A DATE TO REMEMBER

Emma Sealy, 27, from Bristol, never imagined meeting a new bloke would land her in the hospital…

Reading the text on my phone, I felt my heart start to race.

‘So, what d’you reckon? Can I take you out on a date?’ the message read.

A guy called Luke*, 27, had messaged me out of the blue on Facebook three weeks earlier and we’d been chatting ever since.

I had five kids aged 11 to three – Connor-Jay, 11, Harvey, nine, Alfie, seven, Layla, four, and Mollie, three – and hadn’t been dating much since splitting up with their dad.

What’s the worst that can happen? I thought to myself.

‘I’d love to!’ I replied to him.

We arranged for him to come and pick me up the next day and thought we’d then decide what to do for the evening.

I took my time getting dressed, applying a layer of mascara and a dab of lip gloss so I looked first date ready.

I tried to shake off the nerves, but I had butterflies swirling in my stomach as I opened the door and ran out to his silver BMW convertible waiting for me outside my house in Easton, Bristol.

‘Hi,’ I said shyly as I jumped into the car.

‘Nice to finally meet you,’ Luke said with a grin.

‘You too… nice car,’ I stammered back.

I desperately wanted to break the ice, but I needn’t have worried.

If chatting to Luke on Facebook had been nice, it was nothing compared to how easily the conversation flowed in person.

The only annoyance was how fast he drove in his swanky car.

Maybe he’s just another boy racer, I thought to myself, silently wishing he’d slow down.

We zoomed across the dual carriageway as we debated which restaurant we should go to for dinner.

‘Could play it safe with a Nandos…’ he suggested teasingly.

‘I don’t mind, just please don’t kill me first!’ I joked, my hands clutching my seat belt.