Fishing with Swords

It was twenty-five past six for a date that was supposed to start at the start of the hour.

Cindy was adding finishing touches to her makeup in the reverse mirror of her car. That was after she finally found a park in the bloated jungle that LA was now.

She did try to make it on time to this one.

But her crap seemed to get in the way. She was finding the best angle to show herself, to upload for strangers before meeting someone that might want her.

But there was a good chance her tardiness would be forgiven; genetics blessed her with that gift.

Cindy felt she was a leader and influenced hundreds of thousands online. It was strange to her that she found it hard to find a good guy.

That was partly due to her choices. She hoped nothing could end as bad as the relationship.

He was thirty years older than her, almost her father's age. But it wasn't like that because she genuinely liked him, but she liked his money too. It was a very confusing time for her being too young to understand what love was in an experienced fashion.

She didn't understand sometimes it was like picking a fast food for lunch, knowing it would be full of empty calories but cheap and delicious, but leaving her insides in pain and ruined. Happiness, no matter how short, overpowers any good critical thinking.

It's not like she needed the money either. Her beauty had already blessed her with an income most couldn't imagine for doing so little. Unlike guys her age, the older man didn't seem entitled to her time and worked to put a smile on her face.

She ruined that, like most of her relationships, by not putting in the same effort. She always felt she was entitled to attention.

Cindy was starting to see the error in her ways and wanted to find that thing called love that couple pages on social media glorified.

Not just for what it would do to her following, allowing her to reach untapped markets. But also to get rid of this feeling of being alone in a city full of people.

She was meet by an average looking greeter who could make something of herself with the right cosmetic touches, she thought. It was a new restaurant, but a take on an old theme and not created for those below the middle class.

He was already seated, waiting patiently. His eyes lit up when he saw her, something that was familiar.

He looked exactly like his profile, Asian, apparently Japanese, but she could never tell the difference. He was cute, tall, well built and dressed in a nice suit.

"I'm so sorry I'm late. I'm so chaotic sometimes," She said with a smile a flutter of her extended eyebrows.

"Well, hello, that’s fine. It looks like the extra time taken was worth it," He replied calmly—a slight blush appearing on his face.

"Ohh, thanks, you look just like your profile, very handsome," She replied.

"Yes, well, you can thank my parents for that."

They both giggled, and she thought this was going well.

"Why were you worried? Have you been a victim to few catfishes on these things?" He asked.

"Ahh, not exactly, In my line of work, you see a lot of creeps, so you never know when one might slip through the cracks."

"Yes, I imagine with a hundred thousand followers, you would see the whole spectrum of personalities and body parts," He replied.

She burst out in a chuckle.

"Oh, you're funny. I like that. Do you follow me then, Danny?" She asked.

"Let's just say I was very happy when I matched with you," He replied with a cheeky smile.

"Don't you like to keep it close to your chest? Most guys just want to spill their guts in the first five minutes. But a little intrigue is a big turn on," she replied with a smile.

"Some people might call that deceitful, but you're not wrong. I do like to keep my hand hidden until all the chips are on the table," He replied with a smile of his own.

"So Danny, what do you do for a living? Your bio didn't give me much to go on," She asked.

"I'm in antiques."

"Sounds exciting."

"Only if you like old things and antiques roadshow is your jam," He replied with a charming tone. She chuckled.

"So what do you think of this place? Did I make a good choice?" he asked.

She gave the place a good visual once over, adding to the brief scan she did when she entered. It was nice with a homely aesthetic. What she imagined a rustic Italian kitchen felt like in the heart of Sicily with brickwork and fine art on the walls. It was busy, which is what she expected on a Friday night.

There was only one thing out of place.

"I like it, very homely, but what's with that? Seems a little out of place," She asked, pointing to a Black samurai sword next to a picture of an old war vet and a couple of medals.

He turned to look at it casually.

"I don't know, but from my experience, it looks expensive," He said before being interrupted by a cheerful man in a nice suit.

"Hello, don't you look like a lovely couple, and it is very nice to have you in my establishment, Cindy Redford," He said with a warm smile and scheming eyes.

"I'm Salvador. If you need anything tonight, please ask, and I'll handle it personally."

"Why thank you Salvador, I just love this place, so rustic," Cindy said, and his smile widened.

