Set amid the royal palms, silk cotton trees, pink and white hibiscus and tikki torches of Breezes SuperClubs’ Garden of Eden restaurant, Mr. A confronts most men’s dreams – three women all saying "pick me, pick me!"
Mr. A is the catch of the day on the fifth installment of The Dating Game on Bahamas At Sunrise, and Arts and Entertainment meets him seated on a couch in a back office at Breezes, pen in hand, slight frown on his face, as he decides which questions will help him pick "the right one."
Mr. A is a 45-year-old man, and Mr. A is on a quest.
"I’m looking for a wife," he says, quiet but firm.
Looking for a wife on "The Dating Game" may seem to some like a bit of a crap-shoot, but Mr. A doesn’t mind taking a gamble now and again.
"You never know where you’re going to find that person," he says, adding that it is an encouraging sign for his quest that the young lady would offer herself to him to begin with.
He says he is not daunted by the task of determining in one date whether the lady he chooses would make the ideal wife.
"Some individuals feel that a specific amount of time (must be) spent in seeking to know the other person," Mr. A declares. "I don’t find myself following that particular trend…I will know what I want when I see it."
Mr. A has twice been married before, both times to women he says were "inconsistent." He says he will be listening "with deep ears" to hear what he wants to hear.
We leave Mr. A continuing to prepare, and go downstairs.
Miss X is 41, and considers herself introverted. She has always been focused on work and family, and tells the Journal that now she is seeking other options.
"I haven’t met anybody within my church, so this is one way I can broaden my horizons," she says.
Miss X is a nursing officer at Princess Margaret Hospital, has never been married and has no children. She admits quietly that wedding bells and the pitter-patter of little feet are now on her mind.
"The time that we have here on earth, we have to live it to the fullest, so we have no regrets," she says, noting that she is comfortable with herself.
She describes her most attractive quality as "persistence." At this point, it is worth noting that "persistence" is one of the two or three attributes Mr. A says he is seeking, as is "knowing how to live" and being "independent."
Miss X and Mr. A have not met, but seem to be reading from each other’s notes.
Miss Y shows up, grinning big and bold.
"I’m looking for a date," she says, "a good time."
Miss Z will only say that she is looking for "mature questions" and that it would be "his voice" that would attract her to Mr. A.
Just before showtime, Miss X notes that she has not put pressure on herself, though; if there’s no match, she tells the Journal "there’s always fish fry."
As the show begins, Mr. A pursues his business with clear intent, despite host Romauld Ferreira’s constant attempts to leaven the show with humour. Mr. A’s questions, of which there were only three after all, centered around finding "a woman of substance."
He asked the three women to tell him their purpose in life, among other things. Obviously, this is a dating game of a different order than the fluff hosted by Chuck Woolery lo, these many years ago.
Miss X scored huge with a revelation that she would hope a positive date would lead to more dates and "eventually to a committed relationship."
"I like that," Mr. A said, ears twitching.
In the end, though, he chose Miss Z, who considered herself "humourous."
Was Miss X upset?
"I am not at all upset," she insisted. "It was fun."
Miss Z’s response?
"I feel that it was worth it…It was not as serious as I thought it would be."
A few minutes later, she told host Ferreira she would "do it again."
She immediately turned to Mr. A, who after meeting the three women said he was "very much" satisfied with his choice, and assured him that she was "only saying that."
