She had strawberry blonde hair, green eyes and a sweet smile. The name under the picture was, Rose, and she stated that she loved the outdoors and music. He read through and then asked to see the video. Out of curiosity he looked for his own picture and smiled to see he was number 4896.
“May I see her video now?”
“You certainly may. Come with me to the video room.”
They walked out into the hall and down two doors where they entered a room with comfortable padded chairs. There was a small table to the right of the door which held water, coffee, sugar, cream and swizzle sticks. There were also a variety of pastries, paper cups and napkins.
“Jason, if you wish, you may use these little pads and pen to make notes or write questions you might like to ask later. Would you care to get coffee and a Danish first?”
“No, thank you. I don’t think my stomach would appreciate anything now because I’m nervous about this.”
She smiled. “Don’t feel badly. You’re just experiencing what the majority of people feel when they start. It is a big step to take and we understand that. All of you are strangers to each other and there has been horrible publicity about other dating agencies. The owners, the Harpers, are extremely careful about whom they allow to participate. You probably were not aware of it, but everyone is checked out by our police chief. If the person has a questionable record, or suspiciously no record at all, that waves a red flag and they are not encouraged to continue.”
“Really! Was I checked out? Now that was silly. Of course I was.”
“I’m positive you were. But to ease your mind, the chief hasn’t given any warning about you, so that means you’re A okay. If you attend the party on Saturday week, you’ll meet the owners, staff members and some of the agency members. Not everyone attends.”
“But it isn’t required to attend.”
“Oh, no. Please consider it though because you’ll meet new people and have a chance to get acquainted. You may even meet the lady who asked to see your video.”
“Do we have to tell our names and about ourselves at these parties?”
“No. We go on first name only unless you wish to tell more.
“Do the staff personnel ever date the members?”
“No. It’s against the rules. Now have a seat. Did you get your pen and paper? I have the video and will put it in the machine for you and you may view it as many times as you like. I’ll leave you in here and will return in a few minutes. I hope you enjoy this experience.” She walked quietly out.
“Hello. My name is Rose. I’m twenty-eight years old and single, meaning I’ve never been married. I’ve been too busy getting an education, working in a bank, caring for elderly, sick parents until their death, and keeping up with a few social obligations. My parents came to Maryland from Hungary in 1927. They proudly became citizens and taught my two older brothers, one older sister, me and one younger brother to take pride in our citizenship and be patriotic Americans.”
“After they died, I left Maryland and journeyed to Indiana to take some classes at the DeVry University for a Business Degree. I have a Masters in Journalism and have been working for The Blade. I also have sold some news, and my own short stories, and doing freelance work to other papers in other cities. My roommate was from Fayette, so I decided to visit her home, fell in love with the place and people, and have been here for four years.”
“I’m five-seven and I’m not telling my weight,” she laughed. “Not that I’m overweight, but a girl needs to have a few secrets. As you can see, I’m a strawberry blonde and have hazel-green eyes. My eyes change color according to the color of clothing I’m wearing, although they’re mostly green.”
“My hobbies are reading, baking, golf, traveling and meeting people. I like people just because they’re people, although I’m sometimes shy or hesitant about meeting new people. I do attend church but haven’t joined one. I dislike too spicy foods, being out in cold weather, people who are often late and loud, rude people.”
“I would like to meet someone who also likes and accepts people, who is not quick to judge, does not have a temper and likes music. I play a little piano and like to sing, but it’s questionable whether other people like to hear me sing.”
“I grew up in Maryland in a warm, loving family. My siblings and I keep in touch on a regular basis. My parents expected good behavior, good effort at whatever we were doing, good manners and to accept responsibility for our actions. I hope this tells you enough about me until you want to get better acquainted. Blessings.”
Jason sighed and looked at the notes he had jotted down. Would he need to see the video a second time? He didn’t think so, but still wasn’t sure what he would do about contacting this lady. She seemed nice and had some of the same likes and dislikes that he had. While he was sitting and thinking, Dottie came back into the room.
“Do you need to view the video again or do you have any questions?”
“No, thank you. I think I’ll just go home and ponder what I’ve seen and heard. I’m inclined to wait until the party to make any decisions.”
“That’s fine, Jason. We start at seven and dismiss at nine. Not everyone stays the full time. Some of our members come from nearby areas and we don’t want to keep them on a winter night. In the spring, when the days are longer, and the time changes, people have a tendency to stay later.”
“Thank you for helping me. I guess I’ll wait for the party.”
“That’s your privilege. I’ll see you out. I’m sure there’ll be requests from other ladies to meet you. Why don’t you take the time to look through the book of ladies and see if you’d be interested in asking to meet any of them?”
He hesitated. “I’d like to do that. They returned to the first room to look through the book out of curiosity. After he had looked through the book, he told everyone goodbye and thanked them for their assistance.
Jason said nothing to his staff about joining a dating agency. He was a little embarrassed about it and basically was a private person. Not so secretive, just private.
Chapter Five
The time passed quickly and the Saturday rolled around for the party. Jason took a shower and laughed at himself for being nervous. He felt as if he was shaking visibly and he was perspiring heavily. He dressed carefully in new jeans in a western cut. The sage-colored turtle neck sweater complimented his eyes and coloring. He drew on white cotton socks and a pair of brown Western boots. He loved those boots.
He checked his wallet to make sure he had drivers license, insurance cards and some money in the event he wanted to go somewhere after the party. Slipping a watch with a stretchy bank on his left wrist, and a ring that belonged to his grandfather on his finger, he checked himself in a full-length mirror on the back of his bedroom door.
Taking a deep breath for courage, he slowly walked out and to a closet in the hall just before entering the living room. He took an overcoat and a Stetson out of the closet and whispered a quiet prayer.
“Lord, I really don’t know why I’m talking to you. I’ve had to endure so much heartache and cruelty that I’ve, at times, felt that you no longer cared about me. I’ve been taught better by my precious grandparents. They said You never leave us, that it’s we who leave You. I’m trying very hard. If You’re still with me, give me the wisdom to make the right decisions and help me to be the man my grandparents raised me to be.”
He left the apartment, locking the door behind him. He rode the elevator down to the underground garage and entered his two year old blue Camry. He carefully backed out and started on his journey. At that time of night it didn’t matter where he parked as long as he wasn’t blocking a fire hydrant. He had to sit in the car a few minutes and talk himself into going into The Perfect Spouse when he