Just Flirting

Allison was waiting in her car for her boyfriend Tom. He had gone into the mall to pick up a special battery at the electronics store. Tom had driven and Allison was sitting in the passenger seat because she hated to drive at night in the rain. She also had forgotten to bring her umbrella. She had just settled back to read the book she had brought with her. She was engrossed in the first chapter when the door opened and a voice she didn’t recognize said, “Where are the damned keys?”

She looked up surprised and looked at a man she had never seen before in her life. He hadn’t looked over at her and was still looking in his pockets and under the floor mat.

He asked, “Do you have your keys? I don’t know what I did with mine.”

Allison just sat there and looked at him, unable to speak. She couldn’t figure out what he was doing in the car and why he was asking about her keys. He finally looked over at her and said, “Who are you and what are you doing in my car?”

She replied, “This is my car, who are you?”

He looked at her like she was crazy then looked in the back seat of the car and looked in the glove box. It hit him the same time she figured out what had happened. He had gotten into her car thinking it was his own. In the pouring rain, he had run to get inside and misjudged.

“This is embarrassing,” he said, “I thought you were my girlfriend. I saw the car and you sitting in it and ran to get out of the rain. I am so sorry. You probably think I’m a crazy person.”

“Actually, I don’t think you’re crazy because I did the same thing once.” She said, “I was running with my umbrella and opened the door and sat in sideways to close my umbrella and when I swung my legs inside and closed the door the man in the driver’s seat said. ‘I’m sorry if you missed your bus, but I don’t think my wife will be too happy to find you in the front seat.’ “We laughed about it but I felt like an idiot.”

He held out his hand and started to introduce himself, but Allison stopped him and said, “Let’s remain strangers passing on a rain soaked night.”

“OK, but I think you’ve been reading too many mysteries,” He said with a smile on his face. “I’ll make up a name for you and you can make up a name for me. I’ll call you Rainy.”

I guess it’s better than ‘Dreary’”, she laughed. “I’ll call you ‘The Wet Guy.’”

“Oh good, ‘The Wet Guy’,” He said making a face.

“How about just plane ‘Guy’ for short?” she asked.

“Better” he agreed, “but I’m not that short.”

Ali said, “Nyuk, Nyuk, Nyuk.”

“Don’t tell me you’re a Stooges fan? He asked with surprise, “I didn’t think any girls liked the Stooges.”

“I don’t, but my boyfriend does,” Ali said, wishing she had left that part out of the conversation.

“A boyfriend?  Is it serious?” He asked.

“That’s kind of personal for two people who just met seconds ago don’t you think?” she asked.

He said, “I’m sorry, you’re right it is, but I feel like I’ve known you all of my life.”

“That’s weird because that’s what I was just thinking,” she said. “It’s almost like we’ve been friends forever.”

Unwilling to end the conversation, he asked, “why is it that most guys like the stooges and most girls don’t?’

“Because men are dorks? Ali asked innocently.

He nodded and said, “I knew it had to be something profound like that.” Then he added, “Well, before we really become friends, maybe I should get out of your car so we can remain strangers in the night,” he said with a wink. He put out his hand and said, Goodbye Rainy Girl, It was a pleasure meeting you…and I can’t ever imagine you being dreary.”

Ali took his hand this time and shook it with real regret. She was sad that she would probably never see him again. They held hands in the fogged up car. They looked at one another and smiled. Ali was afraid that he was about to lean over and kiss her. If he had, she knew that she would have kissed him back. When he got out of the car, he stood there for a second and then waved at her as he ran back into the rain, she felt an incredible loss. Ali tried to remember what he had looked like. She had a hard time. She thought she would recognize him if she saw him again but for the life of her she wouldn’t have been able to describe him to anyone if they had asked. She thought his hair was a light brown. But then it was wet and could have been a dark blond instead. It was hard to tell. She didn’t know what color his eyes were. It was almost a physical pain trying to bring his features back into focus. She really wanted to remember what he had looked like. Tom’s face kept floating to the surface and she didn’t want it there.

A few minutes later, Tom got back into the car and said, “It’s really pouring out there. It’s a good thing you didn’t go in. I had a hard time finding what I wanted. You would have been mad at me for taking so long. How’s the book?”