Blind date: ‘At the end of the evening he pulled out a package of Pop Rocks for me’

KEN M.: 57 / fourth-grade teacher

Last thing he read: A great New Yorker edition

What makes him a catch? He’s well educated, well respected, and an excellent cook.

6 P.M. PADDY’S PUBLIC HOUSE, WEST NEWTON

Amy I was with friends and one mentioned the idea of me signing up for Cupid. We all had a good laugh, but then I realized I had nothing to lose!

Ken I read the Globe every day and enjoy the Sunday magazine column.

Amy It was a hot and humid day, so I laid low in the afternoon.

Ken I got there early to try and pick an appropriate spot to sit. I had been there before and wanted to sit in the quiet upstairs but they had reserved it for a private party. I picked a good spot downstairs in the dining room and went to sit in the car and wait five more minutes.

Amy I think he arrived a little bit before me. The host connected us.

Ken I let her go in first. The hostess took me over. She had picked a different (better!) table.

Amy Ken was very cute, tall, and I appreciated that he took care to dress well.

Ken She seemed at ease from the beginning of the date.

Amy We covered a lot — growing up, family life, work life. I was impressed that he has been a teacher for so long, and that he has chosen to teach fourth grade.

Ken She does really good work helping people. I was impressed that she is the boss of her agency.

Amy We are the same age, our kids are at similar stages of life. It felt like he prioritized his friendships, which are so important to me as well.

Ken We both have kids, mine are adults and hers are a bit younger.

Amy We discovered that one of his friends from college went to high school with me, which seemed pretty random since he went to college in Maine and I grew up in Minnesota.

Ken Our politics lined up and we talked a little about that, but ultimately we laughed about wanting to keep conversation happy.

Amy Because it was so hot out, we didn’t order typical pub food. We shared a pizza and I got a salad. Nice cocktails. We had a great server.

Ken We dissected the menu together. We landed on the BBQ chicken pizza — it was big and so good.

Amy I appreciated his directness and candor. He was thoughtful. And he was clearly smitten with his kids. At the end of the evening he pulled out a package of Pop Rocks for me — he had bought some for his students. I literally haven’t had them in decades, and it was a sweet and funny blast from the past to share them.

Ken [I felt] very comfortable.

Amy We were the last to leave the restaurant. Even though the date felt like it went quickly, we both needed to work early the next day. We hugged when we first met and again when we said goodbye. It felt right.

Ken [We] walked to our closely parked cars together and said that we had fun.

Amy I’m open to it.

Ken No. We were not a match from my side.

Amy / A

Ken / A

Go on a blind date. We’ll pick up the tab. Fill out an application at bostonglobe.com/cupid. Follow us on Twitter or Instagram @dinnerwithcupid.