Date Lab

He's a journalist; she professes a love of words. But will his nervous chatter leave her speechless?

8 p.m. | MON AMI GABI | BETHESDA

Dalton: I live in Hagerstown and work downtown, so I had to [Metro] to the date from work. I had a four- or five-block walk to the restaurant. I was sweating and miserable when I [arrived].

Martha: I got there, and he was already seated, so the waitress took me over. He stood up, which was nice. My first reaction was, Oh, I like his looks . Very nice smile; nice eyes; cool, kind of John Lennon glasses.

Dalton: She's certainly attractive. As nerve-racking as it had been going into this, I immediately felt comfortable. There was an air about her that put me at ease.

Martha: When he said he was a journalist, I loved that. And I loved it when he said that he sang and played the guitar. He reads really great books. I was feeling like in the beginning it was pretty good.

Dalton: We had a lot of common interests, mostly to do with music, movies, books, a little bit of family background.

Martha: The Hagerstown thing -- that was a surprise. He [also] made some comment about, did I know French food, that he wouldn't know what to order. I said, "Well, the menu's not in French." I thought maybe he hadn't looked at it yet.

Dalton: Sometimes I get wound up and monopolize the conversation, so I was trying not to. That was one of my biggest fears, that I would get nervous and yammer on.

Martha: It was during the entree . . . that was when he started dominating the conversation. The date did seem to go on this big, gradual slide. It felt like it wasn't a dialogue anymore. I told him I travel a lot; he never asked me where. And I wanted him to make me laugh, but that didn't happen. Overall I was thinking, This doesn't feel very satisfying.

Dalton: We spent close to three hours together. I probably could have spent more.

Martha: He got coffee. I kept looking at it, thinking, Well, now we're going to stay here until he finishes . I said, "I'm going to have to go soon." I think he didn't want it to end, so he started talking more.

Dalton: I was shocked to look at my watch and notice that it was quarter to 11. She drove me to the Metro. I said, "I hope I didn't talk too much," and she indicated that she thought the back-and-forth went very well. So I was relieved. We exchanged good nights, and I walked away. I don't know if I was supposed to do anything else -- she was buckled in, so a hug would've been awkward.

Martha: When nothing happened, I thought, That's perfect. It just seemed appropriate.

Dalton: As far as an enjoyable experience, it's a 4 [out of 5].

Martha: I don't think of myself as very sophisticated, but I think I'd be better with somebody a little more worldly. [I'd rank the date a] 3.5.

Interviews by Christina Breda Antoniades

>>UPDATE: After an interesting and "very well-written" e-mail from Dalton, Martha decided to give him another chance. They're now planning a second date.

>>DATE LAB IS LOOKING FOR SEXY SEPTUAGENARIANS -- and other singles willing to get set up.