When You Least Expect It

by Sandra Leiper

  He and Amanda had not decided on a date yet. They had decided that it would be best to wait until after the divorce was final. The court date was only a couple of weeks away now, but Ray wasn’t too sure it would actually happen. He’d not heard from Carrie in a while, and that worried him. He was afraid that she was up to something. As he walked into his office, he put it out of his mind; the less he heard from Carrie the better. His phone rang and he hurriedly picked it up, ready for the workday to begin. It was Amanda.

  “What are you doing up so early?”

  “I can’t sleep thinking of us meeting. I was wondering if you have time to talk to me about a date. I can’t wait!”

  “I can’t either! Although I have to admit, I’m a bit nervous.” Have you told anyone yet?”

  “Nope, besides for Mariah, I haven’t brought it up. I think I’m scared of what my family is going to say.”

  Ray laughed. “Well, I might only tell my mother, and of course Diego. I haven’t told either of them about you yet, but I think the time has come. I’m a little bit nervous about it myself, but I think they’ll both be supportive.”

  “Okay then, when should we meet?” Amanda was starting to drift off to sleep.

  “Let me figure it out and talk to you tonight. You sound like you need to sleep. Try to get in a couple of hours before work.”

  She didn’t want to, but she couldn’t keep her eyes opened any more. “Okay, but today is the day we set the date. I’ll call you later.”

  “By the time we next speak, a date will be set. Now get some shuteye, girl!

  “Good night Ray. I’m going to go dream of ‘Knights’ in shining armor.”

  Ray groaned, ‘Really, Mandy?”

  They both were giggling as they hung up.

  ~~~

  Ray checked his calendar to see when the best time would be to take vacation time. He was taking a day off for the court hearing; maybe he should just extend it and take a week off. That way, he’d do the hearing, get his place ready for Mandy, and be able to take her to all the sights he wanted. She didn’t know this yet, but he planned to take her into New York City. She’d love that. However, as of yet, they hadn’t talked about where she’d be staying, and if it was with him, what the sleeping arrangements would be. He didn’t want to assume anything, or pressure her into doing anything she wasn’t ready to do. It wasn’t as if they’d never had sexual conversations, they definitely had. Ray wasn’t going to think about it, he’d just let nature take its course. If it happened, it happened, and it would be great, and if she wasn’t ready for it, then that would be okay too; the important part would be them meeting.

  He requested the time off. He could always change his mind if it wasn’t a good time for Amanda. He rocked back in his chair with his hands behind his head, thinking about what a great time they were going to have.

  Amanda woke up about eleven, thinking about Ray. She had called Mariah and told her she was sick, she’d needed some more sleep. She thought of her early morning conversation with Ray. She was so excited that they were going to meet. Finally, she’d find out if they really did have a ‘love connection’, or if she was just a desperate and lonely woman who latched on to any man that paid attention to her. Wait, that wasn’t true, she didn’t become attached to the men she dated. It didn’t matter anyhow; she was flying to Maine to find out if soul mates really did exist. The proof would be in his eyes.

  She padded into the kitchen to make herself a cup of coffee. As she toasted a bagel, she deliberated on how she would tell the kids. They, of course, wouldn’t try to stop her, but she would have to tread lightly, this was definitely not something she’d want them to try, and she didn’t want it thrown in her face one day when they did something crazy. She laughed, holy cow, even she thought she was crazy. It was unquestionably out of the ordinary for her, but she felt it was something she had to do. It felt right to her, so she had no doubts. Okay, she had a few doubts, but wanted to take the chance. She wanted Ray to be everything she hoped, and had to pray that she came back alive. She had to hope he was being truthful with her and that she wouldn’t get to Maine and find out it was just a great big lie. What would she do? Would she stay there with him anyway? Where was she going to stay? What if they didn’t connect? She knew did know one thing, and that was that she needed the answers to these questions before she talked to Ray.

  It was time to tell Hilary. She sighed. She dreaded it. Maybe she’d go take a shower and dress and be all refreshed before taking this on. Yes, she would do just that. It would give her just enough time to come up with a good defense, because as it stood, the whole notion sounded crazy, even to her.

