He Was Perfect Except He Owned A Jurassic Park Car
I was on a hot streak of bad dates when I met Michael. I showed up to the wine bar with low expectations and a blasé stance on the whole “meeting men on dating apps” idea. But to my surprise, I liked Michael immediately. He was roguishly handsome, with light brown hair, a boyish smile, and a David Duchovny vibe. He had a warmth and a lightness of touch, rare qualities among today’s batch of tedious and clueless men.
Our conversation was effortless. Michael listened to me and asked me genuine follow-up questions like, “What did you love so much about Portugal?” and “That hot yoga sounds so difficult. How did you manage to survive?” Even his teasing was right in the Goldilocks zone: not excessive like some cheesy pick-up artist or nonexistent like a sad boy with zero masculine confidence.
As I soon learned, Michael was successful, but he wasn’t a workaholic. He owned a lifestyle software company that made apps for wellness companies. He mountain biked for fun and was in great shape. He wanted to start a family. This guy was an endangered species: a happy, well-adjusted man with no discernible red flags. I pictured what our kids would look like, and they were gorgeous.
I rely on public transit and Lyft, and I knew nothing of Michael’s mode of transportation until he picked me up for our second date.
