Today was a good day, a quiet, lovely day with potential in the air. I am not quite certain what it is potential for, but something is happening, that is certain.
My newest charge, Ted, heard from the woman he met at the wedding, Elaine. She was passing through his town and messaged him to invite him to meet her for coffee. He was intrigued, and remembering how much he enjoyed his time with her at the wedding, he messaged her back with the location of his favorite coffee shop.
“This is…interesting,” she said, glancing around at the brown walls and the overlarge stuffed bass hanging above the coffee machine.
“A hidden gem,” he assured her. “The food is amazing, and the people are charming. I know the owner’s son, he’s a buddy of mine.”
No sooner had he said this than the owner’s wife bustled over to say hello to Ted and meet Elaine. She and Ted chatted for a moment, asking after one another’s activities and families, and then she took their orders and left, assuring them that it would only be a few minutes.
“She is nice,” Elaine agreed, but she was thinking that Ted was a gentleman—she had noticed how he made certain to include her in the conversation. “How long have you known her?”
“Oh, decades. She’s been in this town longer than I have.”
Elaine leaned over the table. “How long have you been here?”
“Now you’re asking me to date myself,” he laughed. He had to think a moment to get the right number. “Gosh, it’s been seventeen years now. See, my family came on a vacation up here when I was in high school—they’re from Connecticut—and I absolutely fell in love. I knew the minute I saw the lake that I wanted to be there forever. So I chose a career path that would get me back up here, and as soon as I graduated college I was back. My first job was campsite maintenance.” He made an expressive grimace, which made Elaine laugh.
“I’m guessing that’s really starting from the bottom, huh?”
“You have no idea,” he laughed and began sharing stories about his adventures—perhaps it is better to say misadventures—in that position. Elaine responded with stories of her own from her experiences in various hospitals, and the conversation rolled on with laughter and camaraderie.
It certainly was enough to reassure me that my first impression of the two had been wrong. I thought that their only source of attraction was physical, but they share more than that. They are both people who value interactions with others on a personal level, who like to know and learn about others. I had not seen this before in Ted—when I met him, and in most of my interactions with him to date, he has been alone. The quiet and the wilderness sustain him, but his spirit also needs moments like this, talking to new people and old friends about the simple things in life.
He needs both, the warmth of words and the peace in silence. And if he is to have a lasting relationship, he must find someone who can share both with him.
To that end, I encouraged him to open a way to find out if Elaine is that person.
“Well, you were right,” Elaine said a while later as Ted was walking her back to her car. “I may not think much of the décor, but the food was good, and Sandra is lovely. Although—am I imagining things, or was she cross-examining me a little bit there at the end?”
Ted laughed, his cheeks going a bit pink. “Well, like I said, she’s an old friend. And old friends tend to get nosy about the people who come in and out of your life, right?”
Elaine lifted her eyebrows and turned to face him, smiling up into his face. “And am I coming in or going out of your life?” she asked.
Their arms had been locked, and Elaine had not let go when she turned, so they were pressed quite close, and the look in Elaine’s eyes was quite clear. Ted’s heart spiked, but I soothed him, whispering for him to be brave. “I hope you’re coming my way,” he murmured. He brushed a strand of hair out of her face. “Why don’t you come out again sometime and we can talk about it? On the water, maybe—under the stars?”
She smiled and rose onto her toes, twisting at the last moment to press the kiss to his cheek rather than his mouth. “That sounds wonderful. Next Saturday?”
“Next Saturday,” he agreed, and then he had to step away. They said goodbye and went their separate ways, but each was thinking about the other for some time.
So I cannot say that there is no spark. Of course, if this were to be an easy decision, Danit would not have warned me about it. Elaine is a good match for Ted, but he still does think about Cole. I need to learn more, to see where each person’s heart truly leads. I will do everything I can to be certain that those hearts are safe in my care.