Challenge The Proud

Blind Date

AL COULDN'T REMEMBER exactly how he had ended up sitting at that secluded, badly lit table at the L'Enfant. It was a classy restaurant, sure - with the fancy French name that Al couldn't care less about - and getting a table there was a big deal. So, he wasn't complaining about the venue; Al just didn't like the reason he was there.

A blind date. Al didn't remember how he had agreed to such a silly, unnatural suggestion. As if in the history of blind dates, there had ever been a blind date that went right!

Where was the woman anyway? Jenny? Candy? Letty? Who the heck could remember her name?

Al shrugged and took a sip from his favorite red wine. At least he had that to look forward to that night - the wine. And then, more wine.

Well, hello. Look at those legs and the cleavage...

Al's attention was completely taken by a young woman walking behind the hostess. She was being led to her table. To Al's astonishment, she was being led to his table.

He cleared his throat and ran his fingers over his medium-cut hair, more messing it up than pulling it back neatly. His brown gaze stared in disbelief as the gorgeous woman sat at his table and with a playful smirk painted across her alluring red lips, opened the menu and didn't even give Al a second look.

"You must be..." he said hoping that she'd reveal her name to him.

"You've forgotten the name of your date?" she retorted in a hushed, low tone, pleasing and enticing. She didn't wait for an answer, but instead smiled and continued in the same low tone, "Mira. You can call me Mira. And you're Al..."

"Yes, I am."

Wow, Mira... He had been way off. But who cared? She was a looker.

"I can't believe you're on a blind date. You're beautiful," he spoke without giving his words much thought.

"So, looks are everything?"

"No. I mean. Guys must line up to go out with you."

"Because I'm beautiful."

"No... Well, yeah. So what's wrong with that? Guy sees a girl. She's good looking. Guy usually asks her out. That's all," he said a bit flustered.

Suddenly the chair was uncomfortable and his suit jacket too confining.

"Maybe there's something wrong with my personality. What do you know?" she asked playfully and winked at him.

He heard himself chuckle and it was strange. When was it the last time he had laughed like that?

Al cleared his throat and straightened his back. He had to pull himself together. What was he? Some school girl out on her first date? 

"You gotta try this," he said and pointed at his glass. Then Al looked around for the waitress and waved to make himself be seen.

"Oh, it's fine, Al. I'll just take a sip from yours," said his blind date and to Al's surprise, Mira grabbed the glass and sipped some of his wine, without hesitation.

She drank from the glass of a stranger. From his glass - and didn't even flinch.

"Careful there. You don't know where I've been," Al said with a cheesy wink and a silly finger gun pointed at her.

Good going, idiot. Now she'll imagine the worst. What the hell was I thinking?

Al skulked and crossed his arms, resting his elbows against the table.

"My Spiritual Adviser says that where you've been only matters if you are still carrying the luggage," Mira revealed with a warm smile and an odd, gentle gaze that made him feel like a charity case.