  ~~~

  Hilary was on her way to Nene’s to meet her sister. She was a little concerned because Amanda sounded like the cat that swallowed the canary. She hated when her sister sounded that way. It usually meant she’d met someone and was already head over heels in love. Her pet peeve where her sister was concerned was she always went into everything heart first, instead of using her brain.

  She pulled into the parking lot and decided a margarita was in order. It didn’t look like Amanda was there yet, so she decided to hit the bar anyway and start on her drink. She wanted to be ready for her sisters ‘big news’.

  She was a little disheartened at how busy the bar was, but since she spotted two stools, decided to wait for Amanda there. She ordered a cheese quesadilla, Nene’s specialty, and a strawberry margarita and waited happily. It was rare that she had these almost quiet moments. She relished it.

  She spotted Amanda coming in and waved her over. She hated sitting at the bar, but that’s what she gets for being late.

  “Are we getting a table?”

  “No, I have food coming, let’s just sit here. I’m anxious to hear your news.”,

  Amanda brightened. She’d almost forgotten. “Okay, now promise not to freak out?”

  “Who, me? Never!”

  “I’m going to Maine to meet Ray.” She held her breath.

  There was a long moment of silence.

  Hilary finally spoke. “Excuse me? I must have heard wrong Mandy, because I thought I heard you say you were going to fly thousands of miles away from home to meet someone you don’t even know.”

  Amanda’s face dropped. “I did. I am.”

  “No you aren’t.”

  “Yes, I am. Look Hilary, I’ve been talking to Ray for a year. I need to know if what we have via long distance is real. I want to move on with my life one way or another. If it’s real, then we have to consider that. If it’s not, then maybe I can find someone like Dan again, and have a chance at a relationship. With Ray hanging over my head, I can’t.”

  The silence almost filled the whole restaurant. It was as if time stood still.

  “Why can’t he come here?”

  “Because Hil, as you just pointed out, I don’t technically know him. Why put you, my kids and everybody else I know at risk, just in case he is a psycho. I want to trust my instincts and believe he isn’t, but I only want myself on the line. Can you just trust me, Hil?”

  Hilary started to cry. “I regret every day ever getting you started in those stupid chat rooms, Mandy. If I had known it was going to lead to this, I never would have. Why can’t you ever just be normal and do things like other people? Why did you have to get involved with someone?”

  Amanda put her arm around her sister. “Well I didn’t know either, but I have to follow my heart now. Are you with me?”

  Hilary groaned. She’d been right all along; it always had something to do with Amanda’s heart, whether it was right or wrong, stupid or smart. “Well I guess I have no choice now, do I? Nothing had better happen to you out there, Amanda! You have kids and people who love you here, you better not be taking a risk you aren’t pretty damned sure of.” She hugged her sister. “But I’m with you; as long as I know all the details, and you call me every day.

  Amanda shrieked with joy. “Woohoo! I will Hilary, as soon as we have the details so
rdid out, I’ll tell you everything.” She held up her margarita to make a toast. “To adventures!”

  Hilary rolled her eyes. She touched her glass, “To adventures.”

  After their toast, Amanda and Hilary talked about the scenario’s that faced Amanda. Hilary wasn’t too keen on her staying with Ray, although Ray said he had a futon he’d sleep on, and she could sleep on his bed. Hilary wanted her to have an open-ended ticket so she could get right back on if she wanted to. Amanda said she couldn’t afford that. Hilary wanted her to go for just overnight; Amanda said if she liked him, it wouldn’t be long enough. They settled for a long weekend instead of a week, everything else was still up in the air.

  “Okay Hil, I’m going to set the date with Ray tonight, and then I’m going to buy the airline ticket. I’m so excited, and I want you to be excited too. This could change my life; and in case you haven’t noticed, my life could use some changing.”

