All Is Well

He had a short but very direct message: "When can I meet you?" I put him aside and checked the other messages in my inbox. But Willard seemed to pull my strings and so I went back to him and replied, How about tomorrow?" Since my breakup with Joey, I promised myself that I would pay attention to my transformation as an authentic woman, mother, and human being. I also resolved to live a simpler life and develop my spiritual self. I had been reading a book about personal growth, and from it, I learned that simplistic existence didn’t mean merely surviving. It meant being happy in life by enjoying every moment, every success no matter how small, and appreciating the little gifts from heaven that came my way. My recent epiphany helped me form transformative aspirations, which was not to seek wealth but to seek personal growth. I worked insanely hard during the past years while I strove for material wealth. In the process, I ended up scrounging for food, money, and love. That would not be the case with the new me. And I would not scrounge for scraps of love either. One of the things I decided to do was to differentiate between what I needed and what I wanted in life. I decided I both needed and wanted a partner whom I could enjoy and share life in the gut level. I resolved to enjoy my journey as I searched for Mr. Right. If it didn’t happen, I would use this journey as a chance to find my authentic self. "Could we meet in Kaneohe? I had to pick up my daughters afterwards, that's why." I told him. I did not want to tell him I was called for a weekend job as a caregiver and I had to rush to my client's home after my date with him. How do you tell a date that you just finished two jobs and now you’re rushing to your third job? If I told my story at our first conversation, I might scare the hell out of him. A little white lie was what I employed. I'm sure others were doing the same thing. Like Steve, the thoroughbred. I wondered what he was hiding. And Willard? Should I order just tea in case I had to pay for my own dinner, just like I did with Thoroughbred? The thought made me grimace. But I remembered what Estelle said, "Give it a chance." Again, I was late for my date, and I had no time to freshen up. While driving, I put on the only tube of lipstick I could fish out of my purse. I was careful not to step hard on the gas pedal. Willard turned out to be a gentle, soft spoken, and ruggedly handsome. And somehow, he reminded me of Joey. He was charming and was a great conversationalist. I felt comfortable at our first handshake. His smile was contagious and his eyes were like high wattage bulbs -bright and cheery. "That's a nice shade of red lipstick you’re wearing," he said after we dispensed all formalities. "Red lipstick? Oh, no. This was a shade I wanted to throw away because it's very red." I laughed. "Sorry," I said while looking for a napkin to wipe it off. He handed me one. That broke the ice. We talked as if we had known each other for years. He had a keen sense of humor, and he was oozing with energy, and at the same time, a sense of calmness. "How was this going for you?" He asked. "Which one?" I thought he meant my online dating trek, but I wasn't sure. There were a million things going on in my life, I was confused myself. "Your Match.com search." "Oh, geez. I had so many responses including men from the mainland," I said with a little laugh. "That's what you get for posting a bikini picture. Of course, men would go for what they see." He sounded like a father scolding his child, but I didn't take offense. It didn’t register a red flag. I thought it was cute. "Have you found the one you like?" He asked. "I won't be here if that was true." I said. "Well, some women don't know it even when it's staring at them in the face." "Not with me." I said. We talked some more about life in general and about each other. I learned he was a construction engineer. I shared with him my construction project at home which was proving to be a nightmare. As far as job, I told him I was in real estate. I didn't tell him of my three other jobs lest he think I was crazy. I looked at my watch and was alarmed by how late it was. I enjoyed talking to him, I forgot I was going to work. My client lived in Hawaii Kai, a long drive from Kaneohe. "Oh my God! Look what time it is. I have to go!" I said, forgetting about our bill. "You're right. I live in Hawaii Kai; I have a long way to go myself." You live in Hawaii Kai? Shut up! You should have told me. We could have had dinner there where it's close to my work. "Why don’t you go ahead while I pay for our tab?" He said. He's paying. A good sign. "Thank you. Enjoyed talking to you!" I said as I stood up. I rushed to the parking lot, cranked my motor, and sped out of there. I was hoping he would take Pali Highway while I took Kailua Road and on to Kalanianaole Highway. I didn't want him to find out we were going in the same direction. I drove steadily remembering my speeding tickets and high insurance premium. I was halfway to my assignment when I noticed him driving next to me. Holy shirt! I took my foot off the gas pedal and let him drive ahead of me. It turned out that Richard was my client's neighbor. Talk about small world.