Dating in a small town can require creativity. Everything closes early — except the grocery store, so I took him there.

• In 2017 I decided it was time to date again and so I downloaded a dating app.
• I live in a small town where everything closes by 9 p.m.

In the fall of 2017, and after a couple of years of not doing it, I was determined to throw myself back into the dating scene. After a long hiatus, I figured it was time.

I got a free trial for Bumble Boost, and I was talking to 30 people within a few days. It was the most attention I had gotten on a dating app in years. Like most app dating, I rarely met anyone in real life. Most of them stopped talking to me without any explanation. One guy had long conversations with me only to ghost me on the day of our date.

Then, there was him. He was sweet. He didn't say much, but I was able to keep the conversation going. He didn't send any inappropriate pictures. Or ask wildly inappropriate questions. However, I was sick of wasting hours of my time on conversations with men that were going to disappear before I could even lay eyes on them. So, after a few conversations, I suggested we meet immediately. Too bad it was already dark out.

I live in a small town where everything closes early

I live in a tiny, boring town in the North Georgia mountains. Almost everything closes by 9 p.m. Since I didn't want to put effort into potentially being stood up (a far worse fate than getting ghosted), I suggested we meet at a nearby restaurant. However, that meant getting there half an hour before it closed. Still, at least it was a date.

I arrived and met him at the bar. We both ordered drinks. I asked him about his day and his drive to the restaurant. He whispered something. Unfortunately, the background music drowned out anything he said. I couldn't hear him at the empty bar. For some reason, he didn't speak above a whisper, leaving me constantly asking him, "What was that?"

I could've given up on my first date in months, but I didn't want to. It had only been 10 minutes. So I invited him to the only open place I could think of: the grocery store. One of the wildest spots in town since it stays open until 11 p.m.

We walked around the supermarket chatting

When we walked inside, he followed me around my usual route: fruits and vegetables, meats, dairy, and then random aisles. I pointed out my favorite foods and things I hated.

I asked about his hobbies. I dredged up every piece of small talk I could think of recently read books, weekend plans, etc. I made a few quips, and he laughed. Actually, we laughed a lot. I can be funny in the moment.

But it was inevitable that I'd run out of things to say. I'm the chatty one, so I'm the entertainment on most dates. But like a comic, the set can only go for so long, and then I'm out of material. And this guy was not really working with me. We weren't in a superstore and were already on our second lap. I ran out of things to say.

We walked out to our cars in the deserted parking lot. He stared at me, and I stared at him. He admitted he had a good time, far better than his last date. Flattered, I agreed — it wasn't my worst date either. We were both too shy for anything other than a hug.

It wasn't the start of our love story. Much like the conversation at the store, it dwindled on the app, and I never saw him again. Nonetheless, having a decent date in the grocery store is possible. And at least I could finally hear him.