• Home

Blind Date

Posted on June 26, 2007
Filed Under The Stories |

She was early, and seated. He only found out because the maître d’ asked if he’d like a table right away and he said that he was meeting someone. The man in the impeccable suit informed him that there already was someone waiting and she had left a name. He was surprised enough to check his watch, “I don’t think so, I’m early. What was the name?”

“A Ms. Angela Corman sir.”

“Shit.”

“Pardon sir?”

“I’m sorry, yes I suppose that’s her. What time do you have?”

His posture unchanged, the man with the regal nose check his wristwatch and said, “It’s precisely one minute to eight Sir.”

They had planned to meet, ‘around eight.’

“Which way is it?”

“Follow me sir.”

He tried to visualise words of apology or explanation on the vast black expanse of the maître d’s jacket but the walk was a short one and when the man stepped aside to show him his date, he was drawing a blank. He just stood there as she took a sip of water and when she realised she had company she tried to swallow and look up at the same time and choked a little. With a cough and a smile vying for release at the same time she looked up at him and said, “Randall?”

“Hi. Angela right?”

“Hi. Sorry. You caught me by surprise.”

“So did you, I thought I was on time.”

“Yeah, fast cab ride. I didn’t want to be hanging around at the bar so I asked to be seated. I hope this is okay?”

The place wasn’t yet full so there were several empty tables within earshot. He looked around and nodded, “Oh yeah, this is fine,” and sat down.

“Enjoy your meal Madam, Sir,” The maître d’ went back to his station.

It was a suddenly quiet moment after the flurry of activity and they looked at each other, smiled, averted their eyes, shifted in their seats and looked at each other again. The awkwardness prompted laughter and he put it in words, “I’m sorry. I’m new to this.”

She nodded, “Me too.”

“Drink?”

“Yes please.”

“Do you know what you want?”

“Erm, wine…?”

He scanned the list and frowned, “Okay…that’s a lot of wines.”

She laughed, “You know what? I’ll have a beer.”

The relief on his face was the stuff of great photographs, “Hey, me too.”

He looked around and before he had managed to see one, a waiter was by his elbow.

“Oh, hi. Can we have two beers please?” To Angela he said, “Heineken?”

She nodded and the waiter disappeared with a bow and a smile.

They settled in, smiled at each and looked around. When a minute or two had passed he said, “I guess talking is part of a blind date right?”

She laughed, “I guess so.”

“Ben said you were in advertising?”

She rolled her eyes, “If you can call cropping images for pompous web designers advertising, I guess I am in advertising.”

A frown creased his brow for a fleeting moment but she noticed, “Okay so I guess you know a little about advertising.”

“Sorry?”

“You’re wondering what a grown woman is doing cropping images right?”

“No, I…yeah. Kinda.”

“I changed careers a year ago. Actually seven months ago, so last year, but not quite a year ago. I used to be a teacher…?”

“That’s quite a jump.”

“Not really. I have a Fine Arts major and I thought teaching would be fulfilling.”

“It’s not?”

“Actually, really…not!”

“Wow, so much for the noble profession hunh?”

“Yeah…I know…it’s probably a horrible thing to say but it’s hard to get the kids to pay attention y’know and it’s not because they are not smart kids. It’s just that with the Internet and everything…there’s got to be new ways to teach and have them relate to the material for them to actually get stuff. Otherwise I have to go on Google myself and make sure they haven’t ripped off their paper from some art historian in France or somewhere like that…”

“Wow! Delinquent behaviour masquerading as articulate book reports. There’s something you don’t hear everyday.”

“I know right?”

“So advertising?”

“Yeah. I know. I just got to this place where I felt like it was all one big lie I was telling myself. So I decided to try and get a job that pays better.”

“And does it?”

“Actually no,” She laughed again and he found that he liked it when she did, “But it could some day. In the meantime I’m being yelled at by hip young things six to ten years younger than me because I left a few strands of hair behind in my crop of a naked supermodel.”

He leaned forward in mock interest, “Wait, naked supermodel. Which one? It must be so much fun to trace every contour of their perfect bodies. I’d go back and do that job again. Just in case I missed anything the first time.” She went still and looked at him for moment and then he smiled and the look of relief in her eyes felt oddly out of proportion.

Their beers arrived and they clinked glasses and took a sip. When she set her glass down she looked at him, “And what about you? Carrie was a bit vague, she said you have some sort of business…?”

He nodded, then shook his head, “Had a business.”

“Oh no! What happened?”

“Nothing bad. I sold it.”

“Oh.”

