Boy meets girl: Oh my broken heart

Jul 10 2008 Playing the dating game with Ed Saunt and Vicki Eltis, Staines News

Ed's Date:

I learnt a lesson this week. We've all heard the phrase "Don't judge a book by it's cover." Well, ahead of my date with my sister's friend Alex, I made the judgement before I'd even gone into the bookshop.

In fact, my prediction of how the evening would go was so premature it's almost worth fashioning a metaphor about judging novels before they're even published. But I won't.

I wrote three weeks ago about how I trusted my brother more than my sister to come up with a top-notch date and how he had justified the faith I had in him.

My sister, however, was bound to fail. I thought she would fail because she is older, more likely to choose who she thinks would be right for me and also has some rough friends.

And unfortunately, with Alex, in a way she did fail. It wasn't that Alex was boring, because she wasn't. It wasn't that she was ugly, because she wasn't. It wasn't that she was too old, because she wasn't.

We went out for a lovely Thai dinner followed by cocktails, she was fantastic company and decent looking to boot. So, I hear you ask, how did my sister fail?

Actually, it wasn't her fault. She was destined to fail because, even if she had sent me out with Kate Moss, my preconceptions of what my date was going to be like were so negative I might as well have been sharing cocktails with Stirling Moss.

Even when, after a few drinks with Alex, I began to drop my guard and enjoy myself a reflex somewhere inside me kicked into action. I wasn't prepared for this to go well and my mind was determined to make sure it didn't.

So, what exactly was the lesson I learnt? Do judge a book by its cover. At least if you do, you'll have had half a chance to size up whether it's worth reading.

Vicki's date

After the date my brother set up for me I don't think I will meet anyone quite so nice.

Mr T told me he felt awkward meeting up with me again because he is good friends with my brother.

I don't think he should worry so much but what can I do. I feel really disappointed as I thought there wouldn't be any need to write this column any more!

So this week it was my sister's turn to find someone.

My 23-year-old sister was far too busy to sort my lovelife out, though, so I went to ask my 21-year-old sister if she could help.

As we were sitting round her flat she jokingly suggested that she set me up with either Mr A or Mr K, the only single men she knew.

We laughed about it at the time. Mr A is a friend of mine. He is a nice man, very funny, we are such good friends and I have just never seen him as anything more.

Mr K was a friend when I was about 15 years old. But never before would I ever dream of going out on a date with him.

Not that he is ugly but I'd heard a few things that told me he wasn't boyfriend potential.

I had resigned myself to the fact that Ed had now won. His sister had already lined him up a date and I was left dateless!

So how funny is this! Five days later on a work night out I end up in The Noble Vine in Walton and there I bump into a group of my friends, including Mr K.

We caught up with each other as we hadn't seen each other for ages.

Mr K was looking extremely fit and I was flirting outrageously. Most of my work colleagues had gone home and I was, not to put too fine a point on it, drunk!

By the end of the night I ended up kissing Mr K passionately.

Maybe my sister had put an idea in my head after all, even though it was a strange one.

Will I see him again? Probably around, but really there is nothing in it. In fact I think it has made me want Mr T even more!