Amenable

One thing I found out tonight is what happened to the screen contraption that Paul and Blaine built to prevent Izzy from leaping out of the loft, down to the living room below. Eve made them take it apart the same night they built it. Paul, then, enlisted their daughter’s help to pick out and order an attractive room divider and gave it to Eve for Christmas.

“It’s perfect,” Eve said. She gave Paul a sidelong glance. “A huge improvement.”

Paul crossed his arms and shook his head, still disagreeing with her about the importance of aesthetics.

“You should patent your design,” I told him. “Have the last laugh when you and Blaine sell it for enough to fund your retirement in someplace warm.”

Blaine said, “Now that’s an idea. Your next drink is on me.” It was, and in the end so was my meal. He covered it with the waitress without my knowing.

Eve and Paul decided to leave before Blaine and I finished our final drink, giving the excuse that Izzy would need to go out soon. Their departure wasn’t awkward at all. Oh no.

Over dinner we had covered Christmas and New Year’s highlights. We’d talked about my back and all agreed I was much too young (ha!) to hire someone to remove snow for me, but I should do it anyway. I’d learned that Blaine’s daughter and her family may move out of state if her husband gets a job. We’d discussed what’s happening with the football program, as is our duty as citizens of the state. We’d speculated on a couple of significant local events that have fallen out of the news even though there must be things happening in the investigations. There wasn’t a lot left for conversation.

I was desperately avoiding bringing up the weather when Blaine placed his forearms on the table and leaned in. “Eve has mentioned you to me a lot since you started working together.”

Hey, how ‘bout that windchill today, huh?

“And you to me.”

“She’s, uh, doing some matchmaking.” He tried for nonchalance but it’s pretty hard to pull that off when you’re pointing at a potentially dangerous elephant in the room.

“I suspected,” I smiled.

He steadied his eyes at me long enough that it set off a flood of nervousness. Something must have entered my expression because he said, “I’m trying to tell what you think about that.”

Play it off or get down to it? “I’m never comfortable being set up. I don’t want anyone to feel obligated…” I waved my hand in the air in lieu of words. I didn’t know a concise way to finish the sentence. If I were speaking my mind I’d have said I don’t want anyone to feel obligated to give me a second thought. I don’t expect to ignite a fire in anyone. I’m embarrassed that someone is inflicting someone with limited attractiveness on someone they like. However, those aren’t things that can be said. A person can’t go around flinging their Samsonite at people’s heads like that.

He took a drink of his beer. When he set glass down, he kept his eyes on it. It wasn’t a comfortable silence. My stomach knotted. How have I not learned how to better handle these situations? “Now I’m trying to tell what you’re thinking.”

He looked up, smiled, shrugged. “I don’t want you to feel obligated either.” I shook my head in a way to mean he shouldn’t give that another thought. “Look,” he said, “I don’t how to approach this any other way so pardon me if this is too blunt, OK?” I nodded, felt my blood ice over. I prefer bluntness but that doesn't mean it's always easy. “I enjoyed our conversation that day at Paul and Eve’s. I’ve seen you since but haven’t had another chance to talk to you, and I’d like to if you are amenable.” I nodded. “That day, you indicated you were interested in going to a winery. We could do that.” I nodded.

My brain was part way down the road to Dead Endville and had to backtrack and catch up on the road to Huh, Whaddya Knowtown. Also, the formality of “amenable” and “indicated” amused me. Words, I thought, words are needed here. “I would like that,” I said. “That was a good conversation, I agree.”

It felt like we should sign something and initial it in two places. Instead, we agreed to get together Saturday. Winery and time to be determined based on the ability to get a reservation for a tasting.