My first date

I came to the US on a student visa in 1989, I was 18 then. I don’t know what I was thinking but I had a completely wrong picture of life in the US. May it was the movies I saw or the tales I heard from friends but I was under the impression that everyone here is rich and boys have a different girlfriend every week and life is one big party. Needless to say my myth was shattered in no time, my education and boarding expenses were taken care of by my parents but I had little to spend. I was also shocked on learning that the legal drinking age is 21, eventually I did find ways around it but that is a story for some other time.

The culture shock and home-sickness was a bit too much to handle and I had a hard time approaching the species from the opposite sex. My first year went without a date, friends from back home kept asking for pictures of my girlfriend(s) and I was too much of a man to tell the truth so I would make up one lie or another and buy time. At the end of the first year I returned home for a visit and I knew I could not go home without a picture. Fortunately we had a class mixer at the end of the year and I managed to have my picture taken with two white women. On my way home I guarded those pictures more than my luggage and showed them to all my friends.

I felt a lot more comfortable in my second year, as a foreign student I was not allowed to work outside but I did manage to get a job on campus. I worked at a medical library, 15 hours a week with a pay of $4.75 an hour. My calculation showed that I will get $71.25 but I forgot to factor in the inevitable – Taxes, with tax deductions my weekly pay was a measly $56.90.

During my second year I met Seema (name changed), she was a foreign student like me her parents were settled in the UK. We met a couple of times at mutual friend’s party and one day she informed me that she loves the name Raj and a week later our paths crossed and she waived to me and said “Hi Raj”. I jumped on the opportunity and asked her out and we were all set on our first date.

Even though I was making millions (sarcasm intended), I was strapped for cash and she was from a wealthy family so for her money was no object. I was too proud to admit my financial shortcoming and decided to show her a grand time. The first thing I did was to buy a pair of new shoes – what was I thinking??? They cost me $40 and for that date I had a total of $56 to spare. I was and still am (please don’t confirm this with my wife) a romantic, I thought it would be nice to buy roses for her. I could have bought one or two roses at a grocery store but no I had to go and buy a dozen roses from a flower shop – another $25 gone.

We had decided to go for a movie first then have coffee and then a walk by the lake which was about a mile away from our dorm. I walked a mile in my new shoes to the lake and hid the roses behind the bushes and walked back. The new shoes were stiff and hurting my toes and by the time I got back I was actually bleeding. My friend joked “Man, you need to stop right now – you haven’t even been on this date and this woman is making you bleed”.

We watched the movie and I was hoping to go to Dunkin Donuts for some cheap coffee but she had a fancy café on her mind, we drank expensive coffee and she was hungry so she decided to order fancy pastries. The bill came and that had to be the most embarrassing moment of my life, I had $13 left over and the bill came to $20. I swallowed my pride and asked her for a loan, the hurt ego and the bleeding toe had just about finished me but I was not ready to give up.

She was understanding though and said “You paid for the movie tickets so let me pay for coffee, I believe in sharing equally” (Thank god she did). We walked (I limped) to the lake but I salvaged the night by presenting her the roses. I tried that routine at the spur of the moment but got such a good reception that I repeated it several times in the future.

At the lake I told her that I really had to go pee, she gave me a disgusted look, I told her that nearest restroom is too far and so I would just go behind the bushes. She was totally grossed out, before she could object I left and returned with a bouquet of roses. I became the most romantic guy (in her eyes) and all her friends found out about my trick.

We did not marry each other, but we always had a good laugh about the first date.

 

Happywoman : Thanks
Yeah the teen and post teen years were interesting, then I got married ....lol

 

Thanks
Now its cute, back then it was torture

 

Nandhu : Thanks, yes the toe got better but the heart was all wounded later on

 

Kamla
Thanks
I had to leave the country to get away from sisters and try and find a bhabhi for them

I guess its all a learning experience and I learned my lesson.