I close my eyes and giggle to myself as I let out a long breath.
No. Obviously, I didn’t. You’re my first match. I just saw the text and responded. Give me a second to go check you out.
I touch the buttons on my screen, not sure where to go to see more about this David guy. A few options in, I see a section titledYour Matches, so I click there, and David's profile pops up. I learn he is twenty-eight and works downtown, which is nice. He lives in Greenwich Village, so he’s not far from me. He has a master’s degree, grew up in Montana, and wants kids someday.
I nod my head, thinking,Yeah, he could be my type.
Montana is interesting. Since I grew up here, all I know is the city. And a master’s degree is impressive—good to know he has his shit together. Already seeing he wants kids is a plus, so I figure,Why not?
I close that section of the app and go back to my messages.
Look at you, all fancy with your master’s degree.
I tease him to see how he’ll take it.
It was only two semesters more of college, so not that fancy.
I like his humble response.
Where did you go?
For undergrad? University of Montana.
Then what brought you here? Work?
Kind of. I got my master’s degree at Columbia and liked it so much that I stayed.
You went to Columbia?
Yeah. Why does that sound like it surprises you?
I just don’t know many people who went there. Kind of prestigious.
You mean expensive.
I laugh out loud.
Yeah, that too.
That’s why I only spent two semesters there. It paid off. I love my job.
That’s good to know. Where do you work?
I hit Send, and the app sends me a warning.
This message did not send. Personal questions about work or specific information about your location are not permitted for safety reasons.
Well then, I tried to ask a question about your job, and the app virtually slapped my hand, saying I couldn’t do that.
Yeah. I was told it would do that for both safety reasons and to force people to get to know each other and not just hook up.
Interesting. Let’s turn the tables then. Tell me about yourself.
I watch as the dots appear, then disappear a few times, making me smile until he finally responds.
Now I see what you mean. That’s harder than I thought.
See! It’s not so easy.
