They say you should not date your coworkers, yet when Opinion Editor Luke Copley found out two of his workers, Lucy Hallmark (of bathroom reviews fame) and I planned a first date, instead of telling us not to go, he thought we should review the matter. The Reflector did not pay for this endeavor, but we are paid from the articles. I wanted to buy the food, so I took the financial responsibility.
We were asked to go to a formal dinner but then were not given any help besides the article pay. So, with a want for a net positive bank account, we went to the greatest fine dining establishment we could think of: the local Sonic Drive-In. Hallmark may attempt to claim that it was a joint idea, but the parameters I got were between “not too expensive” and “I do not care; I will let you know if I am in the mood for what you are thinking.” So, to Sonic we went. 
It was Sonic. It was delicious, and afterwards, the feeling of doom in my arteries reminded me of my mortality. I will say no more about the food.
In terms of the conversation, we rarely had a dull point. We talked of our days, the new semester, movies, music and, believe it or not, a few articles we had in the works. I spoke about my thoughts on “Dead Space”; she talked about movies she had watched recently, and then talked about how much she has listened to Ethel Cain lately. I pretended not to find this at least a little unsettling. 
In her defense, I was on aux the entire night and defending certain kinds of party music that probably could (should) have waited for another date, but I can only be myself, even if that means EDC highlights. In fact, this was not the only flaw I laid bare. Hallmark looked past my aversion to spicy foods, the lack of ice in the Powerade I ordered and the overabundance of Greta Van Fleet in my playlist curation.
Beside the music and generic small talk, we did get into some interesting conversations about our perspective obsessions throughout this time. I spoke about my unhealthy obsession with “Game of Thrones”; she talked about her extreme disappointment at the ending. She spoke about how much she enjoys the show “Fleabag”, and as the devout Catholic I am, I pretended to not know about the priest storyline in season two.
Overall, I had a great time. While it may have been made easier by the shared frustration that our boss would assign us this story then not offer to pay, I say it would have been a pleasure either way. I think it was a great time sharing opinions about all things we are interested in, and it was fun fending off listening to Ethel Cain. I hope to save depressing music for future dates, if she lets me.
To read Lucy Hallmark’s half of the face-off, click here.