by Chase, PJ
"Do you want to talk about it?" Peter asked.
"With you?" Audrey shook her head. "That I'm not so sure about."
"Anyway, it's good to see you again," Peter said.
"Is it? Because you didn't seem so happy to see me the other day," Audrey insisted.
"That reminds me," Peter said.
"Oh what?" Audrey wondered.
"I just wanted to say I was sorry," Peter admitted.
"Well, I never expected that," Audrey said.
"You must have been so confused the other day. But I had a lot going on and unfortunately directed my frustration the wrong way," Peter said.
"I'm glad you apologized. I'm guessing I still can't interest you in an Surfer Romance novel though, right?" Audrey joked.
"Not in the least," Peter said.
"I had to try," Audrey replied.
"Anyway, I should get back to the field. But maybe I'll see you around," Peter said.
"Yeah. Maybe," Audrey replied.
Things had gone better this time. Right up until the point that when Peter left, Audrey found herself wondering when she really would see him again. That she didn't know. Although she was eager to find out.
Chapter Eleven
That night at the family dinner, Audrey's mom came storming back into the kitchen with another big smile on her face.
"I have good news," Carla said.
Audrey wasn't quite as enthusiastic though.
"Uh oh. I don't like the sound of that," Audrey replied.
"Oh, come on. Who doesn't like good news?" Carla asked.
"It's just the last time you said that to me it led to me getting stood up on a blind date," Audrey said.
"Actually, that's exactly what the news is about," Carla replied.
"I don't need the news. I've been broken enough already," Audrey insisted.
"But honey, you didn't get stood up," Carla said.
"Mom, have you lost it? You act like I wasn't there getting insanely humiliated," Audrey replied.
"His car broke down," Carla revealed. "He was on the way over to pick you up when he hit a big pothole that blew his. It turned into this whole big deal. But the point is, you weren't stood up."
"You're not just saying that, are you?" Audrey asked.
"Honey, it's the truth. But if you don't believe me, you can ask him. He'll be here tomorrow at six to pick you up," Carla explained.
"Wait. What?" Audrey asked.
"You're going to get to go on the date after all," Carla said.
"Mom, you rescheduled my date?" Audrey asked.
"Can't you just focus on the fact that you're going to get a second crack at this date?" Carla replied.
"But you didn't even ask me," Audrey insisted.
"Fine. I'll ask you now then. Do you really want to say no to this second chance?" Carla asked.
***
Audrey couldn't get over how much of a steamroller her mom was. But regardless of what Audrey thought of her mom, the fact remained that Audrey was getting another shot at the date, and she didn't want to turn it down. So once again Audrey found herself getting ready for a date and hoping for the best.
This time around though, Audrey didn't have to wait long. Her date showed up completely on time. But the most unexpected man came to her door. Audrey's blind date was none other than Peter from the ballpark. Audrey made no effort in hiding her surprise.
Peter was shocked as well though. Neither one knew quite what to say. For once they were speechless. But despite their loss of words, they were quite happy to be seeing each other again. Peter finally broke the ice.
"Howdy stranger. Funny running into you here," Peter remarked.
"I've been hearing that line a lot lately," Audrey said. She shook her head in disbelief. "Wow, you have to be kidding me."
"Sorry. I'm all out of jokes," Peter replied.
Audrey laughed. "Well, that's a shame. This will be a long date then."
"In that case, I guess I can see what jokes I can dig up," Peter said.
"That's more like it," Audrey replied. "So I heard you had car problems."
"Yeah. I'm sorry about that, but we're all squared away now," Peter said.
"You know, I'm not sure that I've heard the word sorry come from a man's mouth quite so much in such a short time," Audrey joked.
"At least before the first date that is," Peter said. "But look, even though we got off on the wrong foot, there's no reason the future can't be as bright as ever."
"So true. So let's see what this date has in store for us," Audrey replied.
***
"You know, I was really nervous about this date," Audrey admitted, on the car ride to the restaurant.
