Chapter 1
“I can do this. I can do this,” Lydia Reed Lucas said, gathering her courage. She held up a flouncy, sheer blouse, and stood in front of her full length mirror.
“Blech.” Lydia made a face and threw the blouse onto the growing pile of rejected outfits on her bed. The mantra, “I can do this” was repeated in her head. Holding up a buttoned, light blue top, one that nearly matched her eye color, she posed in front of the mirror, pasted on a fake smile and tried to look confident. Her reflection showed a figure that was shapely if not top heavy, with a few extra pounds for good measure.
“What do you think, Riley? Huh boy?” she asked, turning to an oversized, part shepherd, mixed-breed dog who looked up disinterestedly and gave her a mild wag of his tail.
“Do you think I should go out with him tonight?” Upon hearing the word “out,” Riley jumped up and thumped his tail wildly against the dresser, knocking over the carved jewelry box carefully placed there. With the next swoosh, her purse teetered, causing Liddy to lunge for it too, tripping on the assortment of shoes on the floor. With purse in hand, blouse button somehow lost to the floor, she shook her head and tossed the once perfect blouse onto the pile of castoff clothing on the bed.
“Oh Riley, you big, crazy thing… it’s a wonder we rescued you,” Liddy said patting the dog’s head. She scratched him behind the ears and motioned him to rest in the corner. Moaning, Riley took his spot again, muttering something that sounded vaguely human and curled into a ball.
“Honestly, you dear beast, I do need more companion-ship than just a dog since he-who-we-cannot-mention has gone off to college.” Riley raised his head as if he understood the missing word was his wonderful, dog-jogging owner, Sam. Riley moaned, his head sinking between his large paws.
Looking at the clock, Lydia’s mental mantra changed from, “I can do this” to “oh no, just grab anything.” Digging into her closet, Liddy pulled a soft, thin, lavender sweater off the hanger, yanked it over her head, slid on her slacks and stuffed her toes into a pair of shoes from the floor. Silver earrings and bracelet completed the look with only time to run her fingers through her hair, which previously had been doted on to what she had considered the “very best she could do.” Her locks now fell in mussed, loose brunette waves with hints of auburn in under the corner light. It was her own hair color minus the grey thanks to a pharmacy colorant bottle.
She tugged the sweater into place, leaving only the top button open. “Ok two buttons, Riley, because what’s a little cleavage among friends?” Riley stared. “You’re right. Three buttons but no more,” Liddy told him.
Just as she grabbed her purse, the doorbell rang sending the large 70 plus pound dog into the air, booming with barks, flying down the stairs three at a time. Liddy nearly matched his pace, flustered. She gave orders over and over for Riley to hush and go to his crate. Riley finally turned to hear her and dejectedly moved into his crate which Liddy clicked shut. She made her way to the door. Riley quieted.
“Now that is a good boy!” Liddy shouted, opening the front door to see her date.
“Uh… Why thank you?” said Daniel, holding out a rose to Liddy.
Blushing at the already awkward moment, made worse by her mistake, Liddy took the rose. She was unsure if she should hug or kiss her blind date, and instead, hugged, then kissed his cheek. Only she missed his cheek and managed to kiss his ear.
Embarrassed at the now fumbled peck, Liddy said rather noisily in his ear, “I meant to do that to the dog. I mean say it!”
“Uh… okay… Good boy?” Daniel said with a bewildered expression from the orders she’d shouted in his ear. Daniel, looked as he was: a rather trim auto mechanic/car dealer stuffed uncomfortably into an ordinary, somewhat outdated suit. He had kind, hazel-green eyes and a hesitant, if not handsome, smile.
“Not what I… Keys. Purse.”
Before Daniel could respond, Liddy turned to retrieved her clutch from the entrance table, smacking the already damaged rose on the door jam. Daniel exhaled audibly and mumbled something about favors, his sister and blind dates.
“What was that?” Liddy asked, turning back to him, wide-smiled. Daniel waved it off, with his own smile becoming a sincere one. Then his eyes travelled to the smashed red rose. His expression changed to amusement, lips curling up.
Liddy looked down and squirmed, seeing the broken stem of the once-perfect rose. Grinning too widely, she slid her hand up to hold the top of the stem of the rose in such a way that it was nearly straight. Her nervousness near this handsome stranger showed, and she hadn’t even stepped out the door. All Liddy could think was, “the favors I do for friends are never going to include any more blind dates.”
“Are you ready, then?” Daniel asked without moving, just staring down, eyes pointed directly at her shoes.
In a flash of a moment, Liddy thought to herself. Was she really ready? Liddy tried to stretch her 5 foot 2 inch frame taller. She sucked in her stomach while attempting to refrain from sticking her sizable breasts out too much. Liddy said, “yes” and closed the door behind her, clearly not taking the hint of where his eyes had trailed.
“Okay, after you.” Daniel shrugged and let her pass. Liddy could feel Daniel’s eyes watching her. She walked with almost a sashay, one black shoe followed by one dark red shoe clicking on the sidewalk.
As he parked his polished. classic Ford, Daniel said, “This should be good as any. Er…I mean…uh…it’s relaxed and has comfort food and all.”
“Yes, I know this place.”
“Oh, good.” He walked around the car and opened her door, nearly missing her look of dismay. He was careful not to mention anything he’d discussed about this blind date with his sister, the PTA president. Daniel got the impression from her that Liddy was a “good eater” and not at all snobby. Definitely worth testing, Daniel had thought and part of the reason he’d brought her to a simple chain restaurant instead of trying to impress.
Smiling since he was comfortable being farther from his home, Daniel ushered Liddy into the restaurant, again noticing her mismatched shoes. Shaking his head, dinner, he’d thought, should be better than the car ride with Liddy talking on and on about the family dog. He wondered just how often she had gotten around to dating.
