She shrugged it off at first, figuring that there was nothing wrong with a man who spoke to his mother regularly. It was after the fourth phone-call from her to Percy and his seventh or eighth story that revolved around her that Charlotte began to realize that there was already a woman firmly ensconced in Percy’s life and it wasn’t her. Finally Percy admitted that he still in fact lived with his mother and Charlotte had quickly wished him well and left.
It was the fourth date that was Charlotte’s breaking point. Martin, 32, had seemed nice enough and he was very friendly when they talked on the messaging system, even if he did share a little too much of himself too quickly.
Charlotte had felt a twinge of warning in her gut within the first week of texting and calling but she ignored it, truly hoping that this 6’3” lawyer and part time rugby player could be the one. His picture was handsome and his hobbies seemed to mesh well with her. Her hopes were shattered into tiny pieces when she finally agreed to meet Martin though. They met in a somewhat seedy part of town and she quickly realized that Martin’s 32 was in fact 23, he was not a 6’3” rugby player but a 6’3” bean pole who played World of Warcraft more than was possibly healthy.
The picture he had used clearly wasn’t him either but the features were similar enough that Charlotte decided it must be a relative. Martin had turned up with a gift but it wasn’t flowers, instead it had been a bottle of perfume of the variety worn by grandmothers that was heavy, cloying and musky. Charlotte had sneezed as soon as she smelt it, the scent tickling her nose and she hadn’t even bothered to create an excuse for leaving. Instead she had turned around and simply walked away after looking Martin up and down and saying no.
She had had enough and said as much to her friends when they all came around to her house for lunch that Saturday.
“Oh don’t give up now Bernie,” cried Sylvia “You’re bound to meet the right person for you.”
“Yeah, he’s out there somewhere,” agreed Beth who was happily married “I mean… look how well you’ve been doing so far, you have had dates and they all did turn up. Well apart from that Dean bloke but to be honest I think you’re better off.”
“Definitely,” interrupted Chloe, “its like, a chartered accountant who likes sky diving? That just screams weirdo to me and anyone who sets that kind of test isn’t worth the time of day.”
“I suppose I could try a little longer. I did pay for 4 months after all,” Charlotte said with a sigh.
Her friends cheered and insisted that she pull out her laptop straight away so they could look over her profile and pick out men for her to message. The group managed to empty 3 bottles of wine and had to be picked up by partners and friends by the time they grew bored of ‘man shopping on the internet’ as Sylvia called it. Charlotte went to bed with a fuzzy head and the decision firmly in her mind that she would give it one more go and see where it took her.
***
The next day she got a message from a New Zealander based in the UK called Bruce Adams and her heart almost skipped a beat when she saw his picture. He was almost unbelievably handsome with thick wavy blond hair, a chiseled jaw and he looked tall and muscular, exactly the kind of man that Charlotte longed to date.
She began to question what a man who seemed so perfect was doing on a dating website; surely he would be able to get any woman he wanted without the help of the internet. She opened his profile and read through it and began to think more and more that he was perfect for her, exactly what she was looking for.
He was normal and adventurous, lived alone, supported himself, was spontaneous but steady and liked many of the same things that Charlotte liked. His hobbies included hiking and watching TV, he wanted to see more of England, including the pubs. Finally Charlotte gave in and opened the message Bruce had sent.
“Sylvia, Sylvia!” Charlotte cried down the phone later that evening. “I found him, I found the perfect man for me!”
“See!” Sylvia said back somewhat sleepily. Charlotte noticed guiltily that it was almost midnight “I told you that you’d find Mr. Right eventually, you just had to stick with it.”
“I know!” Charlotte said “Thanks so much for telling me to hang on.”
“So…” Sylvia said, sounding a little more awake “What’s he like?”
Charlotte went into a long explanation of the messages that she and Bruce had exchanged that day. The two friends talked for a long time but when Charlotte noticed that it was now 2 in the morning she insisted that Sylvia go to sleep. Charlotte decided to go to sleep too, happy and joyful at the prospect of finally having some luck with a man.
Bruce and Charlotte spent the next few days talking to each other, exchanging messages on the website, texting over the phone and finally talking over Skype. Charlotte couldn't believe the relief she felt when she saw Bruce there before her on her computer screen. He looked normal and just as attractive as his profile picture. She sighed with relief and their conversations improved more than she could have believed.
Bruce asked her about her stand-offish attitude at first, wondering why it had taken so long to open up. She was reluctant to admit it but eventually she explained the disasters of her past dates and meet ups. Bruce sympathized and admitted to some of his own. Their conversations flew by; days passing so quickly that before she knew it Charlotte had been talking to Bruce for well over two months.
“Look Bernie,” Bruce said over Skype that evening “All this talking is great and you’re a wonderful girl. I really want to meet you in person, see if we get along as well face to face as we do right now. Is that alright with you?”
“Of course,” Charlotte cried out “I would have said something sooner but to be honest I enjoyed our chats so much that I forgot to bring it up.”
“I know what you mean love, it’s hard to remember stuff when our conversations just end up winding around and around in all directions,” Bruce agreed.
They decided not to wait and arranged a meet the next day, at lunchtime, in the city centre. Charlotte dressed carefully the next day; she really thought that Bruce could be the one since they got on so well. Her stomach rolled with butterflies as she caught the bus in, nerves making her too nervous to drive safely.
She looked around as she approached the cafe Bruce had mentioned and her heart skipped a beat in her chest, making her catch her breath. He was beautiful, sat waiting quietly at a table with a single flower resting on the tabletop by his hand. He was looking around, probably for her and Charlotte found herself stopping and watching him from a distance.
Then he caught sight of her and smiled. She smiled back shyly, brushing her hair away from her face as she walked towards him. He stood and held out an arm as she got closer, gently kissing her cheek in greeting and handing her the flower.
“You look as lovely as your profile picture Bernie, even lovelier in fact,” he said with a smile once they were settled at their table “I’m so glad we agreed to do this.”
“You’re exactly how I pictured you,” Charlotte said quietly, sipping her water “I’m glad too, I’m so happy we decided not to wait any longer.”
“So…” Bruce began, leaning on the table and looking at her “How am I doing so far?”
“Wonderfully,” Charlotte said with a giggle “For one thing you were early! You’re the first man I’ve met from that site who understands the meaning of punctuality.”
“Tell me about it,” Bruce said “I was in the area doing some errands and I finished sooner than I thought. I remembered you saying that it really annoyed you to be kept waiting so I figured bugger it I’ll go early and surprise you.”
“It was a very wonderful surprise, one of the best yet,” Charlotte said quietly.
Bruce smiled at her and reached for her hand. The rest of the date passed in a blur for Charlotte, she had so much fun. Bruce was the perfect gentleman, making sure she was happy with everything they did, he held the door for her, helped her into her seat. His good manners made her think for a moment about Percy and she dared to ask Bruce where his mother was.
She breathed a sigh of relief when he explained that she was still in New Zealand and had no intention of coming to the UK any time soon. Charlotte couldn’t stop smiling as Bruce insisted on paying for everything, the first of any of her dates to do so. She was reluctant to end their date, slowly meandering through the streets talking as they returned to her bus stop.
Bruce wouldn’t leave her there, he waited patiently with her for her bus to arrive and when she was about to get on he gently pulled her towards him and kissed her softly and chastely on the lips. She had smiled the whole