"Was that before or after you saw me at your front door?" Peter joked.
"No silly. Because it was a blind date. I've never been on one before," Audrey said.
"Yeah, just think. You could have been matched up with a crazy person," Peter replied.
"Are you implying that you aren't crazy?" Audrey joked.
"Well, not certifiable at least. Although I haven't been tested," Peter replied.
"Neither have I," Audrey admitted. "So I guess you'll just have to take my word for it."
"Let's just say that if you're not sane then I don't know who is. Besides, if I had gotten set up on a dud of a date my mom's book club would start losing all their credibility," Peter joked.
"Of course, and you can't have that. If you can't believe in your mom's book club, what can you believe in?" Audrey joked.
Peter chuckled. "Good words to live by."
"So how about you?" Audrey asked.
"I try not to live and die by what book clubs says," Peter replied.
"I meant have you ever been on a blind date before?" Audrey asked.
"Not even close," Peter said. "But if they're all this good, then why stop here?"
"Except the date won't be blind if we have a second one," Audrey pointed out.
"Look at you bringing logic to the conversation," Peter replied.
"I find that sometimes it comes in handy," Audrey said.
"Go figure. Maybe I should try it," Peter joked.
"You know, your wit sure is quick sometimes," Audrey noticed.
"Yeah. I find that a slow wit isn't all that useful," Peter said.
"You're probably right," Audrey replied.
"Anyway, I just have to say that this date has already started better than I imagined," Peter said.
"We haven't even gotten to the restaurant yet. What, did you imagine this date being a grease fire or something?" Audrey joked.
"Honestly, I didn't even know what to expect," Peter admitted.
"Well, hooray for low standards then, huh?" Audrey said.
***
"So I just have to know, what's the deal with you hating romance novels?" Audrey asked.
Peter stopped eating midbite. This was clearly a topic that Peter wanted to put behind him. But Audrey's mind was too curious to drop anything without knowing the facts first. So even though it was a story Peter didn't want to tell, it wasn't clear how long he could avoid it.
"I'm not sure this is first date conversation," Peter said.
"Uh oh. Must be a doozy," Audrey replied.
It was clear that dinner wasn't going anywhere without some kind of explanation.
"Alright, I'll tell you. But you've been warned," Peter said.
"Oh, come on. It can't be that bad, can it?" Audrey asked.
"Those romance novels cost me my last relationship," Peter revealed.
Audrey backtracked. "Ok, so it is that bad. I'm sorry."
"Tell me about it. I thought I was going to marry her," Peter said.
"Wow. So what does that have to do with romance novels?" Audrey asked.
"My ex loved them--a little too much. She read so many of them that she started mistaking fantasy for reality. She refused to believe that life wasn't a fairy tale. She wanted everything to be perfect," Peter explained.
&nbs
p; "That's incredible. I mean, no one's perfect. We're all human. We're all flawed--some a lot more than others," Audrey said.
"Exactly. I mean, it's not that I don't try my best--I do. But I can't live up to a romance novel," Peter replied.
"No one can though," Audrey said.
"See, you get it. But the thing is, she didn't. And one day she just couldn't take reality anymore. And she decided that she'd try finding a more perfect life with someone else," Peter replied.
"That must have been heartbreaking," Audrey said.
"Oh, it completely destroyed me for a long time. I never thought I'd get over it," Peter admitted.
"I certainly know that feeling," Audrey said. "But eventually you hit rock bottom. The good news is though that it can only get better from there.
"It's starting to get a little better right now actually being here with you," Peter replied.
"Ah, how sweet," Audrey said.
"It's just the truth," Peter replied.
A smile came to Audrey's face. "Well, I just want to say on behalf of romance readers that I'm not like that."
"What, you mean you're not going to trample my heart?" Peter joked.
"I think that's safe to say," Audrey replied.
"You think? What, you don't know?" Peter asked.
