From the illusion of distance, they did not notice a steady eye on what must have been their one millionth date. The couple that sat adjacent to the comfortable booth was just seated by the hostess, a blonde who was clearly desperate to get out of her job that she did not even hide her discomfort. She walked away sulking as if the burden of her student loans rested upon her back.
The attention refocused on the couple sitting no more than fifteen feet away from me. Despite the rude behavior of the hostess, the couple seemed unbothered. Together, they glanced at the wine menu. It was clearly some sort of special occasion, as indicated by their attire. She wore a long-sleeved black dress with leopard print flats. The dress barely danced across her kneecaps. Her hair was swept up into a ballerina bun that kept all of her chocolate colored hair out of her face. Her face was painted with light makeup that complimented her dark brown eyes and high cheekbones. Crimson lips made her face stand out against her pale skin. She carried herself with grace and elegance, which was evident in her mannerisms: the way she flipped the page of the menu, how she took a sip out of her iced tea, and the occasional glance when her significant other was not looking. He looked just as nice as her, with a pressed white shirt and black slack pants. In a similar way, he was focused on her as if she was the only woman in the room.
Their chemistry was electric, until some water was added into the mix. A moment of awkward silence rained upon the table in the form of a black iPhone 6, which was swiftly pulled out of her black bag the instant it rang. Unfortunately, an all too common scenario experienced in today’s digital world. From then on, the date spiraled into an absolute disaster. Her hands were nailed to her cell phone, clutching it as if it was her life support. Her desire to be “connected” trumped the desire of a true connection: a human connection. The connection of two heartbeats did not matter in the face of a sleek and glamorous piece of technology. Instead of binding herself to another person, she bound herself to Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter. Her significant other sat there dumbfounded into a deafening silence as if he were never there in the first place. He desperately attempted small talk, which only glazed over whatever fixated her imagination.  His frustration indicated that this happened once before. He bitterly stabbed his meatballs and spaghetti knowing that his presence would not fill whatever void existed. Whatever chemistry remained fizzled into no more than a single flame that murdered their once successful date by an insatiable appetite for artificial connections.