Pretty Special Woman

The Attacks

                                                          The Attacks

They clipped the tags off their new clothes and drove to the trailhead a few miles up the road. The path to the observation deck offered a serene hike into the Chugash National Forest. The wide, level path followed the Russian River for several miles through heavily wooded terrain. The numb couple walked in silence, intermittently stopping to view elegant samples of wildlife. They passed few hikers along the way, but the observation deck attracted a dozen or more people who lingered to study the spectacle of nature. Edward photographed the energetic male fish as they fought the current and river rocks for the sole purpose of hooking up. Quite a macho and romantic display, they both agreed.

After an hour of watching the bloodied salmon in silence, Ethel suggested heading back. On the return hike, Edward timidly asked, “Vivian, tell me about your dates.”

Ethel felt a punch in the stomach. Her face reddened and simultaneously drained of color. She stood frozen. The large invisible white elephant stood between them and would always remain. They weren’t friends or lovers, just two people mutually and temporarily bound by a contractual agreement. In a few days, they would part and return to their real lives. For a moment, tears stung her eyes. To her surprise, Edward wrapped his arms around her.

“These semi-disastrous few days have been the best of my life. I’d like to believe that I’m more than just a client to you.”

“Then why do you want to know about my past dates?” her voiced wavered.

“I really don’t, I guess. I just want to talk.”

“So why, of all topics, would you pick that?”

“It was stupid of me, I know. I just like you so much.”

“You’re testing yourself to see if you still do after I tell you about other guys.”

“Maybe so,” Edward conceded. “But, hey, toss me a bone. This is all new to me.”

Me too, Ethel wanted to scream. Instead, she took a deep breath and began the brief story of her one and only “other” date.

Mimi gave the soggy and distraught young woman a few days to collect herself before gently broaching the subject. She was still, in fact, a businesswoman with an operation to run. The two women spent hours on the front porch, talking about Ethel’s miserable life, her dire current circumstance and fading dreams.

“You do understand what it is that we do here?” Mimi gently inquired. Ethel sobbed and nodded. Mimi wasn’t so sure. By the end of the week, she received a request that would be a perfect “first date” for Ethel.

The call came from the mother of a frat boy at Drexel University. Her smart, chubby, nerdy son needed a date for the pledge formal. She had lied and told him a distant cousin would be in town with her daughter who would love to go. Right out of the script from a million teen movies, this compassionate mom asked around until finding Mimi. The date called for more acting than love-making. Actually, it involved “only” the acting part.

Mimi directed her to the thrift shop where Ethel found a complete ensemble for less than twenty dollars. The anticipation of this date actually cheered her up.

His name was Davy, an identifiable problem right there; Ethel believed that she was something of an expert in poorly assigned names. His fraternity brothers had offered and perhaps even tried to find him a date and were surprised when Davy announced that they need not bother. He’d found one on his own, or rather his mother’s own.