"Of course I'm not going to trample your heart. I know what it feels like to have it happen to you and I'd never want to do something like that to anyone," Audrey explained.
"I'm sorry you've gone through it too," Peter said.
"Yeah, well here's hoping those days are behind me," Audrey replied.
"I'd bet they are," Peter said. "So you said you weren't the kind of romance reader that my ex was. So what kind of romance reader are you then?"
"I just read those books to escape," Audrey replied.
"Escape from what?" Peter wondered.
"Reality. You know, when you have a bad day--when life isn't measuring up to what you want it to be, it's nice to have a little escape to a place where things really do end happily ever after," Audrey explained.
"That makes sense," Peter said.
"The key is to realize that it's just a story. You know it's not real but parts of it can be. It's a nice place to visit," Audrey replied.
"And where did you visit in your latest book?" Peter asked.
"Hawaii," Audrey said.
"Hawaii, huh? Did you have a good time?" Peter joked.
"Of course. It's paradise there," Audrey said.
"Sounds like it. Have you been there in person?" Peter asked.
"No. Only in books for now," Audrey said. "But maybe one day in person."
Peter smiled to himself. "Interesting."
***
"You know, I've actually been to Hawaii," Peter said, as they stopped at an ice cream store for a sweet dessert.
Audrey couldn't remember the last time ice cream to the backseat to a conversation, but after hearing Peter mention Hawaii, she suddenly couldn't care less about dessert.
"Are you serious?" Audrey asked.
"Oh yeah. I'm not just a baseball player. I'm a surfer too," Peter said.
"You gotta be kidding me," Audrey replied.
"I'm not kidding you at all," Peter said.
"Damn, what are the odds?" Audrey asked. "So, since you know from experience, what's Hawaii really like?" Audrey asked.
"You got the sun and the sand right, but sometimes there's trouble in paradise too," Peter said.
"You're breaking my heart here. What could possibly be wrong with Hawaii?" Audrey wondered.
"Look, sometimes fantasy doesn't live up to the reality. For example, it's great for a nice week long vacation, but living there full time is different. It's so far away. So isolated. Just talking to the locals, they catch island fever. Not to mention if your family isn't in Hawaii, that's a long trip just to visit them," Peter explained.
"Wow, I never thought of it like that. Way to burst my bubble," Audrey said.
"Sorry. I'm just telling you what I've heard from people that actually live there," Peter replied.
"Well, I think it's safe to say that the Hawaii Tourism Bureau won't be hiring you anytime soon," Audrey joked.
"Hey, I love it as a vacation spot. And if you have a honeymoon, there's no better place to go. But to live there forever--that's a long time," Peter said.
"It's funny. Now maybe it's just because I'm a dreamer, but I only ever looked at the good of going to Hawaii," Audrey explained.
"Well, the problem with being a dreamer is that sometimes life gives you a rude awakening," Peter said.
"Yeah, life can be a real pain in the ass sometimes," Audrey admitted.
"That's an interesting way of putting it," Peter said.
"What can I say? Life has put me in some interesting situations over the years," Audrey replied.
"But look, you could have different experience in Hawaii. Results may vary," Peter said.
"Results may vary? You sound like a disclaimer," Audrey replied.
"I like to bring a disclaimer on all my dates. Warning: in the event that you're having a horrible time with me, run away," Peter joked.
"You can put your disclaimer away. You're not going to need it on this date," Audrey said.
"It's good to know I'm doing something right," Peter replied.
Audrey smiled. "I think it's safe to say you're doing a lot right."
"I should probably quit while I'm ahead then," Peter joked.
"Oh no you don't. I'm having too much fun," Audrey insisted.
***
Eventually though, the night did have to come to an end. Peter walked Audrey to her door with a glow in his eyes.
"Well, this was a resounding failure," Peter joked.
Audrey laughed.
"Oh yeah. I don't ever want to see you again," she replied, sarcastically.
