My Cup of Tea, Apparently

I set-up a date with a nerdy looking doctor because I'm apparently into that; I couldn't fault all doctors for my former's terrible bedside manner. We agreed to meet for coffee and he suggested an 8pm date. Seriously? He settled for a bit earlier and I knew I could skedaddle with exaggerated yawns if I had to.

I knew within the first minute that he and I would never be a romantic match. First off, he was about my height or a bit shorter and the greeting was as awkward as an accidental hug from a coworker. I knew I'd be carrying the weight of the conversation so I sat back and chatted endlessly. The second I had zero interest, I was able to converse uninhibited which was quite refreshing. I took a "too-cool" leaned back position and sipped my cup of tea. I didn't care about getting to know the doctor so our topics ranged from travel to school to life lessons.

In that, I asked what advice he'd give to his younger self to which he had none. Mine? Never have the third martini. He looked shocked.

Me: what?
Him: Oh, I guess I would tell myself to have a second one.

How could I possibly be expected to find true love with someone who has never experienced the exhilaration and agony and shame that accompanies a third martini??

He asked me about my foot injury ( I was really on a roll with those boot-filled first dates) and I asked him about his specialty. Are you a GP? No, I'm a nephrologist.  That instantly made me grin and he asked if I knew what that meant. Oh, you said nephrologist?? Yes, I'm familiar. Let me tell you a story. I dated one recently.

Can't make this stuff up, folks. I somehow moved from Bumble to Nephrologists Only and really found myself a niche market.

I promptly painted a picture my strep laden condition and asked how he would have reacted in that situation. He told me he didn't know me well enough to want to touch my glands. Is that date 4? I guess the whole young kidney doctor thing really peaked his curiosity and he asked if he could guess the guy. Sure. Why not? There must be only a handful of eligible Chicago-based kidney docs; at this point I was more than amused. We played a game of three questions which led him to guess the guy I dated. There could not be two more physically opposite people.

This turned out to be the best thing that could happen to this coffee date and I smiled to myself for the next few minutes. He, on the other hand, was not impressed. He politely paid for our $6 check (don't impress me with your money) and called it a night. He was nice to text making sure I got home. So there was that.

Anyone looking for a good kidney doc? I have a few recommendations.