Just a Click Away

Chapter 5

      A low hissing sound rewarded Leslie's struggle to open a two liter of Coke she had capped too tightly. She could hear her friends' laughter and chatter in the dining room as they talked with excitement about their plans for the evening. Leslie set down the Coke and glasses and brought brownie sundaes out to each of her friends. A laptop sat in front of the empty chair Leslie would be taking once her job as hostess was complete.

"Girl, I am so glad you finally decided to pull the trigger on this Christian Cupid thing!" April poured some soda into her glass. "My sister might have found the guy of her dreams last week. It's too soon to tell, but I think that once she fixes him, he could be a real keeper!"

"Fixes him? What's wrong with him now?" Margaret smiled incredulously.

"Well, I'll just say that he is a little bit of OCD. You should see this guy! He makes sure that his socks match his tie. Who does that? I want to remind him that no one sees his socks or cares if they match the colors in his tie, but you know me; I don't like to make waves," April grinned.

"Sure you do," Elle laughed. "And how do you know that his socks and ties match if no one sees his socks?"

"I'm just more observant than most." April turned her attention to Leslie who had just taken her seat in front of the computer. "Enough about me! We're here to help Leslie get her profile set up!"

Slowly, Leslie opened the laptop and pressed the power button. "I don't know about this, ya'll. I could be getting myself into a dangerous situation. What if I meet with a serial killer?"

"And what if there is a tidal wave? What if moon falls from the sky? These things are about as likely as you getting killed by a maniac!" April said with conviction.

"You're right," Leslie typed Christian Cupid into Google Chrome and pressed the search button. "Here goes nothing."

A few clicks later and Leslie said, "Ok, it wants me to select a screen name. Any of you have any suggestions?"

Excitement grew at the table and the women began to throw out ideas.

"How about Leslie123?" Margaret suggested.

"That's way too prosaic!" April said with her mouth full of brownie. "How about LeslieRN? You are a nurse after all."

"I don't think I like that very much either," Leslie scratched Waldo behind his ear and he curled up at her feet.

"I think that you should call yourself LeslieInWaiting." Elle said thoughtfully. "It sounds kind of classy, like a lady in waiting, but it also reflects that you have been waiting on the Lord to work things out. I think it works on several levels."

"I have to admit, I don't hate it!" Leslie began to fill in the username box. "Next it wants me to tell about myself. This isn't going to be easy. What should I say?"

"Here, give me that keyboard," April slid the keyboard in front of herself and began to type.

Margaret and Elle looked over April's shoulder to gauge her progress and give their opinion when they thought wording should be changed. When they all came to a consensus, April slid the laptop back to Leslie.

Leslie began to read aloud. "My name is Leslie! I'm a nurse in the ER of my local hospital. I am a Sunday school teacher and love children. My favorite activities include walking my dog, Waldo, spending time with family and friends, and I love bowling even though I'm terrible at it. I want more than anything to help people who need my help, and want to make a difference in the lives of others. I do have a fun side, and my friends say that I have a great sense of humor. If you want to know anything more, just ask!"

"Hmm, do you think it's missing something?" Leslie wondered. "I seem a little boring."

"You can't tell them everything!" April scraped the last of her ice cream out of the bowl. "You have to leave something for them to learn about you when you start meeting these eligible men."

"I'll take your word for it!" Leslie continued clicking and answering questions. "Oh my! I had no idea there would be such a huge charge on this website. That's it, I'm out!"

"How much is it, Leslie?" Elle inquired.

"Almost fifty dollars a month! That's outrageous!" Leslie put her hand over her mouth in disbelief.

"Just do what my sister does," April said. "She doesn't pay for the website at all."

"How does she get away with that?" Elle clearly did not like where this was going.

"You can have a free account without paying; you just can't see the profile pictures of your matches. You are able to read their profiles, and send a limited number of messages for free." April turned to look Leslie in the eye, "Leslie, you aren't a superficial person; you wouldn't mind skipping the profile pictures, would you?"

"I guess not," Leslie was looking more relieved by the minute. "It's what's on the inside that counts anyway. This way I can get to know these guys for who they really are, and looks won't even be a factor."

Though Margaret and Elle were not thrilled about not being able to see pictures of her matches, they both encouraged her to do what she thought was best.

"All done," Leslie clicked the laptop shut. "Thanks for all your help, girls! I couldn't have done it without you!"

After a little small talk and some gushing from April about how she would have a message from her dream man in the morning, Leslie's friends began to head home to their husbands one by one. When Leslie was left alone with Waldo to think about what she was getting herself into, she lost some of her nerve. She had watched Dateline and seen the Lifetime movie Craigslist Killer she could be in for trouble. Trying to shake the pall of doubt that shadowed her, she prayed a quick prayer that the Lord would lead her in this new adventure.