OUR FIRST MOVIE DATE

OUR FIRST MOVIE DATE          

         Dating involves both preparation and expectation. We all primp and try to make ourselves attractive. If that means showering and changing our attire we do it. We usually opt to wear clothing that is not too provocative or risqué. We expect the same from our date.          

         Our behaviour during the date is not as easily controlled; anything can happen. Will our partner want to snuggle, hold hands, make out? What will we talk about?          

         My first movie date with the young man who had stalked me for weeks was fraught with these worries. We were planning to be alone together, sitting in close proximity, in a darkened theatre with strangers. What did he expect? What did I expect?          

          My future husband floored me with the following comment as the theatre lights were dimming. "Just so you know; I like to watch the whole movie." HUH? What was that supposed to mean? Did he think I was going to ravage him before the opening credits? Was he worried that I'd attempt to engage him in a meaningful conversation and distract him from the on-screen action? Obviously, I did not have to endure that super-nonchalant fake yawn and stretch that too many boys pull in order to casually drape their arm across my shoulders. It seemed that hand-holding was also out of the question. Groping and necking were a very remote possibility.          

         To be fair, my date was a very busy competitive figure skater with scant free time. He was trying to combine a getting-to -know-you session with a rare chance to enjoy a movie. I soon learned first hand why he'd warned me.          

          He couldn't even consider grasping my hand in his because both of his hands were gripping the arm rests. He didn't just like to watch a movie, he lived and breathed it! When the hero was surprised, my brave date was startled and jumped. When the hero was panting and gasping for air in a life or death struggle, my seatmate was hyper-ventilating. When the hero of the movie was approaching danger, my date was tense and unblinking, holding his breath. If the hero was struck, his fan coiled next to me, flinched. His entire movie-viewing experience was very intense. He couldn't possibly fall asleep or snore; he'd miss something, anything. I received double the action that first movie date.          

          Time has not mellowed my husband's movie involvement. He still devotes his entire and considered energy/attention to everything. The house could conceivably burn down around him, the roof could collapse, the armchair he's sitting in could begin to float, but as long as the movie continued to play, he'd be mesmerized. ( 447 words) ( Inspired by a Writer's Cramp prompt)