By the time Samantha closed the office door, it was already six in the evening. She was a typical workaholic who would work 12 hours every day.
If her friend, Zara, hadn't arranged a blind date for her, she would have either been stuck behind her desk or digging through files and reports just to make sense of it right now.
When she realized that it was near the appointed time, Samantha hurriedly headed to the washroom to freshen up before heading to the cafe. It was a good thing that the cafe wasn't too far from where she worked. So, she could make a call while walking over.
Since Samantha didn't have any experience in going through a blind date at all, she had no choice but to ask her friend Zara, the matchmaker for help.
"Are you serious, Samantha?" When Samantha asked Zara for help in searching for a matchmaking candidate, Zara thought she was joking, so she had her mother use her connections in Bwabitoke City and found two candidates for her. If Samantha didn't call her right now, she would have totally forgotten about it.
Staring at the bustling traffic, Samantha had a hint of sadness appear in her gaze that even she herself didn't realize. "What nonsense are you spouting? I'm really thinking of getting married."
Immediately, Zara's suspicious tone turned into that of gloating instead. "Little Samantha, I feel so happy that even you have ended up in such a state. It's a good thing that you're beginning to have the concerns of middle-aged women now."
Ever since Zara turned 25, her family had been pushing her to go on blind dates every day. In fact, they even wouldn't even let her off on weekends. It had been so over the past two years.
However, in her own words, she was so well-trained that she was usually always the one who rejected or dealt with the men instead of them rejecting her.
Zara's experience in blind date made her the best person for Samantha to get advice from.
Placing her hand on her forehead, Samantha didn't want to argue with Zara so she acceded to her and replied, "Fine, I know how impressive you are already, but I'm rushed for time right now. Can you please teach me a few tricks lest I embarrass you later?"
"Look at how anxious you are, young lady. First of all, you can ask about his job. And you can strike up a conversation with that question as an icebreaker. So you won't just quietly sit there, which is awkward. From his answer, you can also gauge his ambitions and his potential. If a man keeps complaining about his job, his superiors, or the salary and benefits, he must be a loser. Because someone who has potential would definitely be able to adapt well anywhere. Now that the ice has been broken, you can talk about hobbies and such, but remember, you have to give responses no matter what he says. For example, you can say 'oh, so that's how that works' or 'oh, that sounds interesting'. In short, smile and respond. At the very least, that will keep the man talkative and show your politeness. With that, you would leave him a good first impression. For me, I would never ask about a man's salary or family background because it sounds too shallow. You can easily discern it from the way he speaks and behaves. For sure, my mother would have definitely filtered out these men who might be worse off than me in terms of wage and position... Just do as I say and you'll be fine."
After listening to Zara go on for so long, Samantha was impressed with her vital capacity in the end. Nodding at her words, Samantha finally realized why Zara would always be scolded a lot after a blind date. She would have such a happy and fulfilling conversation with the men that he thought he found his other half in this world. Yet, in the end, she refused him.
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