Graphic by Penelope Taylor ’20
BY ELEANOR HARRIS ’20
At MoRomance, we’re strong supporters of the November rule, so it wasn’t easy for us to make a tiny exception for first-year Caroline* and sophomore Laura.* They seemed perfect for each other — and, in all fairness, it was Oct. 24.
Laura told us that she was “looking for her beautiful wife” — and who could be better than the “extroverted, sunny, caring and peaceful” Caroline? And, as it happens, they’re a perfect astrological match.
We wanted Laura and Caroline to get to know each other, so we set up a romantic walk around Upper Lake. Did that mean tying increasingly personal questions to the trees and praying they wouldn’t fly away? Yes, it did. That plus coffee at Thirsty Mind equals love or so we hoped.
Caroline: Some of my friends work on the newspaper, and they were really excited for me to do [MoRomance]. My other friend, who’s a little bit into me, was kind of upset.
Laura: I was a little nervous [about the dates], but just because I didn’t know who it was going to be. I am pretty sure I was just sleeping before I went. I was also hungover.
Caroline: I was there first. I was sitting on the couch in Thirsty Mind. I was there 15 minutes early, reading a book for school and hoping they’d find me.
Laura: I got there right at 2 p.m. She was already there, and she seemed really nice and cute.
Caroline: It was someone that I had seen before but never spoken to. She had a shaved head which I thought was super cool and edgy.
Laura: She’s a first-year, so I was like, “do you like Mount Holyoke? What do you think of it so far?” Stuff like that. I wasn’t surprised that we were matched.
Caroline: We got drinks from Thirsty Mind and we were chatting. It was less awkward than I thought it was going to be.
Laura: There were instructions saying to get coffee and then go on a walk around Upper Lake, and there would be more clues to follow.
Caroline: There were envelopes hung along the trail around Upper Lake, and each of them contained a question or conversation starter of some sort. We went around and we had to answer all of these different questions. Some of them were easier than others.
Laura: It was really funny. I was going to ask her what her astrological chart was, and the first question was, “what’s your star sign?”
Caroline: We both immediately knew all of our zodiac information, which I thought was funny.
Laura: I’m an Aquarius and she’s a Gemini, and as scary as Geminis sometimes are, those signs are compatible.
Caroline: I remember there was one question about our most terrible and most treasured memories… It was kind of like, “I met you thirty minutes ago, let’s talk about our first memories.” That part was kind of awkward.
Laura: Some questions were definitely asking for more than I would usually expect on a first date. We tried to [answer them] but it was hard because we were confined with time and the distance to walk to the next place.
Caroline: I think I went for it a little bit more than she did. I’m pretty open with new people, so it wasn’t really a big deal for me. The last question was “kiss if you want to.” She pulled it off the back of the bench and opened it and just started laughing. We were like, “let’s sit on this nice bench and think about it.”
Laura: We did not kiss, because both of us were like, “this is weird.” And actually, literally as we read the question, a family was walking by, and we were like, this is not the place, not the time.
Caroline: I would have gone for it, but… I’m pretty cool with kissing people. We sat on the bench and talked for a bit. Then we walked back together and exchanged numbers when we got back to my dorm.
Laura: It was fun and funny. It was definitely a good experience, because it was kind of bizarre and not something I would usually do.
Caroline: We added each other on Snapchat, and I saw her that same night at a party, but we just said hi. I would be open to [something more], even if it’s just as a friend. She seems cool. My takeaway is that it was really fun and it’s a great story to tell other people — and if you think you know who I am, feel free to come talk to me. I’ll probably kiss you.
Update: One month after their date, Laura and Caroline haven’t seen each other again. “Maybe we will at some point though!” said Caroline.
These interviews have been condensed and edited for clarity. To sign up for MoRomance, visit bit.ly/moromance.
*Names have been changed for anonymity.