On "Dinner Date" by Abigail Wheetley (3040 words) ****

Here's a straightforward tale about a blind date gone bad. The obvious connection here is to how we can make bad decisions or have things happen to us that we never would have expected and how it is we cope. I suppose I've been a few dates with others' kids around; it does make for an interesting, if sometimes uncomfortable, dynamic. A gal last week was telling me about some truly horrendous dates she's had, one of which I'd have to say might well be the worst I've ever heard of. I said I'd never had a bad date, and she said something about it being obvious because I was so charming. I think, however, that maybe it's a combination of both happenstance (I've yet to go out with a truly horrible woman) and a willingness to give the other person the benefit of my doubts, to simply accept what is and who I'm with. A date like the one described here would not have gotten high marks, but it is what it is, you know? We all struggle in our own ways. Read the tale here at Flywheel.