"So tomorrow wouldn't be good for you then?" Peter asked.
"Nah, I'll be washing my hair indefinitely," Audrey joked.
"That's a lot of time spent in the shower," Peter pointed out.
"Gotta keep clean. Never underestimate the power of good hygiene," Audrey said.
"Words of wisdom," Peter replied. "Got anymore?"
"I have to save something for the second date," Audrey admitted.
"I thought you'd be washing your hair," Peter said.
"Oh, right. Well I'll be really clean when you come to pick me up," Audrey replied.
"I can't wait," Peter said.
***
"So, how was it?" Carla asked, waiting impatiently on the phone.
"Mom, I just got back from the date. Give me a second here," Audrey insisted.
"Oh, come on. I've been waiting all night to see how things would turn out," Carla said.
"Wow. I think you're more excited than I am," Audrey replied.
"Now tell me, was I right, or was I right?" Carla asked.
"Well, you weren't wrong," Audrey said.
"You just love keeping the suspense up, don't you?" Carla asked.
"Don't worry. The book club came through again," Audrey admitted.
Carla was giddy with glee. "I don't want to say I told you so--"
"But you're going to anyway, aren't you?" Audrey interrupted.
"Honey, I've told you before--listen to your mom and you'll never go wrong," Carla said.
"Don't get too excited. It's just one date," Audrey replied.
"Wait, aren't you excited?" Carla asked.
"Of course I am. But I've been excited before about first dates. I just don't want to get too excited is all," Audrey explained.
"I understand. How about this, I'll get excited enough for the rest of us?" Carla suggested.
"Hopefully happiness will be here to stay this time. But only time will tell," Audrey said.
"I think you'll be pleasantly surprised," Carla remarked.
Audrey was plenty excited, but she didn't want to lead on too much with her mom. The question became though, would the second date be able
to live up to the first?
Chapter Twelve
When Peter picked Audrey up for their date the next day, both were as excited as can be.
"So what words of wisdom do you have for me tonight?" Peter asked.
"Wait. Did I promise wisdom?" Audrey replied.
Peter laughed. "You forgot already? Do you remember anything about last night?"
"I remember having the time of my life. That has to count for something, right?" Audrey asked.
"So you've just conveniently forgotten the wisdom you were going to share with me?" Peter joked.
"Go figure, I'm not as wise as I thought," Audrey cracked back.
"You should stick to what you're good at," Peter suggested.
"And what's that?" Audrey asked.
"Well for one, being beautiful," Peter said.
"Really, you're going to go with that cheap line?" Audrey replied.
"I'm sorry, but it's the only cheap line I've got," Peter joked. "It also happens to be the truth too."
"Well thank you. I was thinking you were going to go with something different though," Audrey said.
"What else is there to compliment you about--other than your keen intellect and your caring heart?" Peter said.
"Oh, come on. How could you forget my razor sharp wit?" Audrey joked.
"I thought it went without saying," Peter replied.
"Don't you know? You should never hold back when it comes to compliments," Audrey said.
"In that case, we'll be here all night," Peter replied.
"Well, what else do you have planned? It's not like we have a date to head out on or anything," Audrey joked.
"You're right. Let's just sit in the car and I'll compliment you all night?" Peter replied.
"Now you're just being ridiculous," Audrey said.
"Hey, I'm just playing to my strengths," Peter replied.
"Well then carry on. But if you're going to be ridiculous, I guess we won't be pontificating on the meaning of life then, huh?" Audrey said.
"Do you make a habit of pontificating on dates?" Peter asked.
"No. I tend to stick with ruminating. Or expounding if I'm really feeling ambitious," Audrey joked.
Peter laughed. "It's going to be one of those nights, isn't it?"
"What, you mean full of laughs? I sure hope so," Audrey said.
***
"So, what do you think the meaning of life is?" Audrey asked.
That was not the question Peter expected at the start of dinner. Peter thought for sure that Audrey was joking, so he responded in kind.