Dinner with Strangers
I have noticed that as I get older, my dwindling friends and relationships get boring and weird, so when I came across time left, I thought what a novel idea, meet “new” like minded old people with a whole new set of issues and problems that I can relate to, how fun so I did it.
I filled out a personality test, and for a small fee, the algorithm promised to match me with age appropriate, like-minded people to meet for dinner at a restaurant within my price range and preferred zip code.
I headed to the dinner straight after work, but my phone was offline, and my GPS wasn’t working so I had to feel my way to find the uptown restaurant. I couldn’t make or receive calls or texts which was off putting especially as I was anticipating this event. My last message from the app was to join table 1 at 7:00, so the hostess showed my table where I joined 4 other people. Two young women and two older men about my age. It was fine, we played a game to break the ice and it was a nice evening. It didn’t seem like I had much in common with them, but I played along. It also turned out the two women were actually already friends. They met on bumble bff and when they signed up the app put them at the same table. Funny how we all meet and engage through an app now.
After dinner, a Pakistani guy came over from the other table and invited us to join them for drinks at a nearby bar. I was done, but one of the girls joined them, and we all shared contacts before leaving.
Later, when I got my phone back online, I had two voicemails from the app informing me there was a glitch in their system and that I was supposed to go to table 2 instead of 1. I had a great time with nice people but what would have happened if I sat at the table they wanted me to sit at? Would it have made a difference? Maybe not…
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