Tania looked over at me with a smirk, and I couldn’t help but think that my mother would’ve been very pleased by this philosophy. I rolled my eyes. What was it with South Asians and their emphasis on second—and third, and even fourth—chances? I usually knew whether it was a yes or a hell no within the first ten minutes. Very rarely did I find myself on the fence. While some may have considered this judgmental (my mother called it picky), I felt like it was more a sign of good intuition. It prevented me from wasting time, and since speed dating—as my friends had so aptly reminded me—was all about efficiency, I figured this intuitiveness would work to my advantage. The faster I sifted through all the frogs, the sooner I’d meet my prince.

At the conclusion of the speed dates, the aunty continued, the participants would submit their cards, and the organizers would review them to see if there were any two-way matches. If there were two yeses, they would contact the couple individually and provide them with each other’s information so they could organize a second date at their own convenience.

Once the rules had been established, the women were asked to find a table and take a seat. I grabbed Tania’s arm, and we quickly seated ourselves on the opposite side of the room from the Lady in the Red Sari. The men hovered anxiously in the center of the room waiting for the sound of the buzzer that would indicate the first “date.” I rubbed my sweaty palms across my thighs.

“Are you ready?” I whispered to Tania.

“I think so,” she said confidently, but her thin smile revealed that she was feeling equally nervous. I slowly exhaled, my eyes shifting toward the uncle with the buzzer. There was so much at stake. As reluctant as I was about speed dating, I really hoped this would work. I just needed to find one guy. Just one person with whom I clicked. I didn’t want to get my hopes up, but with my deadline slowly creeping up, I was running out of time. I looked over at Tania, who was fiddling with the sleeve of her blouse. Even though she appeared calm, I could tell this was difficult for her too, but for different reasons. The probability of disappointment was high for both of us, but I was glad she had agreed to come along. This whole scenario would’ve been a lot more nerve-racking without a friend. I took in a final breath just as the uncle lowered his hand. The buzzer sounded; the dates had begun.

Speed Date #1

“Wow, you’re really beautiful,” Suitor #1 said as he pulled out the chair and sat down.

“Thanks,” I replied with a smile.

“Yeah, I’ve been watching you.”

“You’ve been . . . what?” I shifted uncomfortably in my chair.

“I’ve been watching you since I arrived. I hope I wasn’t being too obvious.”

“No . . . I mean, I didn’t notice until you just told me.”