The narrative centers on a young African American man named Max Knight who relocates to San Francisco with aspirations of pursuing a career in journalism. However, his circumstances take an unforeseen turn when he encounters his new cohabitant, Kati...
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Five days before Thanksgiving, I met with my sister Charlie and her girlfriend for coffee. Charlie had met her girlfriend, who is Latino and not fluent in English, on a dating app. As we sipped our coffee, we discussed who would join us for Thanksgiving at my place and made a list of family members who could travel to San Francisco and contribute to the Thanksgiving meal. As we chatted, Charlie's girlfriend mentioned that she had to leave early for a class and bid us farewell. Before leaving, she affectionately kissed Charlie and expressed her love for her.
"I love you too.", Charlie said back to her.
I took a sip of my coffee. "She seems cool. I can see why you're into her." I said. "How long have you two been together?"
Charlie told me, "It's been a while, but we first connected on Hinge on Christmas Eve and were texting non-stop. We hit it off." Then Charlie asked me, "Have you ever considered dating someone on Hinge or other apps, bro?"
"You know me. I'm not really into dating apps. I believe that people should meet face to face instead of swiping on their phones, and I don't think real love can be found on apps like Hinge," I said.
Charlie tilted her head in disappointment. "Seriously, Max. When did you last go on a date with an amazing woman? And don't count that girl from college. We all know it was just a fling - That's what I thought." She then took some money from her wallet and placed it on the check.
"Just wait a minute. That was just a fling. Why didn't anyone tell me this earlier?" I was shocked when Charlie dropped that bombshell on me. "But I like Harper. Are you messing with me, Charlie?"
Charlie gets up. "Dude, have I ever lied to you, even once?" She gives me a peck on the cheek. "I'll catch you on Thanksgiving. Later!"
Later in the afternoon, I attempted to prepare a Thanksgiving meal by following a detailed step-by-step recipe. However, the recipe was overwhelming, comprising around nine thousand words with tiny prints. Feeling discouraged, I improvised while cooking, combining ingredients with no specific plan. Once everything was combined, I placed the mixture into the oven and set the forty-five-minute timer. While waiting, I relaxed on the couch and read my business email. However, I quickly grew bored of the monotonous emails and decided to browse the app store for dating apps catered to singles. After exploring various options, I ultimately downloaded EHarmony without any second thoughts.
Once the download was completed, I eagerly created my profile, carefully selecting a few pictures of myself taken over the past three years. I included some snapshots of my beloved Shiba Inu, Gidget, named after the childhood nickname I used to call my long-lost childhood friend affectionately. As I awaited a potential match, I couldn't help but feel disheartened as none of the women I was interested in seemed to reciprocate. Just as my hope was waning, a sudden notification from the app jolted me, and I hurriedly picked up my phone to find that I had finally received a match with a girl. When I gazed at the profile of Baby, the girl I had finally matched with, my heart skipped a beat.
