A NOT-SO-BLIND FIRST DATE

When: February 29, 2000*
*A day that comes only every 4 years. It was part of his “production” plan.
Where: Uva, Century Imperial Hotel, Timog Avenue corner Tomas Morato, Quezon City

When I entered Uva, I had the shock of my blind-dating life – “Is that J?!?” As questions were spinning through my head, I walked to him.


Then, he handed me The Letter.


Excerpts from The Letter:

“29 February 2000

A,

Honestly, I fear that right after I say “Good Evening,” you're going to say “Good Night” and walk right out the door.

To deceive you is the last thing I want to do. If there is any fabricated lie in this set-up, they are the half-truths about my persona, to which, I confess to the crime and plead guilty.

If you are at all disappointed or downright disgusted, I will perfectly understand your predicament.

I have never really pulled a stunt like this before. I'm not sure you'll love the idea of “shock value,” but I hope you do not feel betrayed. It's just that I strongly feel that I will betray you even more if I pretended to befriend you first, only to reveal my real intentions later. Or to just come upfront and ask you out on a date is even more brazen. In my limited understanding of my infinitely small world, this is the only way I know how to be discreet about the situation.

This may be too much to ask but spare me this one night and I'll spare you the excuses.


If after the night has gone undone,
you still feel that I've wasted your time,
rest assured I will bother you no longer.


So much for the apologies, care for dinner?

J”

I'm a huge fan of the written (and spoken) word. And J's letter must be the best love letter I've received. Here was a man – the office toughie whom I hardly talk to – revealing not only his soft side but his feelings for me! He got me there.


For a moment, I felt like Gwyneth Paltrow playing Lady Viola , “Have I found my Shakespeare?”


To say that this supposed blind date was the best date of my life is an understatement.
**Photo: Mine. I call this "Meet J." Camp John Hay, Baguio.