Zone Sports Lounge in Boca Raton where Corvaya attended Pre-Dating Speed Dating in November 2016. Photo provided by Zone Sports Lounge.

Then a bell rang. Shit. We were all directed to a numbered location in the venue. My seat was more of a lounge chair in the corner. On the table in front of me were cards with questions like “Who is one person, dead or alive, that you’d want to trade lives with and why?”

There was also a paper with boxes for me to fill in. I had to write down names, badge numbers and notes during the dates. Yes, notes. As if I were visiting colleges and writing down what I liked and didn’t like about each.

Okay, I can do this.  

As luck would have it, someone was running late and I was the odd woman out. I had no idea, but this was just what I needed. For six minutes, I watched as 15 other couples “dated” through a Round One. In that same six minutes, I got my juice back. That confidence I lost when I damn near died in the parking lot.

The first thing I noticed? The men, obvi.

Some dressed casual, some a little more fancy. There were black guys, white guys, Spanish guys and even an Indian guy. Their only commonality seemed to be their height — or lack thereof. Wish I hadn’t worn heels.  

Round Two: I didn’t know what to expect. My first date, an accountant so we’ll call him Numbers, wouldn’t dare look me in my eyes, and he kept adjusting himself in his seat. He told me he had just moved to South Florida and took up ballroom dancing — something he’s never done before — to meet people. BALLROOM DANCING?C’mon, Numbers. What happened to meetup.com?  

I’m surviving.  

Then Publix comes through. We’ll call him Publix because that’s where he works. He sat in front of me but with his body turned away. He smiled but didn’t look at me. He spoke but his words were jumpy.

So, there I am, being me. You know, like a silver lining kind of girl. Like can’t you see the beauty in the flames? Like, yeah, sure, this is weird but it’s not so bad. So I touched his knee. “Hey, Publix, are you nervous? You can face me, ya know.” I led the conversation. My goal was to make him comfortable because shit is already awkward, and there’s no need for the both of us to be nervous.

Good deed for the night: Check.  

After date three of 19, I realized a few things:

One, I didn’t feel comfortable writing while I was talking. It was rude and a little insensitive, so I stopped. Because I stopped, I found myself winging it. Please, Corvaya, don’t forget the name of the guy who just walked away… and his date number.

Two, I had to cut the “there is beauty in everything” crap. In six minutes, anyone can be beautiful. Even the man who was clearly intoxicated, leaning closer and closer to me with every word and foaming at the mouth.

Three, I don’t have to be the one to keep the conversation going or to fill the awkward pauses. I began to gladly put that pressure on my date because, truth is, this was going to be a long two hours and chivalry is not dead.

At date 12, I was socially exhausted and had to pee.

My thirteenth date was a Prison Break binge-watcher, just like me. So that was cool. But was he Netflix & Chill potential? Not a chance.

At date 15, a Jewish man sat down. We’ll call him Psych because of his PhD in the subject. A degree he earned from a small school in LA, a school situated on the same street where I once lived. We vibed. The conversation was good, enjoyable even.

And the conclusion we both came to? Six minutes is just not enough for anything more than awkward.

Curious about speed dating? Wonder no more.

Here are upcoming events in South Florida. Oh, and do something I didn’t do: try it with a friend. Just be sure to share this story so they’ll know what’s up.

What: Pre-Dating Speed Dating for single professionals 26-29 years old