When it comes to dating, I am by my own admission a cynic. Bad first dates and my overall contempt for most men have afforded me that title. Whenever a man staggers over drunk and high off of "liquid courage", I have only seconds to deflect his efforts. I've used the line " I have a boyfriend", but this only encourages them. They'll say something like "well he's not here tonight, so maybe it's time to find a new man". I've also used the "I'm only in town for one night, and have to fly back to (insert state here) tomorrow"..line. Again this does no good because they'll just say "well let me give you a night to remember".

Oh don't worry, you have. Being subjected to the sweat running down your face, your hot breath on my neck and your awkward pick up lines, is something I won't soon forget. After countless weekends of this "cat and mouse" game, a girl loses hope and resigns herself to becoming jaded. Since I don't like to admit defeat, I decided that if I want to meet a nice quality man, that I have to remain open to that idea. I decided to change my cynical ways, and try being a little more open.

So a few weekends ago I went to my old stomping grounds (Mcgillycuddy's), ordered myself an MGD, and waited for it all to begin. After sitting there alone for thirty minutes, my girlfriend shows up, and we spend the next hour laughing, drinking and sizing up the competition. I thought to myself that this was the first night in a while that all seems to go well. Then he appeared.

He was very unassuming. Casually dressed, seemingly sane and by all accounts a gentlemen. He stood about 6'1 sandy blonde hair and green eyes. Very cute.  He had offered decent conversation and wasn't "grabby" with his hands. I was impressed. Maybe my luck was starting to change. I looked over at my friend, and she gives me the thumbs up. Alright.

At bar close he asked me for my number. I, still in my cynical ways was a bit hesitant, but decided to take that all important leap into possibility. He called me a couple days later, and asked me out to dinner. I was actually excited. He told me the night before that he worked for an accounting firm, so I knew he would be intelligent. No worries there. Dread was replaced by school girl giddiness.

He picked me up at seven, and we headed for Sabor (a fantastic brazilian steakhouse). Dinner was great and conversation flowed with each glass of red wine. After paying our bill, we decided that we enjoyed each other's company enough to continue the night. We headed to Bar Louie and settled in at the bar. We flirted and talked about nothing and everything. I noticed that he kept checking his phone, and I figured it was just one of his buddies trying to get the scoop on how his date was going.

After text message number four, he nervously looks up at me and says that "he was sorry for the interruption". "Don't worry about it" I said, "I have crazy friends too". He gives me a gorgeous smile, and our almost perfect night goes on. A short time later we noticed a group of people walking in. Among them was a woman who seemed to enter with a purpose. He catches sight of her and under his breath says "oh sh*t". Before I could ask what was wrong the woman had spotted us and was moving in at high speed.

She reaches us and says to my date "what the fu*k is this, no wonder you couldn't answer your phone". He looks up at her like a deer caught in the headlights. She was seething, like she wanted to rip his heart out and serve it as a bloody mary garnish. He says to her "oh hey, well I didn't know that you texted me". "Oh really", she says pulling on his arm. I don't know what to do at this point, so I decide to go along for the ride, saying nothing. It was clear who this woman was, I just wanted to hear it from him.

After ten minutes of her giving me and him the evil eye, he finally confesses that she was his girlfriend. My almost perfect night was over. He tries to apologize all while being pulled out the front door by this very angry woman. Another jerk whom I've wasted time and energy on. I could feel my cynical side struggling to come out. As I sat there sipping my drink and waiting for my cab I couldn't help but think....at least he paid for dinner.