Edward rolled his eyes as he looked at the number on his caller ID. “Geez, Paul, now what loser have you got for me?” Paul laughed and started right in on the specs: fifty-nine, divorced, two grown kids, dental hygienist, lives right here in town, and her name is Sharon……..Edward didn’t even hesitate: “I told you, Paul, don’t set me up with a woman! I’ll find my own.”
Paul reminded him that he’s been saying that for a couple of years now. Although Lindy died almost four years ago, Edward thought he needed more time. Lindy was his beloved friend; she had turned his life around and made him happier than he thought was possible. When she died, part of him died, too.
They hadn’t married. Edward still cursed the day he broke up with her. He was scared, and rightfully so. His wife had taken him to the cleaners when they divorced. It took him nearly five years to rebuild his life and feel good about himself again. Lindy came along and turned him on his ear. He felt like a teenager again. He laughed as he thought about her nickname for him: Eddie, as in Eddie and the Cruisers. Right now, he would give anything to hear her sweet voice again.
“Paul, you’re not listening! I’m not interested, okay?” Paul sounded disgusted but, said “okay” and hung up. “I hope he gives up on me,” Edward thought to himself.
The phone rang again. Edward looked at the caller ID to make sure it was Paul; it wasn’t. “Hello?” came from his throat without any coaxing. “Hi, Eddie, this is Sharon.” Edward cringed when she called him Eddie but, he decided to let it go. Her voice sounded interesting, sexy even. “Hope you don’t mind that I called you Eddie; I loved Eddie and the Cruisers, it was such a great movie!”
Eddie, uh Edward felt his heart skip a beat. “Did she just say what I thought she said?” He dismissed the thought and inquired why she was calling him. “Well” she started, “this is kind of embarrassing. I am being honored by a group of friends, and everybody else has a date.” Oh, no, Edward thought, here we go.
Edward thought back to the last date Paul arranged for him. The woman was “high class” and Paul told him to wear a suit, or slacks and a sports coat. Edward could still remember how the coat collar chafed his neck. He didn’t want to go through that again. Jeans, and a tee-shirt for casual, cowboy garb (shirt, Wranglers, boots) was as dress-up as he liked to get.
“So, when is this shindig?” Edward asked. “Next Saturday night” she replied. Edward couldn’t get over how much he enjoyed the sound of her voice. “And where are you going?” he asked. “We have reservations at “Big Bubba’s BBQ” was her answer. “I hope you don’t mind, I love country music and they have a dance band on Saturday nights.” Edward could not believe what he heard. He loved country music, and he loved to dance!
He realized that he was hesitating and Sharon was waiting for his answer: “Can I call you back in a few minutes, Sharon?” “Sure” was her reply. He hung up the phone and walked into his bedroom.
Opening the closet doors, he looked way in the back, behind his sports coats. Ahh, there it is! Edward pulled out his favorite cowboy shirt and examined it. “Looks perfect” he smiled. He found his cowboy boots and dusted them off. He tried them on and they still fit fine; he knew he could two-step all night in them.
Walking back out to the phone, he could feel his heart pounding. Usually a man who made important decisions after long deliberation, he picked up the phone and dialed Sharon’s number. “Sharon, this is Eddie. I’ve thought about it, and I think we should get acquainted before going to your shindig. What are you doing tonight?”
Again I say:
If you get a chance---take it!
If it changes your life---let it!
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