Single dad didn’t expect much from a blind date—Until the woman at his table changed everything…

The Low Expectations Date

Single dad didn’t expect much from a blind date until the woman at his table changed everything. Before we continue, please tell us where in the world are you tuning in from? We love seeing how far our stories travel.

Reed Callahan was sitting in his UPS truck on a Saturday afternoon in Milwaukee, finishing his last delivery route of the week. His buddy Marco was leaning against the loading dock at the warehouse, giving him the same speech he’d been giving for the past six months. He told Reed he needed to get back out there and start dating again.

The problem was Reed had zero interest in dating. He’d been on exactly two dates in the past six years since his ex-wife left him for her CrossFit instructor. Both of those dates had been such spectacular disasters. He decided being alone was actually pretty great compared to sitting across from strangers making awkward small talk.

Marco wasn’t buying it though. He’d cornered Reed during their break with that look on his face. It meant he wasn’t going to let this go until Reed agreed to whatever he was about to suggest.

“Bro Diana has this coworker who’s perfect for you She’s smart She’s funny She’s got her life together Just meet her for one drink and if it sucks you never have to do it again,” Marco said.

Reed was already shaking his head before Marco even finished the sentence.

“Man I appreciate it but I’m good I’ve got Charlie in work and that’s all I need The whole dating thing just isn’t for me anymore,” Reed said while closing up the back of his truck.

Marco followed him into the warehouse, still talking.

“You’re 36 years old and you act like you’re retired from life Your ex did you dirty 6 years ago and you’ve been hiding behind being a dad ever since Charlie’s 10 now He’s not a baby You’re allowed to have your own life.”

Reed wanted to argue, but the truth was Marco had a point. He had been using Charlie as an excuse to avoid putting himself out there. It was easier than risking getting his heart stomped on again.

That night, Reed got home to find Charlie sprawled on the couch watching some YouTube video about baseball stats. Reed was making dinner when his phone rang. Marco’s wife Diana was on the other end, doing her own version of the same sales pitch.

“Reed I know Marco already talked to you but I’m telling you Mia is genuinely great She works at the high school as a guidance counselor She’s never been married She’s not looking for anything serious Just coffee or drinks 1 hour of your time that’s it.”

Reed was stirring pasta sauce and trying to figure out how to politely say no. Then Charlie appeared in the kitchen doorway with a curious look on his face. Reed realized his son had been listening to the entire conversation.

Reed hung up with a non-committal, “I’ll think about it.”

Charlie didn’t even wait two seconds before asking, “Dad who’s Mia is she someone you’re supposed to go on a date with?”

Reed felt his face get warm because talking about dating with his ten-year-old felt weird in a way he couldn’t quite explain.

“It’s nothing buddy Just Marco’s wife trying to set me up with someone from her work I’m not going.”

Charlie sat down at the kitchen table and got that serious expression he had when he was really thinking about something.

“Why don’t you ever go on dates like people do in movies all my friends parents who are divorced have girlfriends or boyfriends How come you don’t?”

Reed stopped stirring and turned to look at his kid. Charlie was staring at him with genuine curiosity, not judgment. Reed didn’t have a good answer that wouldn’t sound like he was making excuses.

“I guess I just haven’t met the right person and I’m happy with how things are It’s just me and you and that’s enough for me,” Reed said.

But even as the words came out, they felt hollow.

“But what if you could be happy with me and have someone else too wouldn’t that be better than just okay?” Charlie tilted his head.

That question hit Reed harder than he expected. He ended up texting Diana that night saying he’d do one date. He would do just one to prove to everyone, including apparently his own kid, that he was fine and didn’t need this.

Diana had responded with about 15 excited emojis and said she’d set it up for Saturday night at the Copper Tap. The whole week leading up to Saturday, Reed kept waiting to feel nervous or excited or something. But mostly he just felt resigned, like this was an obligation he had to get through.

By the time Saturday evening rolled around, he’d mentally planned out exactly how the night would go. It would be 45 minutes max. He would be polite but not too engaged. He had a fake early morning excuse ready to get home before 9:00 to watch the game.

He showed up at the Copper Tap at 7:00 on the dot, wearing jeans and a flannel shirt he grabbed off his bedroom floor. He put in zero effort because what was the point of trying to impress someone? He already knew this wasn’t going anywhere.

The brewery was one of those trendy Milwaukee spots with exposed brick and craft beer lists that took up an entire chalkboard wall. Reed grabbed a table near the back, ordered an IPA from the waitress, and pulled out his phone to scroll through nothing while he waited.

He was mentally rehearsing his exit speech. He would say something like, “This was really nice but I’m not in a place to date right now I hope you understand.”

A woman walked through the front door looking around nervously. Reed recognized her from the extremely brief description Diana had given him, which was basically just brown hair, glasses, and a really pretty smile. He raised his hand in a half wave.

Mia walked over with an expression that was equal parts relieved and terrified. Before Reed could even say hello, she sat down and immediately launched into her thoughts.

“I’m going to be completely honest with you I almost canled this like three separate times I’m absolutely terrible at dating and I have no idea what I’m doing here.”

Reed felt himself actually smile for the first time all week.

“That’s funny because I spent the entire drive over here planning my exit speech for how to politely bail after 45 minutes So we’re starting from pretty low expectations.”