Chapter 3

The Waterbury was a membership country club, but the restaurant was open to anyone with the money to pay the outrageous prices they charged for your dining pleasure. I’d taken a couple dates here before, so I knew the game. Today’s ticket was gonna hit me for a couple of bills; that was just the reality. But I had the money and I had a mission. I was definitely figurin’ on hooking up with one Lea Scott—long term, maybe for life: yes, love at first sight and all of that.

“This is very nice,” said Cecilia.

“Yes, very nice,” said Anna.

I got a smirk for my trouble from Lea. I was pretty sure that our tablemates were not in the know as to how Lea and I had met, but I guess we’d be seeing. At any rate, so far, no one had asked. Well, so far, they hadn’t, but now they did.

“So how did you and my daughter meet?” said Cecilia.

“We bumped into each other at Pearl’s diner; it’s on my route. And, well, I had the brass effrontery to dare to ask if it was all right if I shared a table with her. And...” I said.

“And, I was kind enough to have mercy on him,” said Lea, finishing my thought.

“Yes, she did,” I said. Anna’s turn to smirk. I realized from her look that she, Anna, did in fact know the truth. Cecilia, no, but Anna, yes.

Questions about my job. Questions by me about the girls’ jobs. It turned out that they both worked at the beauty parlor, well, they did now; though Lea was a newbie to the job.

None of us were college graduates. All of us were about the same age, well, except for Cecilia. And all of us liked the food. Well, and it was the Waterbury.

The party was good, and when I took them all home, I discovered that Anna was staying there too; she hadn’t been just visiting.

Lea walked me out to my car, and we talked for some time leaning against its newly washed surface. We made a date for the following Thursday evening. It would be just the two of us this time.

“Well, whaddya think?” said Lea.

“Listen, girl, do not screw it up with this guy. You are not going to be able to find anyone better, not in this lifetime,” said Anna. “And, like I said before, if he turns out to not be your cup of tea, let me know in advance, because he sure as hell is mine!” Her friend smiled.

“I’ll keep it in mind,” said Lea. “But, no, I think you’re right. He is a keeper. At any rate, we’ll be seeing. We have another date for next Thursday. Hopefully it’ll lead somewhere,” said Lea.

“Hmm, Thursday. That’s the fourteenth. And this is February. Why my goodness, that’s Valentine’s Day!” said Anna, in her phoniest tone of voice.

“Yes. And the hope is he has something romantic in mind,” said Lea, and she did laugh.

The food was good at Pearl’s, and yes, I had chosen Pearl’s for a reason: it was the site of our first date. And after that first date, was our first night. And now the food consumed, the conversation at a momentary pause; I was about to risk my heart, and I more than feared that the woman across from me was going to break it.

“So,” I said a little too loudly. “What do you think?”

“Think?” she said. “I’m mean... ?”

“Oh, about us moving in together,” I said. The look on her face was seriously comical.

“Did you say move in together?” she said.

“Yes, I mean...” I said.

“Mister you don’t know me, well, the real me. And I don’t know you either,” she said.