So there I was, sitting across from a lovely Tinder match at a cozy little café in the West Village. We were going through the usual pleasantries—favorite movies, travel stories, the drama of that one time they went to see a psychic who said they’d meet their soulmate in a “dimly lit basement”—you know, typical first-date chit-chat. Then, halfway through my iced coffee, she leans in as if she’s about to share a secret strategy for beating big pharma at their own game. “So, what do you think about ghosting?” I grinned, thinking she meant the dating term where one person simply disappears like a sock in the dryer. But, no. She dove deeper. “I mean, ghosting people is one thing, but have you ever tried to summon actual ghosts?” There it was—my wild card. “What do you mean? Like, at a haunted house?” “Not quite,” she said with an intensity that suggested she had been waiting for this moment—her own ghost date reveal. “I have a Ouija board I keep at my apartment. We could invite some spirits over. They typically hate small talk too, so it’s perfect!” I almost spat my coffee everywhere. “You want me to commune with the dead after two rounds of espresso?” “Why not?” she said. “Could lead to a killer conversation!” All I could think was, if things went south, I might just end up being