James had always been eyeing me at work, and for weeks and months, it continued; he never stopped admiring my work, even from afar. We worked in the same company but in different offices. He worked in the media department while I worked as an assistant to the director. Many times, I caught him stealing a glance at me, and other times, hesitating as if he wanted to say something but never did.
I got the shock of my life and a surprise too when he finally took the courage to speak to me. It was at the mini party hosted by the director, who was celebrating his 50th birthday and only wanted to celebrate with his workers, so everyone at the office was invited. As the music was played in the background and colleagues laughed over drinks, suddenly there was silence, and everywhere was coordinated.
As I turned back to see what was happening, I saw James making his move. He knelt down and asked me out, the entire room erupted in applause. I was speechless for a few seconds, and I tried saying some words but was stuttering, "Wh..att?" It was like they had been waiting for this moment longer than I had. I wondered if he had planned this dramatic moment or if the crowd applause had pushed him forward. I saw the courage in him, and for the first time, my perspective about him changed. Either way, I said yes. Everyone shouted again and the party ended.
He picked a place called "Blue Duck" for a date. That was my first date and there was no way I'd be letting that slide, no way. I looked the place up, it was a very beautiful place, quiet and just the kind of place I liked.
On the day of the date, I arrived early, excited and also composed. I waited till thirty minutes had passed, no show, then an hour, I kept checking my phone; there were no missed calls, not even messages. I felt the anxiety in me and began to think of different things. A waiter noticed my restless glances and walked up to me. "Hello, miss, you're waiting for someone?"
"Yes, my date," I said, trying to keep my frustration out of my voice.
"Have you checked Black Duck, perhaps he's there?" the waiter asked.
I frowned. "Black Duck?"
"Yes, it's just a few streets away. Some people mix them up."
I couldn't wait any longer as I grabbed my purse and took a cab instead of walking, hoping James was there.
Meanwhile, at Black Duck, James was also confused and restless. He had been sitting alone, glancing at the entrance every few minutes. He'd checked his phone but no calls or messages. The restaurant wasn't what he'd expected- it was darker, louder and smelled heavily of fried food. Then, he stood up and walked towards a waiter to ask if there was a reservation under my name, the man shook his head.
"This is Black Duck, sir," the waiter told him. "Maybe she's at Blue Duck?"
Panic was all over James' face. He grabbed his phone and was about to make a call, the waiter continued, "It's just a short walk from here."
He became relieved and he hurried out and made his way to Blue Duck.
Unfortunately, as he arrived there, I was already gone.
The waiter at Blue Duck informed him I'd left to look for him. With an exasperated sigh, he turned around and ran back to Black Duck.
That was where we finally met but the restaurant was already closed.
We both stared at the locked doors, then at each other and then finally let out some laughter over what'd happened so far. We both shared our experiences while holding each other's hand. James let out a defeated chuckle. "So, let's just say we spent the whole night chasing ducks?" Another laughter erupted.
We tried looking for another spot, but it was already late. Places we saw weren't our taste, either they were closed or too crowded. Frustrated, we gave up.
At the end of the day, no fancy dinner, no quiet or romantic evening as we'd planned and expected, only exhaustion and an unfortunate mix-up.
We turned back, ordered a cab and went home. Our first date got ruined even before it began.
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