“No, no, it’s a good thing. In an odd way we’re in related fields. You crop images for websites, I owned a website. Four actually.”

“Oh. What kind.”

“This and that, just a way to make a living actually.”

“No come on, I surf. Maybe I’ve been there.”

He smiled, “Have you heard of Mystery Guest?”

“Of course I have. Wait that was yours?”

He nodded.

“Oh my God.”

He shrugged, “It’s no big deal. I got lucky.”

Her hand started to shake and she lowered it to her lap, said to herself in a softer voice, “Oh my God.”

He looked mildly concerned, “Are you okay?”

“You’re a billionaire.”

“Shhh. They’ll wheel out the higher-priced menus. And then we’ll have to split the bill,” he said the last words with a mischievous smile.

“So why do you need to be set up on a blind date again? Don’t billionaires have a menu they can order from? You could trace the real contours of a supermodel anytime you wanted!” her last words came out as a whispered hiss.

He fidgeted with the cutlery and nodded, “That’s probably true.”

“So why did you tell me who you are so easily? Wouldn’t have avoided the question if you weren’t trying to impress me?”

“Because the man who brokered the deal is here and headed towards us right now.”

“What, oh…”

Benjamin Warshaw’s voice boomed in greeting before he was aligned with their table, “Randall. Good to see you son. Toasting your success?”

“Hello Benjamin, meet Angela Corman.”

“Ms Corman, how do you do.” He took her hand and pressed it to her lips and she wasn’t completely certain, and she wouldn’t be till she checked, but it felt like he gave the back of her hand a little tongue. The big man turned to her date, “Figured out what you’re going to do with all that money Randall?”

He was immediately uncomfortable, “Not quite. Still letting it all settle in.”

“Well don’t spend it all in one place my boy. I have some thoughts about how you could double your take in less than five years.”

“Sounds great. I’ll call you.”

“Enjoy your meal son. You’ve earned it. And join us in the VIP room for a drink later.”

“Thank you Benjamin.”

“Ms Corman.”

She bowed slightly, and the big man and was escorted past the velvet ropes that separated the haves from the have less.

When they were seated again she said, “Yeah I can see how it would have been difficult to keep your secret after that.”

“Don’t develop a smart mouth now, you bowed to the man,” he was smiling.

“What? I don’t know what you do in the presence of a man like that?”

“You mean rich?”

“No! Someone who sounds like Orson Welles.”

“Never thought of it like that.”

“So how do you know Carrie?”

“I don’t. She’s dating my friend Ben.”

“And the two of you have never met?”

“Not that I recall…everything is a bit fuzzy just now.”

“And yet they set us up on a blind date.”

“You know what, I never thought of that. You could be a raving nymphomanic.”

“That’s a bad thing?”

“Yeah I don’t go to raves.”

“What?… Oh!” her laughter was infectious and he joined in.

“And you could be after my money…”

He nodded. They fell silent and she looked at him, like she was really seeing him for the first time, “Blind date with a billionaire. That will be something to share at the old age home.”

“Sorry? What old age home?”

“The one I will be committed to in the twilight of my life. And on good days I will be able to remember the past and I will tell people that I went on a blind date with a billionaire once.”

“Once? We haven’t even ordered dinner yet and you’ve already decided we don’t get a second date?”

“Oh, no. I thought I’d never see you again…”

“Why?”

“I thought, y’know…sold a website, barely works for a website…not exactly a match made in heaven.”

“Yeah, I don’t think matches are made in heaven.”

“No?”

“In fact I’m sure they’re made in sweatshops in India or Bangladesh or whatever…”

She didn’t get it for a moment and then she laughed.

“See? I could be second date worthy.”

She smiled and looked away, “I don’t know. Billionaires have all these expectations?”

“Like what?”

“You guys probably like to eat caviar off your dates bodies and I don’t know…have orgies on speedboats with rock stars and screen queens.”

“What do you have against orgies and caviar?”

“I’m allergic to seafood and I get sea-sick.”

“Okay. No seafood, no orgies on a speedboat. How about an airplane?”

She looked at him and he could tell that the mood had changed, “So what’s really your story?”

He smiled, “That’s more a third date kind of conversation isn’t it?”

“There’s going to be a third date.”

“Depends.”

“On?”

“Whether you put out on the second.”

“So tonight’s out?”

“I have a headache.”

She actually spat some beer back into her glass when she laughed. He smiled and asked the waiter for another round of beers and the menu. Then he dragged his chair around so that he was sitting next to her instead of opposite.

She didn’t seem to mind.

Comments