by DW Cee
“And?...”
“And nothing…I got on the freeway and that was it.”
Mom stopped what she was doing and gave me a piqued look. “That’s it? I don’t know if you could say that you actually met him since you didn’t do much more than wave hello.”
“Keep listening. It gets much better. So the next day, we happened to see each other at around the same spot and he waved again. I laughed but didn’t wave back and sped off as soon as the light turned green.”
Now my mom looked down right exasperated. “Could we fast forward to when he actually asked you out?”
“Just wait! There’s more. So we kept meeting each other on the road, almost like he’d been waiting for me to drive by, and today, I saw him a couple of cars over and he held up a sign that said, “Dinner?”
I lightly hopped up and down. “Isn’t that cute? It’s almost like we’re in a movie. He asked if I wanted to have dinner with him but I decided to play hard to get and just smiled. And then, I sped off again.”
“I hope this story ends soon.” Mom warned.
“So, this guy and his friend who always drives the car, were following, and they drove right behind me and honked at me to stop, but I couldn’t. There was nowhere to stop. So they followed me on the freeway and he held up more signs. First it was, ‘Stop your car.’ When I didn’t, he held up, ‘Please have dinner with me.’ I almost got into an accident trying to read that one. Then they just followed me all the way to work.”
“Is that where he asked you out?”
“Yeah.” I answered in a dreamy voice. “He said he’d follow me around all day if I didn’t go out with him. So… I gave him our address and he’s going to pick me up in about thirty minutes.”
Glancing at my watch I realized I was running late. “I gotta go change and reapply my makeup. Bye.” Kissing my mom on the cheek, I ran upstairs to get ready for my date.
Right on cue, the doorbell rang at 7:30. Mom went to answer it and I could hear them conversing.
“Hello, Mrs. Maize. My name is Paul Kingston. I’m here to pick up Olivia.”
“Come on in.” I heard Paul’s footsteps and my stomach fluttered. “Olivia. Paul is here for you.”
“I’m coming,” I announced sashaying down the steps.
There he was, with two bouquets of flowers and looking as gentlemanly as possible in nice slacks and a dinner coat.
“Hi.” Paul smiled. “These are for you.” He handed me one bouquet but was still holding onto the other one. “Oh, and these are for you, Mrs. Maize.”
Mom gave him a pleased smile. She liked him immediately. “Thank you, Paul. That was kind of you to think of me as well.”
“Are you ready?” He looked at me again.
I nodded yes and we left for our first date.
“The flowers for my mom… smooth move.” Giggling, I looked at Paul’s expression.
“I wasn’t trying to be smooth.” He broke into a laugh.
“Yeah you were!” My giggle turned into full on laughter.
“Why, I don’t know what you are talking about. Come on, let’s go eat. I’m starving.”
“So Paul, what do you do for a living? I don’t know a thing about you except for your name. I can’t believe I accepted your invitation to dinner. I must have been crazy.”
“I’m a computer programmer. I create software.” Recognizing the blank look on my face he added, “I take it you are not technical?”
“I’m technically challenged is what I am. Besides the basic Microsoft Word, I don’t know much else about computers.”
“What do you do? Since I see you on the road every morning, I assume you have a job as well?”
“Naw. I just drive up and down that road hoping some loony will hold up signs asking me to go out with him.” I attempted my most serious voice.
“Is that what you thought of me? A loony?” Maybe we should cut this dinner short.” His attempt at a threat hid behind those beautiful blue eyes. This guy had to be the most beautiful looking man I’d ever laid eyes on. His face wasn’t movie star attractive but he had such poster boy good looks – the boy next door quality that every mom would like. He had a comforting look that made me want to find my way into his arms and stay there the rest of my life. “Hello? What’s with the silent treatment all of a sudden? Earth to Olivia?” He snapped his fingers right in front of my face.