  Although Hilary still had numerous hesitations, she couldn’t help but be excited for her sister. This took guts. She admired her. “I hope it all turns out how you want it to, Mandy. Just please, be careful!”

  Amanda got up to leave. “Thanks Hilary, I will. Now I’m off to call Ray and get this adventure started. Thanks for listening, helping me, and being on my side. I love you!” She hugged her sister and was off.

  Hilary just shook her head. “I love you too, wing nut.”

  ~~~

  Amanda’s phone was ringing when she got home. She practically skipped to answer it.

  “Ray?”

  “Hey, how did you know it was me?”

  “I sensed it. So I just got back from telling Hilary I was coming to meet you.”

  “Oh? How did that go?” Ray knew that Hilary was not his biggest fan.

  “Not bad. She wasn’t too keen on the idea at first, but she warmed up to it, and in the end, gave me her blessing. I’m so excited! So, what do you have for a date?”

  Amanda’s excitement was catching. Ray jumped right on the wagon. “I thought that next month, right after my divorce hearing would be a good time. The weather is nice here at that time, and it would be nice for sightseeing. Plus, I’d be divorced so we wouldn’t be doing anything seedy.” Ray laughed.

  Next month? Amanda froze. “Wow, that’s soon. I don’t know if I could get off work that fast.”

  “Well you’ll never know until you ask. Is there a problem with the date? Do you want to put it off longer?” Ray hoped not. He wanted to meet her as soon as possible.

  She considered this for a moment. If she put it off too long, she might chicken out.

  “No Ray, I think that date’s fine. Tomorrow I’ll put in my request at work and see what happens. I definitely have the vacation time, and the money for the ticket, so it should be a breeze!"

  Ray hesitated for only a moment. “I can help you with the airline ticket, Mandy. I don’t have a lot of money, but I could pitch in at least.”

  Although touched by his offer, Amanda wouldn’t hear of it. “No Ray, I want to do it myself. It’s my adventure. You’re nice enough to put me up and hopefully feed me, right?”

  Ray reddened. Amanda was going to sleep over! “Umm, what will the sleeping arrangements be, Mandy?” Ray knew what he certainly hoped for, but it was all up to her.

  Amanda smiled. Ray was such a gentleman, even if she could see right through him. “Why don’t we play it by ear, but be prepared for anything…if you know what I mean.” Amanda prayed she wouldn’t have to spell it out. She groaned at his next response.

  “What do you mean?” Ray was lost. It had been a long time since he had to consider this kind of thing.

  Amanda was so embarrassed. But, they were both adults, so she better just get it out in the open. “I just mean Ray, if things do happen to progress between us, better that you be prepared before hand, instead of worrying about it in the middle of things. Get it?”

  Ray did know and was ecstatic. “You mean, you think we might?”

  She laughed, “Well you never know. If things go well, maybe, it will. Unless you don’t want to, it's totally up to you.”

  “Oh no, I want to. As long as you want to…if we connect and we…you…feel comfortable…” Ray knew he was stammering, but couldn’t seem to be able to control his tongue.

  “Well I won’t know until I get there, but let’s just be safe, ok?”

  “I totally agree, and can I just say one thing?”

  “Sure, what is it?”

  “I can’t wait!” They both laughed heartily, feeling happy, nervous and excited.

  “Me neither, in fact, I can’t believe its happening. It’s like; the moment of truth is finally here. If somebody was narrating this event, they’d say something like…’Will Ray and Amanda find their love connection? Will they ‘click’ with that first kiss? Tune in same time, same place tomorrow’…” Amanda laughed.

  Ray laughed too. “Well, that is the question of the hour, isn’t it? I just know we will, Mandy. We have to.”

  She knew exactly where Ray was coming from. The uncertainty of all of this was finally coming to a head, and it was a little scary. What if they didn’t ‘click’? What would they do then? She shook this thought from her mind. Of course, they would click. It would be no different from the web or the phone.

  “Mandy, I better get to bed. Let me know what happens tomorrow.”

  “I will, Ray. Goodnight.”

  “Goodnight, Mandy. Love you.”

  Amanda smiled. She loved him too.

