Playful Peach #8
“E-Harmony is stealing my money!” she told a classroom of laughing college students.
“And, not only a little bit, it has been months and months of them taking money and providing me with no matches,” she said doing what she does best, making light of something that actually hurts her deeply.
She knew that no one in her class would be surprised that the Christian site wouldn’t find her a suitable mate. She did teach at a Christian University and was a lifelong member of the Baptist church, but that was where her Christian appeal ended. While she was beautiful, with long wild curly hair and California tanned skin, she was also a Democrat, rabidly Pro-Choice, a divorcee and a Feminist (the hated label for conservative Christian men.) To top it off, while she did teach at a Christian school the subjects she taught were a scandal to her classrooms and to the administration. “Christians can’t be taught about human sexuality, we should all just date Jesus instead.” If it weren’t for the power and money that her father held in the Christian world the dean would have fired her long ago, but even Christians need money.
She thought she didn’t even want a husband/boyfriend/whatever else people thought that she needed. She was happy coming home to her cats and that her books, both of which were better and less hurtful company than men were. And, E-Harmony wasn’t the first site that she had been to, it was just the first Christian site. The first ad she placed was in a small local paper and her creepy Uncle Irving was the only person that answered it. That was the first in a series of award personal ad meetings. She couldn’t figure out why she kept going, maybe she was intent on making herself miserable.
She went to check her special personal ad email that night expecting the usual creepo freaks, but was pleasantly surprised to find a normal sounding person had responded. He lived in the area close to the college where she taught and said that he wanted to meet her for coffee, which she respected. Men that wanted to meet for drinks usually just wanted to have sex and men that wanted to meet for dinner usually wanted to get married the next day, but men that wanted to meet for coffee usually wanted to have good conversation filled with laughter and innocent flirting. She had been on enough personals dates to know the good ones from ones that make you want to gouge your eyes out with a spoon.
She walked into the coffee shop a little bit late on purpose; she didn’t want to look too eager. She looked around and saw one of her students sitting in the coffee house. Damn, he wasn’t here yet, that meant that her “I’m breezy so much so that I am a little late” cover didn’t work. She smiled and walked up to Brent, one of her more attentive students.
“Hey Carrie,” he said, (she made all of her students call her by her first name so she didn’t feel old)
“Hi,” she smiled back hoping to convey that she couldn’t talk for that long.
But, then he started to look a little uncomfortable, which was odd for Brent. He was one of her most confident students, always prepared with the answers. But now his eyes which were usually stern and sparkling, looked down shyly from her gaze.
“What is it?” she asked, a little confused by her students demeanor.
“Um…well…. I am the one you are supposed to be meeting tonight,” he said while looking down at her shoes.
Her face flushed red in a matter of seconds. Either this was a cruel joke and the student was mocking her by showing up for a date, or he really was interested in her and she had yet another unavailable man like her. She was frozen, unsure of what words to say which was odd for her; she usually had too much to say.
“I know what you are thinking, I am too young and you are my professor and it would be wrong” he said, listing all the obvious reasons why she should turn around and run out the door. “But, I think I deserve to be given a shot,” he said, gaining more confidence as the words spilled from his mouth, “I mean, we all laugh when you joke about dying alone with cats, but no one would choose that. I know you are lonely and unhappy and I also know that I could be the one to fill that unhappiness.”
She didn’t know what to do. Brent had always been just a student to her. He was attractive, with brown curly hair and flashing blue-green eyes, but she had never thought about him that way. She was old enough to be his mother, although she wasn’t sure that he knew that. She started to feel like a creepy older woman as she mentally sized him up. Just as she was about to let him down, he spoke.
“Look, I know you probably think this is weird and maybe you could even get fired for this,” (she hadn’t thought of that before but she was now), “but all I am asking you to do is to think about it. I know that I am asking you to risk a lot, but I think we could be something great. You don’t have to make your decision yet, but think about it and if you want to, meet me tomorrow night at the coffee house on 33rd street,” he said, proud of himself that he was able to plead his case so articulately considering that he was shaking all over.
And, before she could speak he was gone, leaving her speechless sitting listening to the jazzy tunes played throughout the coffee house. She didn’t know what she was going to do.
She went home that night to her empty apartment feeling the worst she ever had after one of her personals dates. Certainly no one would approve if she decided to meet Brent. Not her sisters, parents, friends and certainly not the administration at school. While getting fired from her job might actually be a relief, the thought of it was terrifying. But, not being alone anymore was so comforting. She thought of having a warm body to sleep next to and it made her glad.
It was that thought that kept her feet moving the next day and she walked, both afraid and excited, to the coffeehouse on 33rd street.
