Meeting someone for the first time can be exciting, but for Sally, her Tinder date with Alan turned into something unexpected. As her heart thumped in anticipation at table 13, she could barely contain her excitement for the evening ahead.
When Alan arrived, the surprise was evident on his face as he noticed Sally was in a wheelchair. “Sally? I didn’t realize… the wheelchair,” Alan started, seemingly taken aback.
“I wanted you to see me, not my wheelchair,” Sally replied softly, hopeful for understanding. However, Alan seemed caught up in his assumptions about her.
Scanning through his phone, Alan noted that none of her pictures showed the wheelchair. His accusation of “lying by omission” was met with Sally’s painful explanation: the photos were from before her accident.
The accident had not only changed Sally’s mobility but had also taken her parents. Alan’s dismissive words cut deep, though Sally insisted she wasn’t seeking pity. “I’m learning to accept myself again,” she explained, tears threatening to fall.
Alan’s response was harsh. “I wanted a proper date, not with someone… in a wheelchair,” he said. But Sally stood her ground, expressing her wish for acceptance.
Adding salt to the wound, Alan expressed disdain for her omission about her disability, questioning why it wasn’t mentioned in her bio. Despite the hurt, Sally remained determined to share the evening, even following Alan’s outright dismissal of her as “defective.”
Their conversation stalled until a waiter approached, announcing that their table was selected for a special dinner. Alan, echoing “bad luck” as an excuse for the evening, hesitated to miss out on a free meal.
Alan’s interest sparked slightly when Sally mentioned basketball. Their shared love for the sport briefly brightened the interaction. Yet, with Alan’s mocking joke about her jersey, Sally realized the evening wasn’t going to be what she’d hoped for.
As they continued to dine, Alan’s attention was divided, especially when his friend Karl arrived, redirecting the evening. Hearing the conversation from afar, Sally felt crushed realizing that Alan shared Karl’s view of her.
Gathering her strength, Sally confronted Alan, who coldly dismissed their date as “nothing” amidst laughter from his new crowd of friends. Hurt, Sally countered with a declaration that true normalcy is about having a kind heart.
The evening took another turn when the café announced a karaoke challenge. Left alone, Sally hesitated, unsure of participating. The waiter’s encouragement pushed her to the stage, her voice becoming a medium for emotions untold.
Unexpectedly, Alan reappeared, apologetic and sincere. The song had moved him. “Hearing your voice, Sally, it helped me see how blind I was,” he admitted.
Tentatively, they ended the night in each other’s arms, not just as dance partners, but as people with an understanding forged through an unexpected trial.
Leaving the café, holding hands, Sally and Alan knew they faced challenges ahead, with the hope that their newfound start would transform how they viewed the world — and each other.
