The hunch

A short story of certain negotiations.

A comment in a dating site, in which he is a member caught Horace Burns’s eye. He wrote back a few words to that “commentator” that happened to be a female member, and to his utter suprise she sent him a rather polite notice plus her phone number.

He did not miss that chance, and he called her right away.

She was cheerful and laughed sweetly, and he was sure that she is surprised and happy at the same time. He asked to meet her and she agreed, and a date and time were fixed.

Her voice and her sweet laughter enchanted him, and he could hardly pass the two days up to their first meeting.

When the day came at last, Horace took the train to Lester where she lives.

He did not have to wait more than fifteen minutes as he got out of the trrain teminal, when he heard a car’s horn blowing; and he realized that it is her, Norma 101, with this name she introduced herselt at the dating site.

He went over to her car and as he reached it, he looked at her and met her dark blue eyes. He opened the car’s front door, entered and sat beside her quite excited. She’s a real beauty he kept thinking, while making an effort to control himself.

‘Hello Horace, we’ll drive to a certain restaurant not far from here, where we’ll be able to talk without any kind of interference, and know each other better.’ She said and cleared her throat slightly, and then she drove the car slowly to the main road.

They reached the restaurant after a rather short while of some three or four minutes. Norma parked the car and they got off, and entered the restaurant.

Just a few tables were occupied in the restaurant wide hall at that hour of day, and thus they did not need to resreve a table beforehand.

So she picked that restaurant because it’s the nearest one to the train terminal, and if she’ll decide that I’m not her cup of tea, she won’t have any trouble to send me back to where I’ve came from… Horace thought disillusioned already, as he sat opposite the lovely Norma and kept watching her lovely features and her dark blue eyes.

‘Well we hardly know each other, so do tell me a few more things about yourself.’

While Horace started to tell her the few things he did not think he should hide from her, a waitress arrived at their table with the menus. She put it before each one of them and left their table right away.

The waitress’s arrival has cut off Horace’s monologue, and he realized that Norma has lost interest in what he was supposed to tell her. She scrutinzed the menu with a bow head, and with much interest. It took her just a few seconds when she raised her head and muttered: ‘I’ll have fish and chips.’

‘Me too,’ he echoed after her carelessly, without minding what he’ll eat.

To his utter surprise she told him the story of her life, until their orders were brought to their table, and she kept on even during the meal.

With the meal over she took him back to the train terminal, and it seemed without the slightest doubt that she’s eager to ger rid of him.

‘When will I see you again?’ He asked before parting, leaving her the choice to be the one that rejects him.

‘Do call me in a day or two,’ she muttered nonchallantly and off she went leaving him before the train terminal entrance, and that was it.

He knew very well that he’ll never hear from her again, and it took him a couple of days to get over it; for he realized that he was already in love with her.

What an unlucky miss, he thought pertubed and downhearted as he went inside the terminal hall. Well I’ll have to strart looking for another one all over again, but not before next week… This somewhat strange decision made him laugh loudly, and he felt much better.

© Haim Kadman April 2019 - all rights reserved.

.