“Sorry. I got lost in your good looks.” His pleased look tickled me. “Anyhow, of course I thought you were weird. Who goes around asking people on a date during their commute? And on a piece of paper of all things? Not only that, you stalked me all the way to work. I didn’t have much of a choice but to say yes to your dinner invitation. Do you do this often?”
“No.” Now he sounded offended. Maybe I’d gone too far in my accusation. “Perhaps I shouldn’t have asked you out after all if you’re going to accuse me of stalking you. It’s not like this date was really going anywhere with you insulting my good intentions.”
He had a smirk that irritated me.
“Hi Paul!” Some tall blond walked over to our table and hugged, then kissed my date.
“Hi Amy. How are you?” He sounded happy to see her. I, for one, wasn’t happy to see her.
“I’m doing well. How long has it been since we’ve seen each other?” The small talk continued to fuel my annoyance. He hadn’t even bothered to introduce us.
“It’s been too long. We should catch up one day.” Was this guy asking another woman out on a date while he was on a date with me? I couldn’t believe I let my heart flutter for this serial dater.
“Yes. Let’s do that. I’ll call you soon.” She gave him her dreamiest voice then hugged and kissed him again.
“Well, I guess we’re done with dinner.” I got up as the main course arrived.
“Olivia.” He grabbed my hand and pulled me back down. “What are you doing?”
“What am I doing?” I asked utterly disgusted with my date and with myself for being so attracted to him. “You are on a date with me but I see you flirting with another woman and you’re asking me what I’m doing?”
I saw him laugh. His mouth never moved, his face didn’t crinkle and his eyes didn’t turn smoldering. Yet, he laughed at me.
“Are you jealous?”
“Oh my gosh! You were right. You shouldn’t have asked me out. I can’t believe you asked out another woman while you were having dinner with me.” I got away this time before he could grab me again.
“Wait! Olivia!”
Hurrying out, I decided to walk home. Luckily we were just a few blocks away so I walked fast before Paul could catch up to me. He was probably frantically paying for our uneaten meal, then trying to get his car. After a few seconds, I decided to run. Pleased with myself for having worn comfortable shoes, I reverted to my college athlete self and ran home. Almost home, I could hear Paul’s car honking. I laughed noticing that there were no parking spots anywhere near my house. I jogged up the steps ignoring my name being yelled out and slammed the door shut.
Almost on cue again, the doorbell rang and Mom went to answer it.
“Hi again Mrs. Maize. May I come in?” He sounded apologetic.
“Mom, don’t let him in. I don’t want to see him anymore. This guy had the nerve to ask another woman out while we were having dinner. They even kissed each other.” I saw Mom look over at Paul for an explanation.
“Olivia. This is really childish. Amy is an old college friend and I was just making small talk.” Paul yelled up at me. “Come down here and let’s finish this date.”
“No!” I yelled and slammed the door on him. I heard him talk to mom while I was seething about this whole situation. Rather than apologizing, this guy was actually chastising me. I was so mad I stomped downstairs, took both sets of flowers out of the vase, and shoved them back at him. “Here! We don’t want any flowers from you.”
Water dripped all over my mom’s shag carpet and onto his nice dinner jacket. I laughed on my way
up to my room and cooled down immediately. That would teach him to ask me out, then ignore me. I knew there were many days I didn’t act like a twenty-two-year-old college graduate. There was this teenage angst that wouldn’t die.
I heard Paul and Mom talking some more then Mom came up shaking her head, displeased.
“Are you done with this Paul Kingston?”
“No. I plan on seeing him on the road Monday morning again. I think I’ll marry this guy. I really like him.” With a solemn disapproval from my mom, I cackled away. I didn’t know what made me so sure he would ask me out again, but I had a good feeling about Paul Kingston. He was perfectly my type.
Monday morning, I was careful to time my drive down that curvy road exactly the same time as always. To my chagrin, Paul and his carpool buddy weren’t there. I turned my car around and drove up and down a couple more times and they still weren’t there. Unhappy, I went back home.
