stop looking and let her find me....

I'm sort of at a crossroads as to what my future holds dating wise......one profile expires on Monday and I had already reached the decision to not renew it long before this happened but now I'm wondering if it might not be time to hide or even close the other one down as well.

So what is the quickest you've ever gotten the hook or maybe even given the hook to a potential candidate?

Thankfully it is the weekend and start of my custody week so I'll have lots to do with my son in regards to hockey and school, and a few rounds of golf to get in this weekend as well.