Unknown
Hi! I’m Cheryl. I won a date with you in the charity auction last night?
Dave
Hey, Cheryl! Thanks for helping the animal shelter with this fundraiser.
Cheryl
Listen, I should let you in on a little secret…
Cheryl
I’ve never done this before.
Dave
What? Been on a date?
Cheryl
I’ve never PAID for a guy’s company.
Cheryl
Omg! That’s not what I meant to say, either…
Dave
It’s okay. I know what you mean.
Dave
This is your first time bidding on a date.
Dave
And don’t worry, I feel strange about it, too.
Dave
I don’t usually get auctioned off like this 🙃
Dave
My friends usually have to fix me up.
Cheryl
I would think that a rich guy would have women knocking down his door!
Dave slumps back in his chair at his home-office desk.
It sure didn’t take Cheryl long to mention the fortune he made from developing a music app.
Sometimes he misses the days when he was anonymous.
Back then, he didn’t have to wonder if a woman liked him just for the money.
A techie like him never had a magic touch with girls anyway.
Cheryl
That comment didn’t come out the right way, either.
Cheryl
Can I get a do-over?
Dave
You can have as many tries as you need 🙂
Cheryl
I’m glad you’re okay with second tries…
Cheryl
Well…I have another confession.
Dave’s pulse sparks and whirls.
He’s completely smitten at first sight.
Cheryl has honey-colored hair, hazel eyes, and a soft, shy smile.
…And she looks very familiar.
Dave
Wait, Cheryl Johnson?
Cheryl
Your bad date from 2 months ago.
He and Cheryl had the most torturous date ever.
The night started out with a spark when he first saw her…
But, boy, did it fizzle fast.
Even though mutual friends set them up…
Cheryl and he were beyond incompatible.
She was champagne and he was beer…
And not just in their choice of drink.
Cheryl talked about her sophistication constantly.
Her high-powered marketing consultant job…
The night was never-ending.
Dave was sure they were both relieved when the date was finally over…
So why would she want more of that torment?
He doesn’t want to assume it’s about his money.
But as he looks at her pic again, his heart sinks.
A beautiful girl and a techie like him?
It’s got to be about the money.
Cheryl
I bet you’re wondering why I bid on you at the auction.
Dave
Truthfully, I thought you were more into the waiter at the restaurant.
Dave
You really hit it off when you were speaking French together…
Cheryl
Ugh, I’m so sorry about that.
Cheryl
I swear I was interested in everything you had to say…
Cheryl
Even though I talked so much that you barely got a word in.
Dave lets out a sigh of relief…
At least she noticed her incessant talking.
Cheryl
Dave, I REALLY need to erase that bad date from my mind.
Cheryl
And I think I need to do that by rewriting it altogether.
Cheryl
Would you let me do that…
Cheryl
For the sake of charity?
Another round of high-maintenance dating.
Dave puts on a nice suit and drives a rented, fancy sports car to Cheryl’s apartment.
Of course he’d prefer the old Mustang he’s owned since high school.
But Cheryl would probably turn her nose up at the sight of it.
He knocks on her door and Cheryl opens it.
She’s wearing a simple black dress and…
Dave’s heart crashes, setting off sparks inside of him.
Cheryl blushes furiously and shrugs.
Dave is taken aback — she doesn’t seem high-maintenance so far.
Dave
I made reservations at L’Auberge Bleu, just like last time.
Now she seems disappointed.
Dave's heart sinks again…
Here comes the high-maintenance.
Cheryl
Fancy restaurants make me squirm.
Cheryl
Yeah. I mean, I appreciated it when you took me to that French restaurant…
Cheryl
But I’m more of a casual dining kind of girl.
Cheryl
I was only acting like someone who loved foie gras and coq au vin.
Dave
Fancy isn’t really my thing, either.
Dave
I like to eat at food trucks.
Cheryl
Me too! One of my favorite taco trucks usually sets up around the corner.