“What happened?” Mom asked.
“Nothing. He wasn’t there. He’s probably just ticked off with me right now. He’ll be there tomorrow.” I went into the office. “Mom, I’m working from home this week. Let me know if anyone calls or stops by.” I knew Paul would do one or the other – except I realized I never gave him my number. Oh well, I’d have to assume he’d stop by possibly tonight.
The whole week went by and I drove up and down my curvy road even though I didn’t have to go into the office and there was no sign of Paul. I began to get depressed. Perhaps I was a bit hard on him. I didn’t think he would be that mad. Sometimes my stupidity got the best of me. “What a jerk!” I thought. Why’d he try so hard to get a date with me if he was going to give up this easily?
Friday night, I was up in my room watching a movie when I heard the doorbell ring. Since it was book club night for Mom I figured it was one of her friends running late. Heavy footsteps pounced on the staircase two by two, then there was a soft knock on my door.
“Come in,” I answered without looking up.
“Hey.” I heard a man’s voice.
Startled, I got up. It was Paul, my boy next door, whom I hadn’t seen all week. He walked in and sat on the edge of my bed, awfully close to me.
“What are you doing here and where have you been all week?” I asked, annoyed but happy to have him here.
“You’ve been looking for me on the road? And all week?” He had that smug look again.
“Ugh! Forget it. Why don’t you just leave?”
“I came here to finish our date. I’ve never had anyone walk out on me in the middle of dinner before.”
I pretended to watch the movie while I asked nonchalantly, “it’s a little late for dinner don’t you think? Isn’t it almost ten? Anyhow, if you so wanted to finish dinner with me why did you wait a whole week?”
“Because,” he turned my head to face him and leaned in to kiss me tenderly on the lips, “I just got back from a business trip and I came straight here to finish what we’d started.”
“Oh!” I breathed, our lips still dangerously close. “How are you going to finish this?”
He brought his lips back onto mine and my mind went to mush. Oh, he could kiss! I followed his lead and obliged to his every wish until I realized, “My mom is downstairs with her book club ladies. I don’t think we should go much further.”
“Marry me, Olivia.” The look in his eyes – he was dead serious.
“Okay,” was the only word that came out of my mouth. Out of nowhere, I promised to get married to a man I met a week ago, spent no more than twenty minutes in entirety, and this was enough to make me want to spend the rest of my life with him.
He grinned and pulled me off my bed. “Let’s go.”
“Where are we going? I’m in my pajamas.”
“Hurry up and change. Let’s go to Vegas and get married.”
“What? Tonight? Are you crazy?” You must be pulling my leg. I must be nuts for wanting to marry this man.
“Paul, I barely know you. All I know about you is your first and last name, that you’re a computer programmer, and that you might be even more impulsive than I am. My mom is not going to approve of this.”
“She already has. I asked her permission when I first walked in. She begged me to take you off her hands.”
“You’re such a liar. Mom would never agree to this.” He looked so sure I was beginning to trust his words.
“Get dressed. I’ll be waiting downstairs with the ladies.”
As he left, I decided to put on a dress as close to white as possible just in case I was getting married tonight. What was I doing? Did I really want to marry this guy? The only thought that kept running through my mind and heart was yes, a resounding yes! I was so sure I wanted to spend the rest of my life with Paul.
“Here comes the bride…” all my mom’s friends sang as I walked down the stairs.
“Mom, did you really tell Paul you wanted to get rid of me?”
“Yes.” Without flinching, her yes was as resounding as my yes.
“What? Don’t you want to see me get married in a church in a wedding gown and all that fairy tale stuff? Are you coming to Vegas with us?”
“Olivia, since you were a little girl, no one could change your mind once you decided something. You were the one who told me exactly a week ago after only having been with Paul for ten minutes that you were going to marry him.”
“Sh! Don’t tell him that.” I whispered amidst all the giggles from the ladies. “He’s quite arrogant as it is.”
