Eons ago, before I met my husband, a college friend told me she met her boyfriend on a blind date. I was inspired by her story and thought, maybe I’ll give it a try. I was in my freshman year and eager to meet people, it sounded fun.

So, when out of the blue, I was asked to go on a blind date with a student from one of my classes, I said “Sure.” I had no idea where we were going or what we were going to do, all I was told – “It’s on campus.” Upon his arrival, I learned we were going to an OSU body building competition which invited body builders from several different colleges to compete against each other in fitness and specifically physique. Bodybuilding?

Ooookkkkkkkaaaaaayyyyy. That sounds interesting. And Different.

Now, don’t think for a minute that I am disrespecting this sport – on the contrary – I found it amazing. The dedication these individuals maintained to perfect their shape was impressive considering I spent most of my first years of college studying and hanging out with friends while occasionally drinking beer.

I was excited about the event until we arrived and found our seats – on the front row. I’m talking dead center of the stage in our university auditorium only yards from where each participant stood and did their routine. Those are awesome seats – you say? Yes, if I were with a group of girlfriends or even a guy I knew. No, I was with a complete stranger. A very shy young man who was also very serious.

I knew nothing about the sport at all, so when the first young man strode out onto the stage (yes, stopping so close I could see the sweat beading up on his forehead), I had no idea what to say. The guy was greased up with a gallon of oil and wearing the tiniest shorts ever or perhaps they were a speedo, a shrunken speedo. Then he rolled his shoulders forward, arched his back and…flexed. Oh. My. God. My eyes popped but I said nothing. He posed a couple more times then turned around, back facing us, and stuck his thumbs into his back and…well, all I can say is…there wasn’t an ounce of flab anywhere on the guy.

I was so embarrassed I couldn’t look at my date. I couldn’t speak. What do you say to that? Nice bum? Check out those …? Nah, totally uncomfortable. If I were one of those Sex In the City types of girls, I’d make all sorts of comments. Unfortunately, that’s just not me – nope, my mamma taught me better. I was speechless. In truth, my date was shorter than I and scrawny. What was he thinking when he decided to take a date to such an event?

Wait, though. That’s not all. The third entrant in the competition waltzed out on the stage – okay, waltzed is the wrong word – he padded barefoot onto the stage. The sound of his footfalls pelted through the silent auditorium as everyone watched in awe. Mind you, everyone encompassed less than twenty people that weren’t part of the event. Therefore, it felt like they were all performing directly for us. There was no hiding – it was as if they all thought we were important judges or something.

This particular guy was bigger than the two prior entrants, a bulky tanned man with dark hair, oiled like he came straight out of a bottle of Hawaiian Tropic. At this point, my date and I had spoken less than two sentences between each display, mainly because I had no earthly idea what could be said that wasn’t just plain stupid, nor could I joke about things because I barely knew the guy. So, I sat silently waiting for the third entrant to get in prime position to show us his best self. I pretended to look anywhere but at the stage. I think I remember noticing the sconces on the wall, and the speaker system which had never been of interest until that night.

I finally returned my gaze to the stage where on accident, I met the competitor’s eyes and he stopped for a second, caught off-guard. Not at my beauty or anything so ridiculous – nope, this guy sat next to me in speech class on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays! Could it get any more awkward? How would I possible go to class again without this implanted on my sensitive young female brain? Did I mention I’m one of three daughters so never really looked at guys this much in my entire life until that point? My face flushed like it had been rubbed in habanero sauce. I attempted a weak smile then looked away.

Oddly, he wasn’t embarrassed at all. Nope, he delved right into his routine and flexed with gusto.

Um, yeah, that was nice.

Needless to say, we left the event half-way through, not even waiting for the women’s competition.

I never went on another blind date ever. Later, I learned my date was a little embarrassed too – which explained why he never called for a second date.

Oh, the best news? My classmate won first place in the competition.

Do you have a blind date story you’d like to share?

I’ll tell you how I met my husband in a future post. It was kind of funny too.

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