The Borio Singaldi Writing Anthology

Borio Singaldi and the Date That Goes West

(This is one of the longer Storios I have written, so I will warn you in advance about that. This story was written on the premise of subverting the idiom of "a date going south". I decided to take it literally in the sense of direction and write a story about a date that takes place in the Wild West. See what I did there? I and a few others agreed to right Storios about him going on a date that went in each direction, and I claimed West.)

Borio Singaldi and the Date That Goes West

"So..." Borio said awkwardly as he pulled out the chair for the lady. "Your name was..."

"Ms. Sally Fortworth Hoskins." The woman sat down obligingly. "But you can call me Sally." The middle-aged lady had a deep Southern drawl, and a fierce look of wild intensity in her eyes. Despite this, she also seemed rather solemn, and her entirely black outfit properly reflected that.

"Of course," Borio said, realizing that he should probably respond to what she said before the narrative description of her appearance made too much of an awkward gap in conversation.

"And remind me your name again, fine sir," she said, staring at him as he moved to sit in his own chair.

"Borio Singaldi, but you can just call me Borio, um... Sally."

"Very well, Borio," she said, her eye-twitching stare a tad disconcerting. "And what do you do for a living?"

"Well, er... I... am the head of the Singalditon Mercantile and Prospection Enterprises, a position inherited from my father, who founded it. And how about you?"

"I've been involved in prospecting for some years myself," she drawled. "There's gold to be found in these parts, I just know it."

"Well..." Borio began, but then realized in a rare moment of thinking before speaking that it probably wouldn't be best to tell her that he was fairly certain there was no gold to be found around this area, just as he'd told that crazy prospector a while back. And consider how that exchange, Borio decided to keep quiet this time.

"Well?" Sally asked, leaning forward.

"Well, I... I certainly haven't found any myself," Borio chuckled. "Not yet, at least."

"Then you haven't been searching hard enough," she said, a small smile creeping onto her lips. "It's around here, we know it."

Her smile had become even more disconcerting now.

Prospection may have been the original reason he'd come out here, but now he wasn't so sure. But while they were in this mysterious background town, Borio had figured he'd ask around. This had somehow inadvertently led to him being hooked up on a date with this lady he didn't even know. At first, he thought it might have been a business meeting. But now, it was a blind date. Well, not actually all that blind. It was obviously she could see very well. Too well, perhaps. Her stare was becoming downright disturbing. Borio had originally tried backing out once he knew this exchange was going to be a date, but Earnestwise encouraged him to take that step forward, suggesting it might even be a fun and rewarding experience. And so he could get away from Borio. But that was beside the current point.

You might have thought that during this exposition of circumstances that their conversation would have continued. But no, they still sat in silence even as this sentence ended.

Finally, a waiter came and brought them their menus, and asked for their orders. A description of what they ordered to eat is completely unnecessary and boring to write, so it will not be provided. Suffice it to say that Borio couldn't get Eagersmart Applegrove Swirl Cupcakes here. Or even jicama, for that matter.