“If you want to marry him, you have my blessing. I don’t want to go to Vegas but when you get back, we’ll have a small ceremony and a reception at the house.” She probably also knew one day I’d go off and elope with some bum, any bum, who was crazy enough to love me.
“I don’t know…” Now I was having some doubts. Reality was setting in and I could see Paul getting worried.
“Olivia, let’s go to Vegas for the weekend. Once there, if you don’t want to get married, we don’t have to… at least not yet. It’s a long drive. You have hours to make up your mind.”
I got my bag, hugged my mom and left with my future husband for a five hour ride towards our wedding ceremony. What a crazy weekend this was turning out to be.
“Paul, what about your parents? Won’t they want to see you get married?”
“Yeah, but they’re in Africa and it’ll take too long for them to get their life rearranged to come back here. We might have to go see them.”
“What are they doing in Africa?”
“They’re doctors out there. They decided to abandon me once I got into college and went to spend the rest of their lives there giving people free healthcare.”
“Wow, that’s pretty cool. So you don’t see them much?”
“Maybe once a year. My brother and I go see them.”
“Where’s your brother?”
“He lives up in Seattle. He’s married with three kids. He’s married to a great woman and they happily do the work, kids, soccer on the weekends, life. Do you have any siblings?”
“No. My parents divorced when I was young and my dad remarried and never had much interest in me. The only time he corresponded was through a child support check every month and once I turned eighteen, that correspondence stopped all together. I believe I have half brothers and sisters somewhere but I’ve never met them.”
“I’m sorry.” He stroked my cheek. “That must have been painful to go through.”
“It was but he’s done it for so long, the pain is almost numb.”
Paul began dialing his cell phone and put it on speaker mode when it started ringing.
“Hello?” It sounded like Paul had woken this person up.
“Mike.”
“Yeah? What time is it, Paul? Why are you calling so late?”
“Old man, it’s only 10:30. Are you and Sheila asleep already?”
“Yeah. We have three soccer games tomorrow starting at 8:00 in the morning. We need to get to bed early or we’ll be catatonic
by the last game. What’s up?”
“I’m calling to tell you I’m getting married.”
“To Olivia? She actually said yes to your crazy plan?” Mike sounded awake now.
“He knows about me already?” I whispered to Paul.
“Yeah, he knows about you. I’ve told everyone and anyone who’ll give me an ear, about you.”
“Do your parents know, too?”
“Of course they do. I wouldn’t make such an important decision without talking to my family. Mike, meet Olivia. We’re on our way to Vegas right now.”
“Hi Olivia. It’s nice to meet you.”
“Hello Mike. You must think we’re crazy.”
“Well, I know my brother is insane and from the sounds of it, you are just as insane as he is. You are perfect for one another. Welcome to the family.”
“Thank you. I can’t wait to meet you and your family.”
“We’ll come visit once you two are settled. My wife is very curious to know what you look like. She was upset when Paul told her you look like Cindy Crawford driving a white Rabbit Cabriolet.”
“Are you guys making fun of my car? It’s a great car. Anyhow, why did that upset her?”
“I guess you’re not denying that’s what you look like?”
“I don’t see it but I do get that a lot.”
“Up until you came along, Paul had told Sheila she was as beautiful as any movie star out there. Now, compared to you, he says my wife is ranked just above average. That made her mad.”
I laughed with the men and told Paul that wasn’t a nice thing to say but deep inside, I loved the compliment.
“Bye, Mike. I need to get to know my future wife. She has till the end of this car ride to back out of our wedding. After that, she’s mine forever.”
“Bye, guys. Congrats, again.”
“Bye, Mike. We’ll see you soon.”
Turning to Paul I said, “He seems really nice. Have you always had a good relationship with him?”
“Yeah. He’s fifteen years older than I am. He’s been more like a dad than a brother. He took care of me when my parents decided to go AWOL on us.”
“Whoa. That’s a huge age gap. I take it you were an oops child?”