Cheryl
Do you want to try it?
They leave behind the fancy car and walk.
After they get their tacos, Cheryl hungrily digs in to hers.
Dave
You didn’t have this kind of appetite on our date.
Dave
You ate like a bird at the French restaurant.
Cheryl
I’m more relaxed out here in the wild.
Dave
I can’t believe that all I had to do was take you to a taco truck.
Cheryl
Trust me, taco trucks are much less intimidating than you.
Dave
You think I’m intimidating?
Dave
I’m the least intimidating guy in the world!
Cheryl
Oh, right, Mr. Millionaire Before the Age of 25.
Cheryl
Your app is famous!
Cheryl
I felt completely out of my league when I found out I’d been set up with you.
Dave
Trust me, the nerdy computer engineering does not make me impressive.
Dave
Not with women, anyway.
Dave
It’s usually just the money that makes everyone think I’m someone I’m not.
Cheryl
But if you didn’t want me to get the wrong impression of your money…
Cheryl
Why didn’t you just take me to a diner on our first date?
Dave
Because, even when I was in high school, I took the girls I liked to nice restaurants.
Dave
That’s what I do when I want to impress someone.
Cheryl
You wanted to impress me?
Cheryl
Before our date even started?
Dave’s heart starts beating soundly again.
Dave
The moment my friend texted me your picture, I wanted the date to work.
Dave
But we know how it turned out.
Cheryl's tone is wistful.
What would’ve happened if both of them had only been themselves that night?
As Dave looks into Cheryl’s eyes, he sees something like hope there.
Then he sees a smear of salsa on her cheek.
He impulsively uses his thumb to wipe the sauce off.
He holds his breath, waiting to see what she’ll do…
Cheryl
On our first date, I was trying so hard to impress a rich guy.
Cheryl
I wanted to act sophisticated and worldly.
Cheryl
So I brushed up on my high school French.
Cheryl
I showed it off by talking to that waiter.
Cheryl
And then I babbled about everything I knew about wine and fancy food.
Cheryl
But by the time I realized you were bored to death, it was too late.
Cheryl
I just kept digging myself in deeper and deeper.
Cheryl
And you were so gentlemanly about everything.
Cheryl
That made me like you even more.
Dave
I’m so sorry I misjudged you.
Cheryl
It sounds like we both assumed things about each other.
Cheryl
Now you know the real reason I bought a date with you at that auction.
Cheryl
I did need a do-over.
Cheryl
But not just for me.
Cheryl
So you could finally see the real me.
Sparks seem to fill the air as they watch each other.
Cheryl still has some salsa on her face.
But Dave always wanted someone who’s a little bit messy.
He slowly wipes off the rest of the sauce.
Dave
If I’d known all of this, I wouldn’t have rented that fancy car tonight.
Dave
I actually still drive the same beat-up Mustang convertible I’ve had for years.
Cheryl
A vintage convertible? Cool!
Cheryl
Can we go for a ride in it?
Dave
Cheryl, I’ll take you anywhere you want to go.
For the rest of the night, they cruise around in Dave's own car, laughing with the top down.
They park and then stroll around the quiet streets.
Cheryl asks all about his work.
They talk about vintage music.
And their favorite greasy foods.
After midnight, they finally arrive at Cheryl’s doorstep.
They look at each other for a long moment.
Then Cheryl awkwardly holds out her hand for a handshake.
Just like she did the night of their first date.
Did he misinterpret everything?
He’s not going to believe that this time.
So he takes Cheryl’s hand in his.
Electricity rushes through him.
When she gasps, he’s sure she feels it too.
Dave
We ended the first date on a handshake.
Dave gently pulls her closer.
Dave
Can I have a do-over?
Her smile heats him from his head to his toes.
Cheryl
Dave, you can have as many tries as you need.
Dave brings her in for a long, hot kiss.
And they keep doing that over.
Even though they got it absolutely right.
