SCORE FOR THE REDHEAD!

That's a far more loaded title than it actually is.

The translation of that title is: THE DATE ROCKED!

Rejoice! Hurray! Huzzah! (eeee, there need to be more one word exclamations of joy if I got to "huzzah" after two words)

Here's my assessment of SmartyPants after all the hemming, hawing, worrying, etc.: he is a big old nerd encased in a fantastic shroud of smartass.

and I LIKE it.

We agreed to meet at Sol Cantina in Martini Corner at approximately 5:30-5:45. I thought I would get there early to get a drink started to help me not just stare at him awkwardly in case he intended to do the same to me.

I'm never early to anything, but I was pulling in the parking lot at 5:20 when I get a text that says "So...."

And I reply "So...what?" thinking, oh my lord Jesus, he is going to stand me up after I explicitly earlier in the day said not to do that.

"I'm here," he says.

Dammit, how does this guy keep one upping me even when he's not trying!? He clearly had the same idea as me about getting his drink started before I arrived.

"I'm in the parking lot...where are you sitting?"

"On the patio - you said you wanted to be outside. I'll be the one that looks like me."

Moment of truth - is he as cute in person as he is in pictures? Becuase, honesty, via pictures he's maybe too cute for me. Now, after some facebook stalking, he was also not always as cute as he appears to be now, which helped push along my belief that he was more nerd than douchebag.

YES! He's cute! Shorter than I thought but still taller than me by half a foot so I'm going to get my ridiculous need for dudes much taller than me in check and enjoy that a good looking guy is sitting across from me drinking a Corona.

I intended (and told my mother who was babysitting the small person I am responsible for) that I would be home by 7 or 7:30 depending on things went. It was 8:10 whe SmartyPants looked at his phone and said "two and a half hours...not bad!"

The conversation was good stuff. He's perceptive, just enough cocky that I am comfortable calling it confidence with a side of bluster, and he asked very interesting questions. (Note to self: prepare for first dates better with good insightul questions) He also asked an EXCELLENT alternative to the "what are your flaws" question that I like to nail on a first date with "what would your ex-boyfriends say about you"

I smartly responded to this "I don't think they get a say or I'd still be dating them. Each relationship is unique - can't apply what they thought to me as a whole. Now, I can apply why i learned from THEM to future relationships"

Fast-paced, snarky conversation. Almost out-gamed...and I'm usually only out-gamed when I'm really attracted to someone.

And, lest you think I did not bring up the infamous "Grats" text...I did not pass up an opportunity when discussing the more interesting aspects of internet dating to retell the story of how I had reasonably assumed his little "grats" text was gigantic blow-off of epic porportions. He was somewhat dismissive and jokey of it then, but circled back around to it later in the conversation when we were talking about flaws to say he gets busy and can be flaky with texts, but that it rarely means anything more than he's busy. On THAT particular night he was going in to work at a late hour.

Uh huh. I'm glad you were bothered by this, SmartyPants, don't do it again.

My other favorite part of the conversations:

"So, I'm just going to ask this, becuase, well, you post your every move on facebook and you seem to have a healthy social life...where is your little guy then?"

I appreciate he thinks I'm more social than I probably am, BUT, I give him a big old quirk of the eyebrow and say:

"Are you asking me if I'm a good mom? I mean, are you wondering if I party it up all the time and leave my two year old at home with food in a bowl?"

This was the one time he got to do the backstroke a bit - I liked that as well. I calmly explain that there are more people vying for small fry's attention than for MY attention, and that I like happy hours and late outings becuase they protect my time with my kiddo so I'm always around near bedtime when I can be.

That he cared that I was a good mom meant a little something. He has three nieces ages 2, 4 and 6 - who were just in town last weekend. He's clearly crazy about them so my small person doesn't appear to have him running for the hills despite being 26, never married a with no children. I'm finding people with nieces and nephews GET the kid thing more even if they don't have kids of their own...at least in theory. 24-7 small children is different than weekend visits.

Date conclusion: we walk out of Sol and I can see we're both trying to plan our next move. There's uncertainty becuase we're both smartasses more inclined to crack a joke or be sarcastic than get serious (although, when I asked if anyone ever got PAST his smoke and mirrors, he replied "quicker than you think...you'll probably find me utterly uninteresting") So we turned to one another, as I'm parked in a different lot than him.

"Well, I'm going to at least require a hug," he says after a second's hesitation. So, we huge and pull back and are pretty close together still.

"I think I might require more. Can I kiss you?" I say. This is the three beers talking.

He grins and says "I didn't want to presume..."

This solidifies the non-dick/player assessment. A player would have just gone for it. Here he is being just a little shy, just a little defenses down...and I'm MELTING.

Kiss assessment: MOST excellent. Soft,but intense. Promise of more.

And I pull away with a big ass goofy grin on my dumb face and say "oh, yes, we're DEFINITELY going to have to do this again."

He's grinning to but feigns affront "NOW? You've made that decision just NOW after THAT?"

We had talked about wanting to do a second date earlier, but, dear friends, it's in his kiss. And you know it.

I'm backing away though, laughing. "Yup. It's official now." I give a little wave and turn around to head to my car.

I drive home talking to my best friend who is in some grueling army training in Arizona and trying to have a serious conversation with me about being the godmother to his unborn child but I'm so hyped up on good-date juju that is finally says "what are you glowing all over about?"

I get home, hug my kid, give my mom the skinny and then get a text:

"Okay so I have to know the answer..."

"To...?" I ask

"Why you wanted me to kiss my prior to actually meeting me?" (crap, in the heat of the moment, I'd admitted that i wanted to do this and said "is that weird?" to which he nodded and I said "okay nevermind" and just kept kissing him.)

"I'm not stroking your ego," I say upon third edit of this text.

"No, I'm dead serious. I really want to know."

Well, hell.

"Let's just say I'm glad your live personality matched your text personality...which I liked"

There, that was diplomatic, right?

"Well, I have to say I really enjoyed it but that kiss kinda left my gaga ;)"

and this is where say "SCORE FOR THE REDHEAD!" I'm taking that one to the bank, folks. And a winky face to boot. A smart sassy girl would have said something really smart and sassy here,but I just say:

"we should do more of that"

when in doubt, appeal to the possibility of more kissing.

"no, realy....just left me in wow."

Keep it coming, buddy. It's working. BUT, since I can't leave it alone completely:

"Well, that kiss pushed us way over on the good side of the spectrum. Grats"

See what I did there? With the grats?

"Lol, well I like being there...and way to totally push all the right buttons"

DUDE. I like the smartass, but I am HOT for the smartass that also throws compliments around like this. For some reason, I believe the more in relation to being generally a snarkfest. Don't try to understand my logic; just know that it IS.

But I suck a taking compliments so I just say "I do what I can"

"So decent first date?" he asks.

"Eh...I think we did alright. You?"

"I can't remember a better one"

And to him I say, and to you I say "now those are words to fall asleep with in mind"

To Be Continued...