Daniel stared across the table with wandering thoughts. The wine came early. The food was nowhere in sight. She was pretty in her own way, thought Daniel. Her clear blue eyes were animated, with soft almost puckered china doll lips and slightly tousled, brown, wavy hair. His eyes wandered a bit lower to those buttons on the sweater she wore; the smooth, dipping cleavage hinting of far more than those few buttons showed. So lost in his thought that when he came to, Daniel had no idea what she just asked him and instead nodded and firmly said, “Uh huh. I bet.”
By her surprised expression Daniel knew he gave the wrong response to her question. He thought back and realized that her question involved something of how she couldn’t possibly eat everything on her plate that had been delivered to the table. To hide his own error, he tucked into his food prompting her go on about her deceased husband, Martin, who apparently had been anything but faithful.
Strangely, Liddy was growing on Daniel. She had an ease in talking and a gentle soothing voice. To shake off this feeling of being drawn to someone who clearly was in a world apart from his own, he rose and excused himself to use the restroom.
Liddy watched Daniel as he rose, distractedly taking in the view of his backside, unaware of the busboy moving to the table across from where she sat.
“Oh heya Mrs. Lucas! Whatz up? I mean how’s it going?” asked the rather slovenly but still cute busboy. He pushed a long dark strand of hair behind his ear and began to clear the table nearby.
“Hey it’s Mrs. Lucas and look she’s on a date!” he said motioning to Lydia as he called out to his friends who were sitting in a corner table surrounded by soda glasses and the remnants of soggy nachos. They raised their glasses and waved hello.
“Not too shabby, Mrs. L!” one of the boys called out to her.
Blushing Liddy replied, “Well thank you boys… I think.”
The busboy finished clearing the table. He grabbed the plastic bin filled with dirty dishes and table scraps, and turned to Lydia. “Yeah, Mrs L. I didn’t know you even dated.”
Stammering, Lydia said, “It’s not a date really. Or maybe it is… Daniel and I were just eating out first…”
After a pregnant pause, the busboy laughed and declared a bit too loudly to his friends, “Aaaaalright! It looks like Mrs. L is still gettin’ some!” just as Daniel returned to the table, eyebrows raised, clearly hearing what had been said.
Beet red, Liddy continued in as much of a mom voice as she could manage, “I hope your studies are going well and I’ll make sure to tell my son I bumped into you and the boys.”
Flustered, Liddy turned to Daniel who was still standing by the table and continued, “those are some of my son’s friends.” Gesturing to the table of boys, she bumped her glass of red wine, catching it just in time so that it didn’t hit Daniel only to overcompensate and spill it on her top. Startled, she then jumped up, tilted the glass the opposite way, and hit Daniel directly in the crotch with the red wine. Grabbing the napkin, which still had cutlery on it, she sent the spoon clattering onto his plate drawing more attention from those around.
“Oh no!” screamed Liddy. She took the napkin and began to dab at Daniel’s wet, stained pants, much to the hysterical laughter from the corner table.
Daniel caught Lydia’s hand looking as if he too felt ruffled and cleared his throat to cover it. “Maybe you should see to your blouse,” Daniel said motioning to her top which was now boasting a huge red splatter of a stain. He slid into his chair, the wine soaking into his slacks. Liddy took this to mean “hands off” further fueling her embarrassment. She scurried to the ladies room.
What she did not see was Daniel’s hazel eyes following her every move nor did she see that hint of a wry, crooked smile as he watched her.
“What happened next?” Mary asked. She continued to slice loaves of bread quickly since the soup kitchen serving time fast approached.
Lydia stirred the kettle of minestrone soup one last time. “So when I went to the bathroom to try to get the wine stain out of my sweater, I looked down and saw I was wearing one black shoe and one crimson shoe! So embarrassing. He didn’t even tell me! I figured he was either a very nice guy or…” Liddy inhaled deeply, having difficulty admitting it, “maybe he didn’t like dating me. Or maybe these blind dates just aren’t for me.”
Nodding with concern, Mary barely groaned when she lifted the soup kettle out of the kitchen’s swinging door to the serving area, waddling. She marched back in, looked at Liddy, and waved the now empty potholders. “You’re right.”
Stunned, Liddy looked up with bewildered blue-green eyes. “I’m right? I shouldn’t date after five years without Martin?”
“No. Maybe you shouldn’t go on a blind date,” Mary said, emphasizing the word “blind.”
“Get to know him first. You know, you could always go on twitter feeder or chatty rooms and such. Find your own man. Then wear the wrong shoes and see what happens,” Mary said laughing and shaking her head.
Mary looked at Lydia with kind, smiling eyes. She lifted three turkeys in succession out of the industrial sized oven, “Oh hun. You’ll find the right man.” Whack! Mary began to cut one of the hot roasts with a precision and a thud that only a strong, round, 50 plus year old woman with children could do. Deftly, they both chopped roasts, filling up trays.
“Besides you’re what..?” Whack! “Thirty something?” asked Mary.
“I am 42 now. Nearly 43 years old!” Whack, slice, slice, slice.
“Just like I said… 30 something.”
Lydia turned to Mary, knife in hand, “Mary, we are in a church about to serve 200 people and you are asking me to lie about my age?”
Laughing, Mary said, “Of course not. But you could put yourself out there as 37 or 38. Then, in your head, add on the extra four or five years to make it 42. Not even a real fib is it? If it means your heart is full again, I can’t imagine that the man upstairs would mind a little bit of math.”
Mary lifted one finished tray out of the kitchen, placed it on the serving area, and crossed herself for good measure. She smiled and looked up to the rather old, discolored basement ceiling, “Do you now?”
