The Sydney Morning Herald march 21, 2007 radar 5

TABLE FOR EIGHT

THE RELATIONSHIPS GAME • THE FOLLOW-UP DATE
YOU+ME
Jane Lyons discovers that giving
the brush-off is not always easy.

SKY BLUES I had only seen him a handful

them to see various parts of the
night sky. For the final trick, a
more modern digital telescope
was set in position focusing on the
moon and a selection of planets.
The couple finished the evening
with a coffee at Circular Quay.
After walking Jacqueline to her
car, Peter said goodnight.
The following afternoon, Cupid
was eager to hear how it all went.
Peter was the first to spill the
Photo: Fiona Morris
beans. “We talked all night,” he
said, adding that they “definitely
have a lot in common”. This looked
promising. “She’s a lovely girl and
I really enjoyed the time with her.”
Would he be seeing Jacqueline
again? “Again and again and
Astronomic potential … Peter Moss, 32, and Jacqueline Chachaty, 29. hopefully again after that,” he
said. “Sooner rather than later.”
Jacqueline, on the other hand,
After a date at Fortunately the concern was
unwarranted and the couple soon
was not so sure. “Peter’s a lovely
guy, well-mannered and polite,”
Sydney Observatory, sat down for dinner. she said. “I’m generally pretty
did this week’s A leisurely stroll to the
observatory followed and the pair
fussy with the people I end up
going out with.”
couple see stars in joined a group of 10 or so celestial Would “well-mannered and
each other’s eyes? sightseers. Donning 3D glasses,
they got into the swing of things
polite” be enough? “I’m not sure
we’d be suited as a couple.”
By Brooke Hemphill. by watching a short film. With a little prodding,
Moving to another Jacqueline remembered a key
room, each visitor took conversation theme during their
hat could be more turns looking through date: “We chatted a lot about
of times, but I was impressed.
He took his time and seemed to
know what he was doing, so I sat
back and let him take control. But
by the third time, he just wasn’t
cutting it.
Sure, he was still good with his
hands. There was brilliance in the
flash of his Edward Scissorhands
moves and you couldn’t fault him
on his artistry. But something was
missing: he didn’t understand my
needs. He just didn’t get my hair.
Those of you who live in the
purgatory of hair limbo may
be familiar with this follicular
dialogue: “I’m curly. No, I’m
straight. No, curly ...”
Personality parallels aside, the
indecisiveness of my hair borders
on schizophrenic. It only takes
one wrong cut and my hair splits
in two: a nice little ’fro on top that
spends most of its time giving the
finger to the limp lengths sitting
on my shoulders.
salon, it changes its mind and
changes its mind and ...
So when a new hairdresser
entered my life I thought things
might be different; finally,
someone who would understand.
But did he listen? Noooooooo.
What to do? Was it time to give
him the big brush-off? Or was I
giving up too soon? Did we just
need to communicate better?
And if it was time to start looking
around for someone else, why
did I feel so guilty? After all,
how serious were we after only
a few cuts?
Perhaps we needed a trial
separation. In the meantime
I would be free to see other
hairdressers. I told myself it
wouldn’t mean anything; I just
wanted to see what else was out
there. Besides, he’d never know.
I asked around and a friend
recommended a swanky new
salon around Oxford Street. It was
$40 more than I had previously

W romantic than an evening

of stargazing? With this
Australia’s oldest
telescope. The roof
movies.” Not a film buff herself,
she noted Peter’s passion for

Illustration: Robert Parkinson

in mind, the ever-optimistic Cupid
sent our latest couple to Sydney
Observatory for a night tour.
After meeting at the Minus
5 ice bar a week earlier, film
producer Peter Moss and IT analyst
programmer Jacqueline Chachaty
surprised many by selecting each
other for a follow-up date from the
line-up of unusual suspects. As Ash
Donaldson and Kerry Langstaff
looked like the hot couple on the
night, Peter and Jacqueline’s mutual
attraction went largely undetected.
On Saturday evening our
anxious suitor arrived early for
dinner at Wagamama. Jacqueline
appeared soon after but not so
soon that Peter didn’t wonder for
a moment whether she would
turn up at all. He shared his fears
with Cupid via text message.
rotated to allow cinema captured all aspects of the
art form – “It might be a bit too
technical for me.”
HOW IT WORKS After Peter’s enthusiasm,
Table for Eight is Radar’s Jacqueline’s ambivalence was
relationships game. Four guys and disappointing – but there was a
four girls break the ice at Minus 5 glimmer of hope. “I would be keen
in Circular Quay. Afterwards, each to see him again,” Jacqueline said,
ranks members of the opposite “but [I’m] not sure what would
sex and the “matches” are sent develop. Maybe it’s just early days
on a date including dinner at ... it takes time for love to develop.”
Wagamama. Runners-up score Ultimately we can’t be Braver men have tried to tame paid but that only served to
tickets to Single in the City compatible with everyone, but this shrew. Smug in their Ksubi heighten the thrill of my guilty
(after-work drinks for under 35s) when pragmatism meets old- jeans and gelled, spiky hair, they little secret.
on April 19 at Mint, courtesy of fashioned romance, the best steamroll my hair into an air- That is, until I stepped through
www.fastimpressions.com.au. approach is to give the pairing blown and brushed version of its the salon door and the hairs on
a chance, which is exactly what former self. the back of my neck stood up,
Email Cupid at our couple is doing. Perhaps the For a short while, my hair gives waving at a familiar face.
brooke.jennine planets are not aligned in their in. “I’m straight, I’m straight, I’m There he was, the new
@gmail.com favour, but only time will tell. straight,” it drones. But once man in my life: my recently
to volunteer. Next week we join Ash and past the pearly gates of sleek-gal relocated hairdresser.
Kerry for their adventure.

RAD 005