The Blind Date

Chapter 2 - A New Beginning

1st March 2019, 7:39pm - Ivan's home

It's now the evening of the following day and it has been an entire 24 hours since the reception and the ceremony. Charlie and an anxious Ivan are sat inside Charlie's home as Ivan eagerly awaits for his son to get everything set up.

"Got the alcohol out of your system yet? I don't want your drunk self helping me with this as they'll think I'm a nutcase" Alan sharply said.

"Don't worry. I'm not as inebriated as last night - but that was a night to remember. You have to agree with me there" Charlie replied, trying to justify his actions.

"Good. Now what do we do? If I'm talking to robots, then I'm out."

Ivan slumped his hungover self on his tattered armchair and waited for his son to set up his profile. Despite giving his son permission, he was still dubious about finding a new partner.

"Name: Ivan Metcalfe. Age: 64-" Charlie said aloud as he typed in his father's information.

"Not 64! Say I'm 24 instead" Ivan shouted out.

"Dad," Charlie laughed. "You have to take a photo of yourself, and with the grey streaks in your hair, you couldn't even pass as a 30 year old at this point!"

Alan angrily muttered under his breath and crossed his arms.

"Occupation: Funeral director"

"Don't put that! Who do you want me to hook up with? Necrophilies? Say I'm a model - or a retired model - or better yet, a millionaire!"

Ivan finally got to the idea of this app and was as ecstatic as Charlie as he helped implement his information - even if it wasn't strictly true - into the app.

"Occupation: Retired model"

"Not retired, actually! I can't just be some old fart that sleeps on his armchair, listening to Sinatra and Fitzgerald as I fall asleep. Ooh- A semi!"

"Wouldn't be the first time someone's said that to you; they've probably said it with more disappointment, though." Charlie replied. "

"You know what I meant!" Ivan replied, irritated. "Just put a semi-retired model."

As Charlie began to fill out the other details and Ivan kept intruding, the sun slowly descended from the bitter sky and was soon replaced by the moon, that shone in the sky and overlooked the half-awake city.

"What's the time now?" Ivan asked Charlie as he looked around for a clock in Charlie's modern, chic and luxurious living room.

 Charlie was the complete antithesis of his father. Charlie enjoyed the modern things in life as he owned a phone, a large flat-screen television and a laptop. His living room was also very clean and modern. He had a silky leather sofa, a glimmering glass table and stunning French doors with white curtains that led to his garden.

"Quarter past 9" Charlie replied.

"How do you know? I can't see a single clock anywhere"

"It's on your phone"

Ivan muttered under his breath again, but for longer this time, which Charlie assumed was just another rant about technology and his hatred for it.

"It's been how long since we set up my profile? I'm exhausted; we've been at it for hours. Surely." Ivan asked.

"15 minutes." Informed Charlie. "Give it time - infact, go to sleep and in the morning, you'll wake up to some people messaging you"

"I don't want you to give away my phone number or that Sky video face message thing!"

"I haven't and I won't. They can message you on the app"

"Right-o"

As Ivan began to ascend up his stairs to his bedroom, his phone, abandoned downstairs, let off a buzz. Minutes later, another buzz occurred. Soon enough, Alan and Charlie were fast asleep and Ivan's awake phone kept buzzing and buzzing and buzzing. It was clear that he had received a match - and potentially more...

2nd March 2019, 8:12am

DRIIING! DRIIING! Went Ivan's alarm clock.

"Morning already?" a lethargic Ivan asked himself as he rose from his bed and rubbed his eyes. Soon after, the middle-aged, single man approached his window, unveiled the gleaming sun and opened the window to let in the bitter, yet therapeutic, fresh air. 

"Morning, Charlie." Ivan greeted with a tired, yet joyful tone as he walked past Charlie's bedroom. "Going back to yours tonight? Not that you're of any bother. I'm just wondering."

"Why? Who are you bringing home, Dad?" Charlie quipped as he rubbed his eyes and departed from his bedroom.

"Nobody. I was just curious. Now, speaking of which, has anyone messaged me yet on that app?" Ivan asked himself as he woke up a bit and headed downstairs.

Once he was downstairs and in the living room, he leaped to the sofa like an ecstatic grasshopper and his face rose like the morning sun as he was amazed at the tons of notifications. He briskly opened the app and was shocked to see that he had received 5 matches. 

"Any luck, Dad?" Charlie asked.

"Yes. Plenty, infact!" Ivan retorted. "They are:

Sarah Toning, 43, from Derbyshire; 

Deidre McDavis, 62, from Wolverhampton;

Sherrie Tomlinson, 21, from Islington;

Francine McAndrew, 25, from Slough,

Sam Allen, 31, from Blackpool."

"Dad." Charlie began as he scratched his head, "Why are there some that are around my age and from up North?"

"Because I wanted to increase my chances of finding someone, so I secretly changed my interests to 200 miles+ and 18-65". 

Charlie sighed and rested his palm to his face as he couldn't believe what he was hearing.

"Now. Let's review these people. How do I do that?"

"Click at the top and then click which match you want to view first"

Ivan clicked Sarah. As he did, he was in disgust.

"What's wrong with her, Dad?"

"The blonde, curly hair, the large, circular, red glasses, the crooked nose. She's not my type."

"What about the others?"

"Too old!" was Ivan's opinion on Deidre.

"Too young" was Ivan's acceptable opinion on Sherrie - this was the one that Charlie agreed with.

"She looks nice" Ivan said as he looked at Francine's photos. He was stunned as he saw her long, brown, attractive hair, the glisten in her eyes that grabbed him, the innocent and caring smile. Although Charlie couldn't see where Ivan was coming from with most of these, Ivan could, and he liked Francine. He liked her a lot already.

"What about the other one? She looks adorable! If I hadn't recently gotten out of a relationship, I would have gone for her." Charlie said as he pointed to the match with long, silky black hair, pale skin, a little face tattoo and an eye-catching smile.

"That's a man that's not been to the barbers since the coal mines were shut, you blithering idiot!" Ivan replied, rolling his eyes. "Let me speak to Miss McAndrew"

"Here you go. Just click this and start typing what you want to say to her"

And from here, that is when everything went South...