“And, not only a little bit, it has been months and months of them taking money and providing me with no matches,” she said doing what she does best, making light of something that actually hurts her deeply.
She knew that no one in her class would be surprised that the Christian site wouldn’t find her a suitable mate. She did teach at a Christian University and was a lifelong member of the Baptist church, but that was where her Christian appeal ended. While she was beautiful, with long wild curly hair and California tanned skin, she was also a Democrat, rabidly Pro-Choice, a divorcee and a Feminist (the hated label for conservative Christian men.) To top it off, while she did teach at a Christian school the subjects she taught were a scandal to her classrooms and to the administration. “Christians can’t be taught about human sexuality, we should all just date Jesus instead.” If it weren’t for the power and money that her father held in the Christian world the dean would have fired her long ago, but even Christians need money.
She thought she didn’t even want a husband/boyfriend/whatever else people thought that she needed. She was happy coming home to her cats and that her books, both of which were better and less hurtful company than men were. And, E-Harmony wasn’t the first site that she had been to, it was just the first Christian site. The first ad she placed was in a small local paper and her creepy Uncle Irving was the only person that answered it. That was the first in a series of award personal ad meetings. She couldn’t figure out why she kept going, maybe she was intent on making herself miserable.
She went to check her special personal ad email that night expecting the usual creepo freaks, but was pleasantly surprised to find a normal sounding person had responded. He lived in the area close to the college where she taught and said that he wanted to meet her for coffee, which she respected. Men that wanted to meet for drinks usually just wanted to have sex and men that wanted to meet for dinner usually wanted to get married the next day, but men that wanted to meet for coffee usually wanted to have good conversation filled with laughter and innocent flirting. She had been on enough personals dates to know the good ones from ones that make you want to gouge your eyes out with a spoon.
She walked into the coffee shop a little bit late on purpose; she didn’t want to look too eager. She looked around and saw one of her students sitting in the coffee house. Damn, he wasn’t here yet, that meant that her “I’m breezy so much so that I am a little late” cover didn’t work. She smiled and walked up to Brent, one of her more attentive students.
“Hey Carrie,” he said, (she made all of her students call her by her first name so she didn’t feel old)
“Hi,” she smiled back hoping to convey that she couldn’t talk for that long.
But, then he started to look a little uncomfortable, which was odd for Brent. He was one of her most confident students, always prepared with the answers. But now his eyes which were usually stern and sparkling, looked down shyly from her gaze.
“What is it?” she asked, a little confused by her students demeanor.
“Um…well…. I am the one you are supposed to be meeting tonight,” he said while looking down at her shoes.
Her face flushed red in a matter of seconds. Either this was a cruel joke and the student was mocking her by showing up for a date, or he really was interested in her and she had yet another unavailable man like her. She was frozen, unsure of what words to say which was odd for her; she usually had too much to say.
“I know what you are thinking, I am too young and you are my professor and it would be wrong” he said, listing all the obvious reasons why she should turn around and run out the door. “But, I think I deserve to be given a shot,” he said, gaining more confidence as the words spilled from his mouth, “I mean, we all laugh when you joke about dying alone with cats, but no one would choose that. I know you are lonely and unhappy and I also know that I could be the one to fill that unhappiness.”
She didn’t know what to do. Brent had always been just a student to her. He was attractive, with brown curly hair and flashing blue-green eyes, but she had never thought about him that way. She was old enough to be his mother, although she wasn’t sure that he knew that. She started to feel like a creepy older woman as she mentally sized him up. Just as she was about to let him down, he spoke.
“Look, I know you probably think this is weird and maybe you could even get fired for this,” (she hadn’t thought of that before but she was now), “but all I am asking you to do is to think about it. I know that I am asking you to risk a lot, but I think we could be something great. You don’t have to make your decision yet, but think about it and if you want to, meet me tomorrow night at the coffee house on 33rd street,” he said, proud of himself that he was able to plead his case so articulately considering that he was shaking all over.
And, before she could speak he was gone, leaving her speechless sitting listening to the jazzy tunes played throughout the coffee house. She didn’t know what she was going to do.
She went home that night to her empty apartment feeling the worst she ever had after one of her personals dates. Certainly no one would approve if she decided to meet Brent. Not her sisters, parents, friends and certainly not the administration at school. While getting fired from her job might actually be a relief, the thought of it was terrifying. But, not being alone anymore was so comforting. She thought of having a warm body to sleep next to and it made her glad.
It was that thought that kept her feet moving the next day and she walked, both afraid and excited, to the coffeehouse on 33rd street.
posted by Anonymous at 8:53 AM
1 Comments:
Wow. This is amazing, nice job.
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