5
When she checked her messages again that day she found thatVegemanhad replied.
Do you grow pulses? They use half the nonrenewable energy of most traditional crops. Hardly need any water, either. Vegeman
She was impressed. Instead of mindless flirting, he wanted to talk about growing food. Cool. She replied:
I grow beans and peas. I’m experimenting with lentils, but they grow better in Canada. You’re right, though, about the soil and water.
She spent the rest of the day back and forth with him and found that he knew as much as she did about growing healthy food. He was a software engineer but obviously healthy food was his hobby. By the end of the day he said, “I think we have a lot in common. Would you like to meet up sometime?”
Cold dread hit her like a snap frost. It was one thing to indulge in a few messages with a stranger, but did she actually want to show up, face-to-face, and meet him? With all the awkwardness of first-date conversation? For all she knew he might be a vegetarian by day and a cannibal of single women by night.
“Oh, stop it,” she said aloud. She had to stop being scared. But, Iris had impressed upon her that she also had to be safe. When she recalled her own words to Geoff about how fear sometimes stopped people doing the things they wanted most she knew she had to take her own advice. So, she sucked in a deep breath. “You can do this,” she told herself firmly. She typed back, “Ok, I’d love to. What did you have in mind?”
He replied immediately. “Why don’t you pick a place you like pretty much anywhere between Seattle and Portland and I’ll make it work.”
She liked his confidence, she liked his sense of commitment, and the idea that she was worth driving some distance for. More bonus points for Vegeman.
She messaged him back with the one place she could think of where she’d be completely comfortable and not only safe, but have Iris available to give the guy the once over. Of course, it wouldn’t do for him to know that so all she said was, “There’s a wonderful café in a little town called Hidden Falls. It’s called the Sunflower Coffee and Tea Company. I could meet you there any morning say around 11 AM?”
The mouse clicked and a little electronic whine let her know that her message was sent. She’d done it. She’d agreed to meet and there was no way she could pull that message back. Marguerite wasn’t normally a nervous or restless person so when she jumped up from her seat and pushed back as though her computer was about to explode, the cat freaked out and ran past her to make good out the cat door. She wished she could get out of awkward situations as easily. She did the only thing she could think of and phoned Iris who, thankfully, picked up right away.
“Hey, Marguerite, what’s up?”
“I’m having a panic attack. I need your help.”
Iris laughed. “You would not know what a panic attack is. You live your life in a zone of such peace and tranquility you make the rest of us crazy with jealousy.”
“That was before I signed up for on-line dating. It would make anyone crazy.”
“Oh no. More naked picture guys?”
“No! Worse! I think I said yes to my first date.”
Iris’s chuckle was both amused and understanding. “Honey, that’s fantastic. Who, what, when, where and why?”
“You sound like you’re going to write an article about it.”
“I might. Actually, you gave me kind of a fun idea for a short story.”
“I’m glad my trauma and panic are useful to someone.”
“So? Spill. I want all the details.”
“He sounds nice. He’s a vegetarian.”
At that moment she received a reply to her message. Her voice rose a notch closer to hysteria. “And he’s meeting me tomorrow at 11 in your coffee shop.”
“Here? Fantastic. I can’t believe I didn’t think of that myself. Of course, bring all your dates here. I can check them out, make sure they’re acceptable to my sister and, if anyone gives you any trouble, I can rally the toddler moms, the seniors with their crossword puzzles, my budding screenwriters, and nobody messes with me or my baristas.”
“I hope I’m not making a terrible mistake.”
“Relax, it’s coffee.”
“But what if it’s awful? What if we hate each other? What if I can’t think of anything to say?”
“I think what you have to do is tell him right up front that you have to be somewhere at noon. 12:15 maybe. Then, if it’s the best hour you’ve ever had, you can check your phone and find out that your meeting got magically cancelled, or you can make another date. But I think it’s probably a really good idea to go in with an end time in mind.”
