I'm flipping through channels on a quiet Tuesday evening. "Hi Steve, it's Me! 😀" appears on my phone's text notifications. I open the app. Who the fuck is "Me". I don't want to be rude, but the last time I thought I could deduce who was texting me I said, "Back from your trip already?", and she said "What trip?". I am thinking that I will just stay neutral... chat about weather or something to see if she gives me a clue. But then, how awkward would it be to still not know after like two days... and then have to ask...

"Hi! Who is this?" [sent] Better not to risk it.

"It's me silly. You suggested we move to text a couple of days ago..." [received] Not helpful, a couple of days in the dating apps, is like a week in real time.

"Sorry, I have a short memory 😀 Give me a hint?" [sent] I'm hoping I don't annoy her, but I really need to know who she is.

"From Bumble..." [received] Great, now I have to go into that App and try to figure out who this is. I open Bumble and jump to the conversations tab... I see that she could be one of two. Ugh. I decide I will have to take a risk.

"Play any racquetball 🎾 this weekend?" [sent] Fingers crossed.

"No" [received] Did that mean she did not play, or she did not know what I was talking about?

"I have not done that in a while ☹️" [received] Whew, okay now I know who this is. I edit her name to "Tonya from Bumble", and go back to look at her photos again. Damn, she deleted her account, I just looked at it a minute ago, but I remember her being cute.

"What part of town are you in? I'm downtown" [sent] When I first started, I found myself in a great conversation with a girl who lived in Atlanta. I was thinking about flying up there to meet her, but then thought, how is this going to work? So I tightened up my radius to at least women I could get to... ideally in less than 20 minutes.

"I told you silly... I live on Davis Island 🤷‍♀️" [received] I am wondering if it is unusual to be having multiple conversations going on, I assumed women did also... or are they just that much better at remembering details?

"Cool! I am actually on the next island, Harbour Island" [sent]

"I know, we had this discussion... how many women are you talking to?" [received] Uhoh, this is probably not a good question.

"A few. I see you deleted your Bumble account" [sent] Maybe I can divert the conversation, because if asked specifically, I would have to tell the truth, which means I would have to go and actually count them.

"Yes, I usually only pop on there for a day or two at a time. I met you, and decided to give it a rest." [received] I am wondering how much should I read into that... but it sounds positive.

"I went back to look at your profile again, but it was gone 😦" [sent]

[incoming photo] Ah yes..... I remember her now.

"Oh yes, the cute one 😉. Since we are so close, we should meet for coffee one morning ☕" [sent] I have been down the road of a few long text conversations. Everything can seem great, then you meet, and it's just not there. I hate even thinking that having a nice conversation could end up being a "waste of our time", but the reality is, that it could well be.

"Or drinks 🍸 LOL" [received] First meetings are a critical pivot. Some women like to play it very safe, like coffee with a fixed end time since they have to go to work. I get it. I mean if things are not sparking, it sucks to have committed to a whole evening. "Drinks" is a little more aggressive than coffee, and I read that as a sign of higher interest... or she could just be an alcoholic.

"Great! How about Thursday?" [sent]

"Do you have plans for Friday yet?" [received] I usually avoid have a first meeting (I don't even call those dates) on weekends. Even if I don't have plans, it just feels like more of a commitment than "Drinks on Thursday".

"Nope, no plans. How about Jackson's?" [sent] I am not crazy about Jackson's, but it's close to both of us. Plus, if things are going well, it's easy to roll right into dinner.

"What time?" [received] Let me see. It's a Friday, which means she works, and may not get home before 6, and I am sure she will want time to put herself together. But it's close by.

"How about 7:30?" [sent] That should give her enough time.

"How about 6:30?" [received] Why ask me if you already have a time you want?

"Sounds good! I'll meet you at the outside bar at Jackson's this Friday at 6:30 😀" [sent] I learned to be very clear on the details. I won't tell her, but I will get a dinner reservation for 7:30... just in case.

"Perfect, I'll see you then. And BTW, I am kidfree all weekend 💋" [received] WTF?