I rushed into the restaurant, late as usual to the grins of my three friends. I am always the last to arrive. Work gets intense, and I lose track of time. That is what happens when you are an accountant and love your work. Anyway, I dismiss the smirks. My friends, Lola, Tina, and Grace, do that every time I am late. They still love me.
As I sit, Grace asked, “And what is your excuse for being late today?” The other two hide behind their menus. “I was working on a project and just lost track of time.” “Well, at least you did not make up an unbelievable excuse this time,” Grace said.
“Ugh, whatever. Anyway, I need to tell you all about this guy.” “A guy!” All three said at the same time. “Wait a minute, you have a guy?” Lola said.
“If you would give me a minute, and stop interrupting me, I will tell you.” I knew they would only laugh and interrupt me again, so I rushed on with my story.
“There is a new guy at work. He’s tall with a somewhat stocky build. Even on casual Friday he rarely wears short sleeve shirts.”
“And what has that got to do with him?” Lola asked.
Without answering her, I continued. “He has blueish green eyes and short brown hair.”
“Wait a minute, you are telling us about some white boy,” Grace said.
“Grace, he is not a boy, well he is younger than us.”
The laughter took over the table. The waiter arriving was the only thing that got the laughter to a small titter from my girls. We all ordered the same thing every time we are at the Toco Polo restaurant, yet we always picked up the menus and studied them as if we would choose something different. The waiter chuckled as he knew us well. Slowly the four orders were given, and I was ready to get back to my story.
“So now you are a cougar,” Tina said with a laugh she could barely conceal. “Maybe I won’t share the rest of my story, since you all are not interested.”
“Come on girl, tell us about the young boy, sorry the young man who has obviously caught your fancy,” Grace said as she giggled.
“Yes, tell us. Personally, I am happy for you. It’s about time someone made you notice something other than the numbers you play with at work.” Tina added.
I took a deep breath. This was the hard part. These were my girls, but maybe even they would not understand, heck I didn’t understand. “He’s sort of shy, but I am aware of him every time he comes near. Just being in his presence touches something deep within me. I can sense him before I see him. Does that make sense?”
“Go on,” Tina said.
“His favorite color is blue. Yesterday he wore a gray suit with a light blue shirt, and his eyes seem to turn a deeper blue. I can tell blue is his favorite color. He looks good in blue. Each day he wears a different blue shirt. Most of the staff have been speculating about him. He is quiet, and does not hang with the staff after work.”
“And…” Lola said.
‘That’s all. I just like looking at him.”
“Here, I thought your big news was that you were dating him. Or at least ready to get some.” Lola laughed.
“Lola, you are gross. I am just admiring him from a distance. Am I a stalker? I just watch him.”
After another round of laughs, my girls all said as one, “Tell the man you are interested and see what happens.”
The lunch continued with the jokes of the week. We always came with one joke to share. Maybe next week the joke will be that I asked the guy for coffee or lunch or for something and he laughed at me. None of them answered my question about being a stalker.
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