by Wiley Smith
[originally published spring 2020]
PAIRING BACKGROUND:
According to word-on-the-street from one person in particular who turned out to be wrong, Corrie and Emma have both independently expressed interest in each other but never acted on it. Corrie described her ideal date as “neither of us are really sure whether it’s a date or not, we run some sort of errand? Perhaps grocery shopping or getting the oil in the car changed, maybe we go for a bike ride or a run, if we are in Slow Train we have to be wearing disguises.” Emma described their ideal date as “drinks in a quiet romantic dark place, we fight, then have sex.” They settled on meeting at The Local one Saturday afternoon.
Corrie’s Side:
Was this your first time meeting Emma?
I don’t know that we’ve met. I think one time outside of Marg Night we shared a cig, but I do that with most people on this campus. I don’t think we’d been formally introduced.
What did you like most about your partner?
I feel like we had a lot to talk about. They laughed at my jokes. I was kinda flustered when I came in, I had a crazy morning, and they were really calm and nice. I was like seven minutes late. And—god—we shook hands. I was stressed about the shaking hands thing. Did you initiate it? I did, I did. And they were very nice about that. From my perspective, they were really kind with an incredibly chaotic person in their midst.
Any similarities or differences you noticed?
I think we had a similar sense of humor which is always fun. Neither of us are from New York or LA. And I always get excited when I meet someone who’s not from New York or LA. I’m counting Montclair as New York.
Highlight of the date
We like walked around, oh my god—We saw Daniel Day Lewis. Daniel Day Lewis was in the hotel while we were there. He came in the fall, it was very big on Twitter, because his son had a tour. And now he’s back because it’s audition weekend.
In a span of three minutes we saw Daniel Day Lewis. I take a picture. Then he and his son, Chester, walk away. And then Nathan Carpenter walks in looking extremely flustered and says “Did Daniel Day Lewis just walk through here?” We said “yeah.” Then he asked “Is he on his way to Slow Train?” We said “I don’t know maybe,” and then he said “I gotta go,” and then just runs off after. Full run? Close to. It was awesome.
Do you think there will be a second date?
Maybe! I’m not opposed by any means. I would.
Emma’s Side:
Was this your first time meeting Corrie?
It kind of was. I’ve seen her but I don’t think we’ve ever really talked to each other. Corrie said you smoked outside of Marg Night once. Oh maybe. I might have been really drunk [laughs]. Oh actually... I think I do remember that. I do see this as the first time I’ve really met Corrie.
What did you like about your partner?
I liked the way that she laughed. It’s such a good laugh, I just interviewed her. Oh I liked it. She also laughed at everything I said, which was kind of comforting. We’re both from kinda weird states. I’m from Iowa, she’s from Arkansas.
How did the blind date feel?
It was definitely weird because... usually when I’ve been on dates it’s because I’ve been asked or asked someone out. So you kind of know what’s happening. And I think it went really well, but it was kind of hard to figure out the vibe.
What was the highlight?
Um, we saw Daniel Day Lewis [laughs]. You saw the photo? It’s just his silhouette [laughs].
Okay so I heard from a questionable source that you and Corrie have both separately expressed interest in each other?
Who was the source? Jane [laughs]. Oh I don’t know. I think I one time last year messaged Corrie on Tinder, or maybe Corrie messaged me. Or like my friends messaged me through Corrie’s Tinder. I don’t know! That’s kind of funny. *We learned later that Jane was thinking of the wrong Emma.
Will there be a second date?
We’ll see! I had a good time.