The Pooks was working at a new age book store. It was a place she had wanted to work for some time, she loved shopping there, and she needed a job. Everything just lined up in a row. While there, she had met someone who she said would be “perfect for me.”
It has always been my experience that those people who are “perfect” for you typically share one or two similar interests with you, and have little else going on for them. If you’re lucky they might be okay looking. Most times they spend their time with you describing themselves to you. I hate that. Why don’t you just be yourself and let me figure out who you are. If you keep talking about who you are, you might was well just arrange it into a book for me to read so I can stop listening to you jabber.
Anyhow, I went every Saturday I could to visit the Pooks at the book store, as it was typically slow, and this mystery girl worked that night with her. 2 birds, one stone. We chatted a bit here and there, but I didn’t make any moves. See, the Pooks was under the impression that mystery girl was going to leave the country for 6 weeks, and would be leaving in 2 weeks or so. How lame would it be to go on 2 or 3 dates only to be apart for a month and a half? “Remember me?” Forget it. I was intent on waiting for her return before I did anything.
Valentine’s day rolls around, and I thought it would be a cute gesture to give her something for Valentine’s, as she likely wouldn’t have a Valentine, and neither would I. So I went to Ralph’s to pick out a bouquet. Their selection was mediocre at best. They did, however, have fake plastic roses that stood a bit over 3 feet tall. Perfect. Cute, romantic, and silly. Just like me.
I went to the shop, but to my dismay, she had traded shifts with someone, so she wasn’t even there. At the time I was working at Earthlink, who had me working at just about every other time I could possibly see her, so I wrote a note on the rose, and left it behind the counter and went out front to smoke a cigarette.
Like I said, this is a new age book store. Working there are several spiritual readers, or psychics, to the layman. The Pooks comes out and tells me that Ambika, one of the readers, says that I can not leave this rose for her. It absolutely has to be given to her in person. I went back in after my smoke, and waiting behind the counter was Ambika who told me that I was to give this to her in person. Typically Ambika has a very calm and happy demeanor. When she was telling me that I had to give this to her in person, she had a very serious look on her face, as if the safety of the space time continuum was at stake. Not wanting to bring about the end of the world, I said okay, though I didn’t know how I could possibly get it to her.
As things turned out, I got that following Monday off so that I could take my godmother’s kids to Disneyland. This made it possible to go to the book store Monday morning, when she would be there.
I got there a bit early, and very nervous. I walked a couple shops down to Starbucks for a frappuccino. I gulped down the liquid courage, otherwise known as caffeine, and went into the book store, holding the rose behind my back as best I could.
She was glowing. Her hair was braided into a pony tail. She was wearing a red shirt with jeans. I’m not very good at describing fashion, but I can see it perfectly in my mind’s eye. I gave her the rose, and she seemed very surprised. She also blushed. That’s a good sign.
We chatted a bit, I told her about Saturday night. She told me that she had taken the night off to have dinner with some friends for her birthday. It turned out that I had returned to find her on her birthday. I wished her a happy birthday, of course, and asked about her trip out of the country. It turns out that the Pooks was wrong. She wasn’t leaving for another month, and would only be gone for 27 days. This was much more promising. Flustered at the possibility that we could see each other, I asked her out on a date for that next Friday. She agreed.
We saw each other many times during that first month, called each other often while she was away, and have been together ever since.
She is my love, my life, and the best thing to ever happen in my life.
I love you Milca.