François' Quest

2

'Thoreau is his favorite too?' Her heart was pounding. 'He's gorgeous! He's probably about six foot two but he looked six foot seven walking over to me. How is this possible? A stranger walks up to me and just sits at my table. Talks children?!.....and marriage?!' Her face was sad but her brain was smiling. She suddenly felt guilty. Was she allowed to be interested in a man with this tragedy hanging over her head? Terrible. Survivors guilt. She had to read about it. She loved reading. Loved learning.
'Calm down Lowdian. It's just dinner on Saturday night. Just come here and have someone to talk to instead of always being here alone.' Still talking to herself, watching the people walk by the window. Sadness swept over her as usual. Watching the tourists and couples walking by hand in hand, laughing, smiling, looking at each other. Love was a wonderful thing. She had it once. She had it all then it vanished, just like that. She snapped her fingers. 'We used to come here. Maybe I shouldn't be in this restaurant with another man.' Her thoughts were plaguing her.
Some time had passed. François had taken a book out of his briefcase. When people read in a restaurant others felt sorry for them; believing they were reading to compensate for being by themselves. François, liked being by himself, he liked reading. He was reading, none other than, Thoreau. His favorite Thoreau book called Walden. But his mind kept wandering. His eyes kept forcing their way across the restaurant to the beautiful, sublime creature, named Lowdian.
She was plaguing him because he knew there was something terribly wrong in her life that was causing her a lot of distress. He was dying to find out what it was. It wouldn't take much for him to find out. He had a genius mind. He was a problem solver. The world knew of his erudition, great knowledge, great learning. Although he was accredited more than thirty-five Academic Achievements, he remained humble. He knew that the more he knew the more he knew that he knew nothing. There was so much more to know. How could he be arrogant when there are others that are more intelligent than he......true......also many that were not? He always remember the quotation of Isaac Newton. "If I have seen further than others, it is by standing upon the shoulders of giants." Also Albert Einstein said, "I am grateful and thank all the scientists that came before me. They contributed to what we know today."
He had a sense about things. He just knew.
"Well, how do you know?" Many people would ask him.
"I just know." Was his standard response.
François didn't know how it happened but someone could say very little and he would know the truth of the matter, most matters. He had intuition. It is difficult to not be presumptuous when you are intuitive. Your mind runs with a story, an assumption, sometimes a hunch. Then it runs off with gathered information and ninety-nine percent of the time it is correct. He could just be with someone and know something was off, then when the person started talking he could tell by their body language, what they said, how they said it, what the truth really was.
Life was difficult for someone with that kind of intuition and intelligence. Life was simply not easy. He needed someone that could be his balance. Someone that could help him slow his mind.
His balance? Yes, she was it. He knew it. He was sure.
He was sure by the end of Saturday evening with 'his' lovely Lowdian, he would know what was troubling her pretty little head.
He would help her.
Whatever it was.
He would fix it for her.
He thought love at first sight was rubbish. He would read about it, hear stories to that effect but he never believed it. All the movies with these happily-ever-afters were fantasy.
Saturday night was the night that he changed his mind on the whole subject.
He was sure that he was in love with Lowdian.
He was sure that they knew each other instantly. They recognized each other from their future. Their spirits meshed.
He was sure he wanted her to be his wife. He was sure he wanted her to have his children. Maybe not ten, but certainly one or two.
He was sure he could no longer live without her.
Oh, oh she made a move. Is she leaving? His heart was pounding. He lifted his book in the hopes that it would not be obvious that he was watching her.
Oh! She is just going to the lady's room. Good. He didn't want her to leave the restaurant.
He was tempted to follow her home, which he should not do. That would scare her.
François just realized that he had no contact information for her. He started to break into a cold sweat. What if he lost her? That would be awful. Then he began to relax because he did have her full name, didn't he? 'Calm, stay calm, I will be able to find her if she doesn't show up on Saturday.'
Would she show up?
All the self-doubt started. She seemed to like him. Was she just being polite? No, she smiled at him. She must like him. He got so much attention from other women but, it meant nothing because he wasn't interested in any of them. He was very interested in Lowdian.
Here she comes. He scooted behind Thoreau again. Sitting down at her table. François had his book up at his eye level, able to see her over the top of the book.
She was calling the waiter. Getting her bill. She was paying. Standing up. Putting on her jacket. Purse over her left shoulder. Oops.....she is walking over here. He lifted the book high to cover his whole face.
"Just in case I don't show up on Saturday, here is my number." She said with her sweet voice.
"Oh, okay, thanks!" François replied trying to look unaffected by her. She smiled, walked away from him and left the restaurant.
"YES! She does like me!" He said out loud with no fear of being heard.