  ~~~

  Amanda went straight into Mariah’s office to talk about her vacation. Mariah told her not to worry about it, whatever time she needed was fine with her. They’d function just fine without her. She was ecstatic. Next thing on the agenda was to get an airline ticket. She jumped on the Internet at her lunch hour and “bargain shopped”. It looked like she was going to be able to pull this off for about $200. She wrote down the dates and times, she'd talk to Ray; after all, she didn’t want to buy the tickets without finding out first if he got the time off, and if he’d be able to pick her up. Amanda shivered at the thought; it was just surreal that she was going to fly to Maine, meet a man she’d never met face to face, stay at his house, and hang out with him for several days. Who was she? The down to earth, relatively levelheaded Amanda would never do anything so risqué. Why exactly was she taking this chance? She shook her head, must be a mid-life crisis! She laughed out loud before picking up the phone to call Ray. Whatever it was, it looked like she was going to go through with it.

  She dialed the many numbers needed from her phone card to get through to Ray. He answered the phone, but seemed preoccupied.

  “Did I get you at a bad time?”

  “Well, I’m a little tied up with a technical problem. As far fetched as it may sound, I occasionally do a little work around here.” Ray laughed. “Unfortunately as much as I’d like to talk to you now, I’ll have to call you when I get home. Is that alright?” Ray was hesitant as he didn’t like putting Amanda off.

  “Of course it is. I’ll talk to you later.” The funny part was that she didn’t actually like it, but understood. After all, occasionally she put in a few hours at work, herself. She reluctantly came back down to reality and went to check on the medical supplies.

  ~~~

  .

  ~~~

  Ray was getting ready for bed, although he was too excited to sleep. He’d just hung up with Amanda; they’d picked a date, a time, and put the sleeping arrangements on hold. She was probably buying the airline ticket right this very minute. In two weeks, he’d be divorced and be meeting his soul mate, all in one week. His life would be taking a turn for the better.

  He lay down and thought about what he’d do with Amanda. He wanted to show her everything, the beaches, the historical sites, and he wanted to take her to New York City. He loved showing people NYC for the first time; they were always so impressed. Amanda was so excited about her trip…she’d never traveled very far from El Paso. He
was so happy that she decided to give them a chance. He prayed that they got along, that she didn’t find him repulsive, and that he could make her feel about him in person as she did via the phone and Internet cables.

  Tomorrow he was going to call Diego. It was time for his friend to find out about his Internet adventures. He thought that he’d be okay with it, and that he’d be happy for him, but he wasn’t one hundred percent sure. He’d find out tomorrow.

  His mom on the other hand, he was not sure about at all. It might be too high tech for her to comprehend. But, he wanted her to know. They were having lunch tomorrow, and he was going to tell her. It was definitely going to be an interesting day.

  He turned out the light and willed his mind to rest. He dozed off, dreaming of Amanda.

  Chapter 30

  Amanda and Elisa were shopping at their favorite mall. Amanda had bought two nice blouses, a new pair of jeans, and a pretty skirt, just in case she went out somewhere nice. They were having lunch at the food court talking about Elisa’s job when she decided to broach the Maine subject. Fortunately, Elisa gave her a great segue.

  “Mom, usually when we go shopping you buy me stuff, today it’s been all about you. Not that I mind, I’m happy you’re buying yourself stuff.”

  Amanda laughed. “Are you feeling left out? Do you need something? I could buy you something too.”

  Elisa blushed. “Well, since you’re offering; a new skirt would be nice; I met a guy, so I’ve been going out to nicer places than usual.”

  “Really, what’s he like?”

  “He’s a very handsome baseball player at my college. He’s dark haired and dark eyed, and treats me well. I especially like the fact that women drool as we pass.” They both laughed.