It's two weeks before Valentine now and I stare desolately at the calendar in front of me - the date staring at me, almost mockingly - February 14. I have no plans, no date and, even worse, everyone I know is going out somewhere. My friend calls me and adds to my misery: "So, have you got a date yet?"
I can almost see her smirk.
Not one to give up hope easily, I turn to my best friend -- M&M. No, not the chocolate, but my
friend in times of need -- my machine and modem.
Where do I need to go first? I search for some good match-making sites on the Net and list my profile, making sure I sound friendly and not too desperate.
This is what I post in my profile: "I am a 24 year old who loves meeting people, making friends and partying. I am friendly, have a great sense of humour (or so I have been told) and I would like to meet someone who is into adventure sports, loves having fun, likes dogs (since I own two) and can still be serious when needed. Drop in a line, and let's be friends!"
Once that's done, I wait for a couple of days and, at the end of two days, have already got 16 replies, seven of which I reject immediately. I write back to the rest and, out of the nine, keep in touch with just five, by email. Two of them want to chat with me on the phone, but I am still not that comfortable yet, so I put them off for a while longer.
Finally, I fix up a time to call both Rohit and Leslie, the two guys I have short listed. Both sound nice on the phone, and while Rohit sounds slightly serious, Leslie sounds really cool and fun. So, I fix two different times to meet up with them.
A couple of days before the date, I share my feelings with a few friends I have made on a message board. "What do I do? Do I dress up or dress down? Should I offer to pay the bill or should I let him do the honours?" This is tougher than I thought! But, armed with advice from my soul sisters, I am prepared for the date.
On our first date, I am impressed with Rohit. Not only does he have a good sense of humour, most of the time it's hard to tell who he's making fun of. He also loves dogs and tells me he would like to settle down on a farm with ten of them some day. Leslie is great to be with too. He made me laugh and is great fun to hang around with. We vibe immediately, but somehow the spark is missing. What I still know, however, is that we can be good friends.
Rohit and I keep in touch on the phone and make it a point to send one email to each other daily. Then he pops the question (no, no, not that one!) about Valentine's Day - "Are you doing anything special," he asks. Of course, I'm not, and we agree almost immediately that we can catch a movie, and have a quiet dinner afterwards.
I know already that this could be someone special and spare no effort to make sure he feels the same way too. I pick up some beauty and makeover tips and find that the Net has a lot to offer for girls, including sites that offer everything you
need to get yourself in top shape.
I need to check out a gift for Rohit and since this is the first one I will be giving him, I want it to be special. I browse through a few shopping sites that are offering Valentine's Day specials and I decide on the perfect gift for him. Keeping in mind my budget and his tastes, I have chosen a watch that I know he will appreciate, as I find out it is
his favourite brand.
A few days before our date, I am a little nervous. Somehow, I feel that this date will decide whether or not a serious relationship is in the offing for both of us. I post my thoughts on the message board again and my friends reply immediately with their advice.
Valentine's Day is still a few days off and, to make sure Rohit knows I'm thinking of him, I send him an e-card -- nothing
over the top, since I did not want to scare him with my feelings, but just a simple note saying I'm looking forward
to meeting him.
I start planning on how to make the day special. Since we are both keen on a quiet dinner, I plan to cook up something and pick up a few recipes that are both healthy and tasty. I know Rohit loves chocolate and anything sweet, so I find a great recipe for mousse filled chocolate hearts that will take me a whole day to prepare but, I'm sure, will be worth the effort.
Along the way, I find some wonderful facts that I was never aware of. Did you know, for example, that oysters, truffles, chocolates, strawberries, honey, tomatoes and wine and grapes all have aphrodisiac qualities in them? So make sure you include them when you are trying to cook up something for your sweetheart.
There are just a few more days to go, and I wait impatiently now. Most of my preparations are done. As I finish putting a few last touches to my chocolate hearts, my well meaning friend calls again: "So, what's happening? Do you want to come along with us if you have no plans?"
"Not really, I have something else that has come up," I reply. This time, it's my turn to smile and turn back to my M&M!
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