"But I have to ask what's with the sword?"

"That thing, it's a family heirloom. My grandfather fought in the second world war and brought it home. It's apparently hundreds of years old," He replied, not breaking eye contact.

"Interesting," she said, giving intrigued eyes to Danny.

"Yes, he was my hero and inspired this place, so I figured this is the best place to showcase it, plus it supposed to bring good luck," He finished with a wink at the end.

" Now, can I get you two started with some drinks? On the house, of course," He asked.

"That could get dangerous," Danny replied with a cheeky grin.

"Mmm, yes it could. I'm a big fan of reds at the moment. What about you Danny?" She asked.

"As long as it has got an alcohol content, I'm sure it will be fine."

"Great, we do have an excellent Merlot in at the moment. Pioneers rest from a 2019 vintage. My customers have been giving it great reviews," The owner replied.

"Yes, that sounds perfect," She said eagerly.

"Great, I'll bring it right out to you," he replied and scurried off.

She looked back at Danny with a mischievous glance.

"Anything with alcohol in it, aren’t you an adventurer or think getting in my pants will be that easy."

"Haha, yes and no. I do like to live my life without expectations or rules. For me, that’s the only freedom we get in this world, not knowing what's going to happen next and not caring either. What about you, Cindy? Do you feel free?" he asked.

She took a moment to answer as it was a big type of question.

"I wish I could say yes, but these days it feels like all I do is care what people think," She replied with a forced smile.

"Maybe you have to do something about that," Danny said warmly as the owner came back with two glasses of Merlot.

He put them down as there was a scream behind them and someone coming crashing out of their chair.

The owner's hand clumsily turned, spilling one of the glasses on the table and over her white dress. She barely noticed the cold wetness as she turned around to see an older man writhing on the floor, clutching his chest.

A moment of chaos had drawn the rooms attention as the owner knelt to his patron, calling for someone to get an ambulance.

Cindy turned back around to Danny, but something seemed different in the scene behind him. He was so calm.

His eyes glanced down at her dress, but she already knew the glass had ruined it.

"Damn, I just got this!" she said, looking down.

"What should we do?" She asked, trying to hide the stress and discomfort to the handsome man in front of her.

But he heard it.

"I think we should get out of here. I know a good spot if you're still keen?" he asked.

She smiled and nodded eagerly.

"Great," he said as he reached down for an umbrella, he brought with him. She thought it was a strange thing to have, considering it never rained in California.

The owner didn't even notice them leaving as the older man started to regain his breath.

They walked a couple of blocks chatting about the incident and then things they never generally talked about.

Danny gave her his Blazer to cover up the mess, and they found a nice spot next to a busy taco stand. For some reason, she was more impressed by this spot than the decadence of the restaurant.

They ordered a selection of tacos and a quesadilla to share, and they both started mowing into them like two people comfortable with each other.

It seemed perfect, but in the way right before something bad has to happen.

"So what do you think?" he asked once they finished.

"I think a lot of things, the food is great, but more importantly, I think I like you," she said, blushing.

"Well, I hate to say this, but I haven't been honest," He replied without hesitation, bowing his head a little in shame.

"What? This is a catfish, isn't it?"

"Yes, my names not Danny, and I'm not in antiques."

"Then who are you then?" she asked with a little bit of anger in her voice. She was used to guys lying to her but not coming clean so quickly.

"My name is Akira Tashimo, and I'm a thief, and I used you to steal something very important to me tonight."

"And what was that?"

He picked up his umbrella and slid off the fabric. Underneath was the black sword from the restaurant.

"Well, it's very nice," she replied, a little defeated.

"And it belonged to my family before it belonged to his."

"You're not mad?" He asked.

"I've been on worse dates, but I must say this one has been the most interesting. Normally I'm the one using someone, so I must say you do it with style."

He smiled.

"That’s because I did it to make myself whole and not to fill in some part of me everybody thinks I should have."

Those felt like words she had been trying to find for a very long time but could never put together.

"Is that what freedom is?" she asked.

"Yes, it is."

She paused, trying to find a reply with words rather than kissing him, which is what she wanted to do.

"Fantastic, so what are we stealing on our second date?" she said with a devilish grin, and her heart started to beat a little harder.

"Anything you want, Cindy," he replied.

She knew he had already stolen something else from her tonight.