The next day was the day for my date. I felt excited. It had been years since I had dated anyone. Mila got off work early so she could help me get ready. Mila came over around 5:30 pm to help me get ready. I left the door unlocked so Mila could walk in. I finished up in the shower and heard Mila walk in the door. I left the bathroom only wearing a bathrobe and a towel on my head. I walked into the living room and saw Mila standing at the door. "Hey, girl! What are you up to?" She asked. "I just got done in the shower," I replied. "Okay," She said smiling, "So? How are you feeling?" She asked excitedly. "I don't know," I said. "Don't be nervous. You will be fine." She explained. "How should I do your makeup?" She asked. "Makeup? I thought I was doing my makeup." I said. "No, you barely do your makeup. I'll do It." She explained. "Okay, I guess," Said,

We went back to my bedroom, and we sat on the bed. Mila then started doing my makeup.  "I think it's weird that he wants to meet you at a park at night. I want to come with you." She explained. "I'm fine, Mila," I said. Mila's expression changed. She started becoming angry and worried. 

"Why are you being so naive, Heather?" She asked. She asked angrily. "This is a terrible idea!" She yelled and got up and walked away. "Mila!" I yelled. I got up and walked after her. Mila was in the living room, sitting on the couch, staring at the wall. "Mila," I said. She then got up and walked over to me. "Heather, I just don't want you to be naive." She said. "I won't come with you if you don't want me to." She explained. "It's fine," We went back to the bedroom, and she continued to do my make-up. 

After she finished, I went to get dressed. I got dressed in a white dress with brown boots. Once I was done getting ready, Mila and I left my apartment. Mila went home while I went to the park. I arrived at the park, and It was already getting dark. There were people there, but not too many.

I walked to the playground area, and I was looking for Bradley. I then saw a tall white man with a brown beard and mustache. He was wearing black sunglasses, a black shirt, a black leather coat with blue jeans, and black boots. I then started to walk up to him. He turned his head and saw me. "Are you Heather?" He asked. "Yes," I said. We were walking toward each other. Bradley then hugged me. His hug was warm, and he smelled like cologne and cigarettes. 

"It's nice to meet you, Heather. I'm Bradley." He said, holding out his hand for a handshake. "It's nice to meet you. I'm Heather," I said. I then shook his hand. Bradley's hands were soft but at the same time, rough. "I know this might seem weird because we're meeting in a park. I wanted to come here because of the view. I was thinking we could eat pizza and watch the sunset." He explained. He then pointed to a picnic table in the distance. On the picnic table, there was a pizza box and a stack of paper plates. "Oh, thank you!" I said loudly. We walked over to the table, and we sat across from each other. 

"You like pizza, right?" He asked as he opened the box of pizza and grabbed a slice of pepperoni pizza, and then put it on a paper plate. "Yeah," I replied and got a slice as well. We then began to eat our pizza. "Help yourself," He said. "Thank you," I replied. "Anyway, how old are you?" He asked. "Twenty-five," I replied. "Oh, that's right! I forgot." He laughed. "And you're thirty-three, right?" I asked. "Yes," He replied. 

"That's good!" I replied awkwardly. "Are you looking for dating?" He asked. I was confused. "What do you mean?" I asked. "People join Tinder for a lot of different reasons. Did you join for dating or friendship?" He asked. "Dating," I replied. "Me too," I said. "I haven't dated since freshman year of college," I said. "You went to college? What's your career?" He asked. "I'm a CNA," I said. "Oh, okay. That's good. I heard nurses make a lot of money." He laughed. "Yeah, It's a decent amount." I laughed. "What's your career?" I asked. "I work in construction, " He said. 

"Why did you match with an old person like me?" He joked. "I don't mind the age gap," I replied. "Tell me about yourself. Do you have any kids?" He asked. "No," I replied, biting my pizza. "What about you?" I asked. Bradley's mood changed. When I asked him that question, he looked sad. Bradley paused for a few seconds and looked at the ground. "Bradley?" I asked him. "Well, yeah." He said taking a deep breath. "I had a wife and two kids." He said. As soon he said that I felt bad. I realized that he probably lost his family. "I'm sorry! I shouldn't have asked that!" I blurted out. 

"It's fine." He replied taking another deep breath. "Back in 2015, my house burned down, killing my family." He explained. My heart immediately dropped. Why would I ask that? A few minutes ago, the conversation was good. Now it wasn't. "I'm sorry," I said.  I said. His hands were on the table. I reached out and held his hands. I don't know if it helped any. His head was down, and he raised his head and stared at me. "Let's change the subject." He said. We talked about anything and ate multiple slices of pizza until the sunset. Once It was dark, we went our separate ways. I then drove home.