Julian

V. May, Ch. 52

     He burst into a sprint, catching up with little effort.

     The two jogged until Marlo demanded a water break.

     It was a very slow walk to the parking lot. Calvin feared that Marlo might have actually hurt himself.

     As they sipped from their water bottles against the rear end of the Mustang, Calvin noticed a young, blonde woman walking in front of them.

     Calvin's eyes locked with hers for a moment.

     She smiled, then looked away shyly.

     The endorphins his body released during the jog swam freely through his body, making him feel more confident than he knew he was.

     "Well?" said Marlo. "Aren't you going to talk to her?"

     Calvin turned his neck to look at him. "Please. A woman that beautiful can't be single."

     "I met Lisa when she got lost and asked me for directions on the street."

     "Yes, but you were in your usual suit and tie. I'm sweating like a pig."

     "Women love the smell of man sweat. Just walk up to her and keep her entertained for a few seconds. If it all goes wrong, you get to hop on a plane and never see her again."

     Calvin took another sip of water as he pondered the possibility.

     The blonde looked over her shoulder at him, as if to check if he was still there.

     He handed Marlo his water bottle. "Hold this. I'll be back."

     What are you doing? You don't know how to talk to women. Go back.

     He took slow steps towards the woman. "Excuse me."

     She stopped and turned. "Yes?"

     Calvin's mind went blank. Every good line he memorized from romantic movies was erased. The only thing he remembered was how underprepared he was.

     She seemed happy to see him as she waited. She pointed at Marlo. "You're not trying to set me up with your friend, are you?"

     He looked at Marlo. "My brother? No, he's married."

     She turned her whole body towards him. Her eyes scanned him from top to bottom. "That's a relief."

     Calvin blushed. He wanted to give her a compliment, but he didn't know what he could say that wouldn't land him in hot water, or make her think that she wasn't attractive. He stuck to facts, the one thing he was good at. "What's your name?"

     "Violet."

     Calvin offered her his sweaty hand. "Nice to meet you, Violet. I'm Calvin, like President Coolidge."

     Too many facts, Leblanc.

     Violet laughed at the awful joke as she shook his hand.

     He took it as an invitation to continue with his fact-fest. "And you're Violet, like... the character in Charlie and the Chocolate Factory."

     That. Was. Dreadful. Leave now.

     She giggled behind her hand. "I love that book."

     He couldn't believe his luck. Were all women like this? "You do?"

     "Yes. I'm having my class read it next semester."

     Calvin lifted one end of his open grin. "Oh, you teach?"

     She lit up like a Christmas tree. "Yes. Fifth grade. What about you?"

     Any ideas about modesty and humility went out the window. He wasn't thinking about being genuine and selling himself like he was interviewing for a job. He just needed to keep her impressed.

     He looked directly into her green eyes. "I'm a writer."

     She smiled with her teeth, appearing as though she was keeping herself from swooning.

     It was the exact reaction Calvin wanted.

     Violet held on to her elbow. "That explains why you made a book reference."

     Calvin could have stopped there, but impressing her left him with such a high, he wanted to do it again. "I write for the stage."

     She gasped. "Really?"

     He placed his hands on his hips in a heroic stance. "Yes. You like plays? What was the last play you saw?"

     Not even after his college graduation did Calvin feel so accomplished.