Page 65 of You've Got a Place Here, Too
ROM L04: Laboratory: Introduction to Successful Dating
Course Overview
Through a series of laboratory experiments, students will become familiar with the natural deepening of feelings that can occur over a series of successful dates.
LAB.1: The Second Date: First dates are typically fraught with nerves, miscommunication, and pretense, with each participant trying to be who the other person expects them to be, rather than who they are. The goal then of a successful second date is to forge a true connection in the hopes that it will lead to subsequent dates.
Students desiring more information are directed to the recording of a successful second date in appendix K of this course catalog.
LAB.2 through LAB.5 focus on dates two through five, respectively.
LAB.6 focuses on the conversation necessary to move a couple from the “just dating” status to the “in a relationship” status.
The second half of the semester focuses on more advanced laboratory experiments. Students will explore and perfect various forms of kissing:
K-LAB.1: The Peck: a fleeting brush of lips across another’s cheek, often performed as a greeting.
K-LAB.2: The Accidental: a corner-of-the-mouth kiss that occurs because neither of you is quite sure what kind of kiss the other one is going for.
K-LAB.3: The Pillow: a simple pressing of both sets of lips together for two seconds or more.
K-LAB.4: The French: needs no explanation but does require intense practice and repetition to perfect.
Course Outcomes
Our most successful students will move on to ROM L05: Laboratory: Advanced Intimacies. Please note that this course has limited enrollment and a private syllabus.
Appendix K: Supplemental Material for ROML04: Introduction to Dating
Highlights from LAB.1: The Second Date Between Sterling James and Danica Henderson
Sterling was already at Brewers Bay Beach when Danica arrived. On the sand in front of him, he’d laid out an absolute feast on a picnic blanket.
Danica gasped. “You did all this?”
“I had help from me, myself, and I,” he said, then ducked his head sheepishly. “That’s so corny. I don’t even know why I said it.” He rubbed the back of his neck.
Danica smiled and some of her anxiety dissipated. “That’s okay,” she said. “I’m nervous, too.”
Ordinarily, she wasn’t so open about her feelings, but something about Sterling made her want to be real. Also, their time together was destined to be short. If there was going to be good stuff between them, she was eager to get to it.
“This is beautiful,” she said, looking down at the picnic spread. “I don’t think we can eat it all.” As soon as she said it, her stomach growled just loud enough for him to hear. She covered her face with her hands. “My turn to be embarrassed.”
Sterling grinned. “I’m glad you’re hungry.”
He’d really gone all out. Danica saw local specialties she’d already tried, like conch fritters and pates. Some, like fish and fungi and johnnycake, she hadn’t yet. He’deven gotten callaloo, which Jamaicans ate too, but the preparation was different here.
They started off slowly, made small talk while watching the ocean and people. Two little girls with more beads than braids buried their dad in the sand. An old couple—in their eighties at least—held hands and walked slowly through the shallows.
Eventually they moved on to talking about the basics: their parents, their siblings, where they’d grown up, what their career goals were. Sterling wanted to be a marine biologist. It was one of the main reasons he’d chosen UVI over other HBCUs closer to home in America.
“Like the brochure says, the Caribbean Sea is my lab,” he said and grinned. She couldn’t help letting her eyes linger on his face. She liked how easily he smiled, like he was looking for excuses to enjoy the world.
The other reason he’d chosen UVI was because it made him feel close to his grandmother. “She moved here after she retired. We lost her two years ago,” he said.
For a second, the grief in his voice made Danica want to tell him about her mother and about how afraid she was of losing her, but she stopped herself. She reminded herself that what was building between them could only be temporary. Sharing deep parts of herself would only make it harder for them both in the end.
“What about you? Why’d you come here instead of staying in Jamaica?” he asked. “They have the same sea.”
