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.
この記事は Pick Me Up Special ! の January 2020 版に掲載されています。
7 日間の Magzter GOLD 無料トライアルを開始して、何千もの厳選されたプレミアム ストーリー、9,000 以上の雑誌や新聞にアクセスしてください。
すでに購読者です ? サインイン
この記事は Pick Me Up Special ! の January 2020 版に掲載されています。
7 日間の Magzter GOLD 無料トライアルを開始して、何千もの厳選されたプレミアム ストーリー、9,000 以上の雑誌や新聞にアクセスしてください。
すでに購読者です? サインイン
What's On Your Mind? - Losing A Pet
We’ve recently found out our dog has only got a few months left to live. I’m heartbroken and don’t know how to tell our children. What should I do?
UP IN FLAMES
Kirsty Cullum, 35, from Basingstoke, loved to perform, but one act went horribly wrong…
G-REX FACTOR
Gemma Whitton-Dews, 43, from Oxfordshire, didn’t let her humour go extinct in lockdown…
SPIDER CAT
Lucy Wilson, 26, from Exeter, didn’t expect her kitten to become feline famous online!
FAKEAWAY
When McDonald’s shut, Donna Ganson, 33, from Edinburgh, had to get creative...
HOLDING OUT FOR A HERO
Jo Withers, 43, from Walsall, is so grateful to the stranger who saved her son’s life…
POWER PUPPY
Her dog may be smaller than average, but Shelby Mayo, 20, knows he’s not short on love!
NIGHT TERROR
Pregnant Jemma Llewellyn, 23, from Basildon, was sound asleep when a predator pounced…
Chasing RAINBOWS
Clare Davies, 42, from Manchester, tried again and again to have a baby. Now, she is so grateful that they never gave up...
After just ONE DATE!
On the spur of the moment, Amy Mappes, 31, had an important question to answer