“Sandy, I’m getting discouraged,” Jenna sighed. “I thought you were making an effort to find a good fit for me.” “Jenna,” Sandy replied, “it takes time. People are different on paper than in person. We make our best attempt, but you have to meet someone first to determine if there’s a connection.”
Jenna knew all that, but knowing it and experiencing it are not the same. “Okay, who do you have for me now?”
He turned out to be Carlos, a veterinary technician. Jenna liked that he worked with animals, which spoke to an assumed compassion for living things. They were to meet in a park, since she’d had enough of restaurants and coffee shops. Being an outdoorsy person, she wanted to see if a potential match loved it, too.
It was a warm spring day and the sun was out, just the ticket for an optimist like Jenna. Her health, while still an issue, had been extremely good since her surgery, and she was excited about possibly meeting someone to settle down with. Which was good, because Carlos arrived with flowers, chocolate, and a big smile. “Mi amor!” he exclaimed as he sat on the bench next to her. “These are for you, from my garden. And the chocolate because you seem sweet.”
“Oh!” Jenna said, dubiously. “No one’s ever brought me flowers on a first date!” “Think of this as our first date of many,” he said. “In fact, I made dinner reservations at Le Chic Maison for this evening as I know we will want to spend much more time together. Sandy told me what a beautiful and interesting woman you are and look, she was right! I have a lovely evening planned, and after dinner we will take a carriage ride in the Public Gardens!”
Jenna felt overwhelmed instantly. “Carlos, I appreciate the flowers and the chocolate, but let’s decide if we even want a second date after this afternoon. I’m content to just get to know you a little bit and tell you a few things about myself.”
“What’s to know?” he laughed. “My mama will love you and she will tell you what a good man I am, very respectful and gentle to women. I will take care of you and provide for you as a man should. We will make many babies together and be happy forever!”
“Well,” Jenna paused, already knowing her wish to take things slowly would not go over as well as she would like. “To be honest, I have health issues that may make you rethink being with me so we may as well talk about that now. This is always my concern when meeting someone.”
Carlos threw up his hands and said “whatever it is, I am sure we can overcome it. I couldn’t wait to meet you when I saw your picture and now that I see you in person, you are lovelier than I imagined! I want to show you off to my friends and family!”
Jenna stood up, leaving the flowers on the bench (and looking at the chocolate regretfully). “Carlos, you seem like a nice man, and I’m sure you will meet a very nice woman who will love to be with you. But I’m not ready for this level of devotion when we barely know each other. I think it would be best if I said goodbye now and wished you all the best.” She walked away, but not before she saw how crestfallen he looked.
She spent the weekend cleaning her apartment and preparing her lunches for the workweek. Time spent on the phone with her mother and best friend helped clear her head and put things in perspective. She wondered if she was overthinking things, or perhaps her expectations were too high. But then she replayed the events of the prior weeks and knew she had made the right decisions.
She was early for her next appointment, and as she walked into the office to meet with Sandy once more for the final match, she saw a nice-looking man waiting there. They struck up a conversation and laughed over their failed dates so far. By the time the receptionist said she could go in, Jenna and her new friend, Anthony, decided they were going to have coffee together instead. They bonded almost immediately, sharing many of the same interests, TV shows, quotes from movies they loved, and each of them had a close-knit family. “Why didn’t Sandy match me with him?” Jenna wondered. “He is everything I’ve been looking for, and so much more.”
Two years later, they were married. Their first dance? Tony Bennett’s “Just in Time.”
