'Interesting tidbit about yourself?'
Ginny takes a moment to think. 'Once a month I read my poetry at a poetry slam in a small cafe on the South Side.'
'Really?!' I half ask, half yell. Who is this girl? Ginny smiles again. After I get the rest of her info, I tell her I'll have her match contact her once I find him.
'Thanks, and, Jane'–she points her index finger back and forth between me and herself–'we do have a doctor-patient confidentiality thing here, right?'
'Huh?' I give her a strange look.
'You won't tell anyone I was here, right?' she asks.
'No. Not if you don't want me to.'
'I don't. Want you to, that is,' she says.
'No problem.'
Just then Daisy bellows out, 'Large mint mocha-chip frappycap, affogato style.'
'Well, that's me,' Ginny says. 'Have a good rest of the night.'
'Thanks, you too,' I say, still not sure how to take in the whole interaction.
I've been working nonstop for three hours, meeting people, taking notes, and making matches as fast as I can.
I've made five on-the-spot matches so far tonight, and I know there are a few more matches I can make once I have time to go through my notes. I'm exhausted. The line has finally dwindled. At least everyone fits in the store now, and no one has to wait outside. I'm stretching my arms up over my head when Derek comes up beside me at the table and whispers in my ear, 'Do me.'
A sudden wave of nausea washes over me and I bring my arms down to my side at lightning speed. 'Excuse me?'
I choke. 'Do me,' he says again.
I look him in the eye. 'Ever hear of a little thing called sexual harassment in the workplace, Derek?'
'No!' he yells, straightening and suddenly looking as horrified as I feel. 'No, no, no!'
He leans down, puts his hand to the side of his mouth, and whispers, 'I mean match me with someone.'
His eyes dart left to right to make sure no one is listening.
'You want me to match you with someone? That is so cute.'
'No, it isn't cute, and you better not tell anyone else about it. Just match me with someone and e-mail it to me.
My favorite drink is a medium gingerbread soy latte.'
'Awwwww ,' I say, surprised that a super-commercial Christmas drink is his fave. Derek glares at me and returns behind the counter to help take orders.
I help four more people: two slightly pudgy and balding brothers in their early thirties, a tall blond lesbian (my fourth lesbian of the night), and this beautiful super-leggy brunette catalog model. Now I'm face-to-face with a rather interesting character. Next in line is a girl with the blackest dyed Halloweenish-looking hair I've ever seen, a black zipper hoodie, a black T-shirt, and the most enormous pair of black baggy jeans (seriously, each leg looks like it could double as a skirt for me) covered in chains. She gives Sarah her drink order and then looks at me, expressionless.
'My name is Glinda,' she says, glaring at me through eyes heavily coated in mascara and thick eyeliner.
'Like the good witch?' I ask. Whoops. Bad move.
'Yeah.' She narrows her eyes and gives me a sarcastic smile.
'Sorry. Favorite drink?'
'Medium eggnog latte,' she says. Oh puke, I hate eggnog, but whatever floats your boat, you know? 'Age?'
'Twenty-five.' She looks exceedingly unhappy to be here. 'All right, Glinda, can you tell me some interesting tidbit about you? Just so I can get a better idea of who you are.'
'Hmm.' Her face softens while she thinks. 'I'm a bad-ass singer. I even got to try out in front of the judges for American Idol when they came to Chicago.'
'Omigod!' I squeal. 'You met Simon, Paula, and Randy?.'' I am a hard-core reality TV freak.
She nods. 'But they never showed my audition on TV
'Oh, bummer!' I say, typing her information into my laptop. Suddenly, I stop. Derek is off to the side grinding a one-pound bag of espresso for a customer. I look at Glinda, then at Derek, then at Glinda. Aha! Yes, yes, yes!
Could she be any more perfect for him?
13
Katie, Ava and Em, and I are chilling over a late breakfast at Granny's Diner on Sunday.
'You should have seen it, Ava,' Katie says. 'I swear Jane almost crapped her pants when I let her out in front of the store.'
'Nice image.' I rub my eyes and tilt back in my chair.
'Especially over breakfast.'
Em nods. 'It was unreal I've never seen so many people in our store at one time.'
'I couldn't believe it when I saw it on the news Friday night,' Ava says. She stirs a Splenda into her green tea. 'I kept watching to see if they were going to interview you, but they only showed you sitting at the table talking to customers.'
I widen my eyes. 'Oh, thank god they didn't. I was ready to toss my cookies just seeing all those people waiting for me. I could NOT do an interview on TV!'
'Can you imagine how ecstatic Derek must be?' Em says.
'Why?' I ask, concerned. Did Em somehow find out I had matched him? I e-mailed him yesterday morning with Gothy Glinda's info and he's probably contacted her by now. But I'm pretty sure he wouldn't have told anyone.
'Are you kidding? District must be throwing a parade for him with all the sales we pulled in Friday night. Heck, forget district, I bet the CEO of Wired Joe's himself called to congratulate Derek.'
'You think?' I ask.
'Heck yeah,' she says.
'It is pretty huge, Jane,' Katie agrees. 'A lot of the students over at St. Pat's have been talking about it.'
'And the cast and crew at my community theater,'
Ava adds.
'The kids in my honor classes are talking about it, too,' Em pipes in.
'Shut up ...' I say. 'No way are all these people talking about me. Are they? I'm going to totally freak out. I can't do this anymore. It's just getting way too big.'
'Kind of late, Jane,' Em says nonchalantly. 'Derek is never going to let you out of it now. Besides, you only have two weeks left. You can do it.'
'I don't think I can eat,' I say, pushing my breakfast away.
'That's four ninety-nine you'll never see again.' Katie laughs and the others join in. But I can't laugh right now.
I'm feeling panicky again. I reach in my bag for a pack of Rolaids.
