Sowhile the clerk finishes bagging the first customer’s shoes and starts on the woman’s seven pairs,ItellLiviabout my self-involved date, and because she knowsIalways take a picture of me and any guyIgo on a first date with, she asks to see it.
AsI’mshowing her,Iask, “Rememberwhen we watched that movieTrueLies?”
Livinods. “Ofcourse!ArnoldSchwarzeneggerwas married toJamieLeeCurtis.Shedidn’t know he was a spy and it came back to bite him.”
“Rememberthe used car salesman that was hitting onJamieLeeCurtis?”
“Hardto forget a guy that sleazy.”
Inod. “Ithink my date took inspiration from him.”
“Oh, no,”Livisays, laughing.
AndthenItell her about the gorgeous and fun man who stepped in, what happened in the parking lot, and how the roasted chicken breast with mushrooms andParmesanrisotto was the bestI’veever tasted (even after the forty-minute drive home).
“Hi,”Isay to the store clerk as the woman in front of us walks away with her two bags of shoes andIplace mine on the counter.Theclerk opens the lid and her eyes go wide.Ismile. “Aren’tthey the most glorious shoes you’ve ever seen?”
Shenods, still looking stunned. (Iget it, girl.) “Imight have to go see if they have a pair of these in my size.”
“Youshould,”Itell her, and then turn toLivi. “Forthe record,Icould’ve handled getting out of the date on my own.”
“Ofcourse you could.”
“Imean, the guy was really persistent and egotistical and probably would’ve followed me out to the parking lot, demanding that we finish the date, soIwould’ve chosen to leave at the same time as another couple and it would’ve been fine.Butsometimes, it’s nice to get help, you know?Especiallywhen the help is so much fun.”
“Andgood-looking,”Liviadds.
Inod. “Andverygood looking.”
“Andthen you just let him drive away without getting his name and number.”
“Youdidn’t get his number?” the clerk asks as she slides the box into a bag, looking just as stunned as she did when she opened my shoe box.
Iswipe my credit card. “Igot his name,”Isay in my defense.WhichI’mglad for because otherwise,Iwould’ve had to tell the story by referring to him as “my very hot date interrupter” instead ofJace.
“Okay,”Livisays, dragging the word out, “but you have no way of ever contacting him again.”
Ishrug, not nearly as bothered by that fact as both of them are. “Ilike thatIdidn’t get his number.Thewhole thing felt serendipitous as if we were in a bubble of a magical moment.Gettinghis number would’ve ruined that.Ifigured that the magic happened once— if it’s meant to be, the magic will happen again, and we’ll run into each other somewhere else.”
Thewoman at the register hands me the bag with my shoes in it and says, “Well, if you do meet again,Ihope you get to wear these shoes.”
Me, too.
Aswe are walking toward a rack of dresses in front of the next shop,Livisays, “Okay,Iget where you are coming from.Ido.Butdon’t you think that’s relying on the universe to have your back a little too much?Youdon’t even know if he is local to the area, or if he was there on vacation, or what.”
“Heis local.”
“Youknow that?”
“Idon’tknowknow.”Istart going through the dresses on the rack, pulling some of them out to get a better look. “Butthere was a guy in the restaurant having dinner with his wife.Sheleft for a moment to take a call, andJacewalked in and talked to that guy for a minute.Hewasn’t dressed in a suit, so he wasn’t planning on eating.Idon’t think that would’ve happened if he was there on vacation.”
Livigrabs my arm. “Ooh!Maybehe’s a spy.”
Ilaugh. “Yeah, and that was some kind of clandestine meeting.”
“Maybethat was why the man was so good at making up a story about your past with you.He’sused to coming up with cover stories.”
Ilaugh. “Asfun as that sounds,Ihelp little old ladies walk again after hip surgery, teenagers get full range of motion again after basketball-inducedACLsurgeries, and construction workers recover from shoulder labral tears.Mylife isn’t nearly exciting enough to have witnessed a spy meeting or to have had a conversation with a spy about our fake shared life.”
