Monday, June 17th
Today felt like such an important day. I spent nearly the whole afternoon pacing my flat, shuffling between outfits and trying to decide what looked both elegant and effortless. In the end, I settled on my favorite navy dressclassic, not too flashy but definitely flattering. Blind dates always make me anxious, but for some reason, I felt even more hopeful this time. Maybe it’s because I’m twenty-seven now, and most encounters have felt either fleeting or just awkward. Sometimes the men I met were much older, sometimes younger by a decade and never really interested in much more than an evening out. It’s funnyI feel ready for something serious, ready to settle down and maybe even start thinking about marriage.
The café was nearly empty when I arrived; it made spotting him much easier. Broad shoulders, sandy blond haira man sitting alone by the window. His name was Edward. Wed met online, exchanged a few messages, but the photos he posted were a bit blurry. When I finally sat down opposite him, I was pleasantly surprised. He had that gentle smile, the kind that puts you at ease.
He grinned a lot, spoke openly about himself, but seemed far more interested in asking questions about me. He told me how much he admired my seriousness, and, it turned out, he was also twenty-seventhinking of settling down, building a family just like me.
After a short pause, Edward leaned forward with a kind of nervous energy. There’s something I need to tell you, he said, almost jokingly. A dreadful secret? I teased, playing along with the mood.
He shook his head, sighing. Its nothing youd notice straight away, but… my fathers South Korean. My mums English, so my sister and I are true Brits in every way. But genetics are unpredictable. If we started a family, theres a chance our child might look more Asian, and people have a tendency to judge. Not me, but you.
I laughed, feeling oddly excited by his honesty. Does it really matter what other people say? I replied, bubbly and upbeat. I genuinely liked his openness. In fact, I secretly wondered how Mum would react if I showed up with a baby whose features looked more East Asian. Itd be a surprise, thats for sure!
Edward looked relieved and squeezed my hand gently. Have you ever told someone this before? Did any girls reject you at once? I asked, still laughing.
Not yet, he admitted, smiling shyly. Youre actually the first one Ive ever told. To be honest, Ive never liked anyone so much, this quicklynot on a first date.”
