Heart Sparks: Tiny Stories of Love | ✓

19 • A Fated Arrangement

I inspected my dented car and flat tire.

"Great," I muttered.

The sole bolt on the road had somehow made it into my tire, rolling the car into a tree, albeit with minimal damage.

I checked the time on my phone. I was already running 10 minutes late to this lunch and I couldn't disappoint my Mom again. I called a taxi instead.

I arrived at the The Bar in the Carina Falls Country Club barely catching my breath. I scanned the tables for a man wearing a blue shirt and grey trousers.

When he stood up to greet me, I was surprised at his few inches over my 5'10".

"Sorry I'm late," I said but he didn't seem at all fazed or annoyed.

"Please sit," he gestured, pulling out my seat.

I set the purse down beside me. As soon as I was settled and ordered a cup of coffee, he spoke again.

"So, will you marry me?" he asked, and I almost spit out my water.

"Excuse me?" I asked, swallowing.

"Your mom arranged this meeting for you to tell me your decision," he stared at my confused face. "What I meant was do you approve of me? Are you now willing to take the next step?"

I stared back at him for a moment before forming my words.

"We've never met before," I said, finally. "I thought the arranging was for a first date, not for a wedding."

He didn't look happy and annoyance was bubbling inside me. This wasn't a business deal.

"I'll cancel my order," I signalled for the waiter, now desperate to find a way out of there. "Again, I'm sorry for being late. And wasting your time."

I gave an awkward head nod as my farewell. He didn't bother with any courtesy. I was going to have a very long talk with my Mom when I saw her. She was getting more and more lenient with her vetting process, not that I was warming up to the idea of settling down in the first place. The only reason I went on these dates was that the nagging was much worse.

I exited the country club, searching for my car, realizing that it was still stuck in the ditch a few blocks again.

"Damn," I said, shaking my head. This day could not get worse.

"Hi," a man in a brown suede jacket and jeans approached me. "Is everything okay?"

He was swinging his car keys around his finger.

"I was looking for a ride," I said. "I lost mine."

"You lost yours?" he said, his mouth twitching. He mistook my circumstances for something more amusing.

"Flat tire," I shrugged.

"Oh!" he said, in understanding. "Well, I was just on my way out. Is there anywhere I could drop you...uh, what's your name?"

"Emily."

"Ryan."

"No, no," I shook my head. "I'm sure you have somewhere to be. I'll just call a taxi."

"Actually, I don't," he said. "I just quit my job."

He looked back with such a smile, I couldn't help but reciprocate.

"Is that a good thing?" I asked, with a laugh.

"A very good thing," he answered. "How about I tell you all about it on the way?"

I fiddled with the tassel on my handbag. He seemed harmless enough. If he had been at the club, it was likely my parents knew his. Membership was exclusive. Another reason why Mom loved scouting out a future son-in-law while she brunched.

"You won't have long," I said. "I'm headed back to work just a couple blocks away."

"How about we take a walk?" he suggested, pocketing his keys.

"A walk sounds nice," I said.

"And we'll have plenty of time," he responded.