It was the wine!

It was the wine!

Tolrem, a handsome, tall man in his mid-thirties, walks down the street as a notification goes off on his phone. He glances left then right before crossing the street then reaches for his phone. He opens the text: "Erl has messaged you back". Tolrem abruptly stops, removes his facial covering for some air and opens the thread: "I think the beautiful one here is you”, reads the message from Erl, with a picture of a pretty girl. Tolrem's face is revealed to us for the first time, as a jaw-dropping smile with perfect white teeth shines. His eyes seem drunk in excitement. Tolrem puts the phone back in his coat and, with a spring in his step, walks away. We see other people walk by wearing facial coverings.

The next day Tolrem tries on several outfits from the comfort of his home. He arranges the computer in different parts of his apartment, looking for the perfect light. On the wall a clock reads 6:47 pm and Tolrem freaks out, drops a pile of books next to the computer and runs to his room. Gets completely naked, starts the shower, steps under the cold water then rushes out, dries as fast as he can, grabs the blue shirt and some jeans he had set out, throws on a hoodie and runs barefoot to the computer. He turns on the device and sets the mood by lighting up a candle and turning on a lamp. He semi fixes the cushions on the sofa behind him and boom 7 o'clock it is. On the computer screen a faceTime call rings. It reads "Erl calling”. In a rush but pretending he is not, Tolrem puts on a “cool attitude" and answers the call:

-Tolrem: “Hey!”

A gorgeous Erl on the other side of the screen with perfect teeth and a glowing skin, answers back: "Hey Tolrem".

-"Hey Erl. Is good to see you finally”.

-“I know, I wish it was out like normal times”

-“I know... I know.... But soon. Anyway, do you want to have a glass of wine?"

-Erl: “I'd love to”

-“Ok, well, I only have Merlot on my end”

-“Hahaha, this couldn't have started any better”, replies Erl as she pulls out a bottle of Merlot, on her end. A few glasses later, some candle burns, different hairdos on Erl and certainly great talks, their first digital date came to an end after five hours. Not too bad for one bottle of Merlot, each.

For weeks Erl and Tolrem started to date digitally. They wanted to meet but due to obvious reasons they decided to be careful and made a pact: They said if they liked each other after a few weeks of online dating, they would quarantine as much as possible, then get tested for Coronavirus and, after two negative results over the period of their “dating terms”, they would finally plan a dream date to meet in person.

Night after night they chatted and laughed. They ran errands together, ate together and got to know each other better, always online. On Friday or Saturday nights they both popped a bottle of wine and drank. Tolrem and Erl weren’t heavy drinkers, but they liked wine. Tolrem was always very complimentary of Erl, and she always seemed drawn to his masculinity and his ways around her.

During the 4th week of online dating they both got tested for the virus. A few days later they received their negative results and started to plan their official first date. For about another three weeks they continued to talk, kept each other company and got to know each other more. And during the 8th week of "dating", they got tested again. It was a rainy Wednesday when both of them received their second negative results. Finally, it was time to plan their dream date, which they decided to scheduled for that coming Friday night.

They were in the prime of their lives. Both very professional young artists on the rise of their career, who cared a lot about the well-being of their families. And who decided to date smart considering the pandemic times. On that Thursday beautiful Erl planned a home-spa afternoon by herself. She did her nails, got her hair straightened and shaved. Across town an energetic Tolrem did the same, except for shaving his legs and straightening his hair of course. He got his beard ready, polished his nails, cleaned his toes and ironed a suit. It was time for their dream date.

On Friday night at 7pm Tolrem and Erl met outside Cantina Café, a new bohemian place in the middle of Tribeca, in NYC, New York. Dressed to the nines a striking Erl arrived. From the back of a black SUV and wearing a black dress and a black facial covering, Erl dropped dead gorgeous. From the other side of the street a big black Limo pulled up and Tolrem came out. Wearing a long, black coat he greeted her from across the street, with his white, shining smile. He glanced left then right and crossed the street. They met and entered the restaurant.

On the left side of an outdoors terrace the couple sat. A friendly, masked waiter came over to greet Tolrem and Erl.

- “Wine, anybody?” the waiter asked.

- “Yes!" Both Erl and Tolrem replied. They shared a laugh.

-"Noted, any requests?” the waiter asked.

They looked at each other, truly for the first time in their lives and shared another moment. Merlot was obviously the answer. Having that silent common answer meant something special.

-"Merlot” both of them replied at the same time. They laughed again. This couldn't be starting any better.

-"Sadly, we're out of Merlot”, the waiter said. A sudden sadness went through both of them. It wasn't the fact that they didn't have Merlot, it was the fact that they didn't have Merlot on their dream date, considering their dating past! They decided to be cool about it and ordered another wine. Food was ordered, a glass or two of the substitute wine were had over the course of dinner and the night got officially started.

Their connection was inevitable. They really connected the first 45 minutes or so but then, they started to seem a little weird. Disconnected. Almost as if they were each thinking about something else. Distracted, not fully there.

-”Hey, is everything ok?”, Tolrem asked.

-"Omg yes, it totally is. I actually wanted to ask you the same, I just feel a little weird", Erl replied.

-”Yes, same... I didn't want to say anything... like, I think you're great...but I feel strange”.

-”You're great too, like, really”.

-”More wine, anybody?”, interrupted the waiter putting on a friendly, annoying smile.

Tolrem and Erl again just simply shared another thought, another silent look and together they replied: “NO!”.

-”It's the wine!”, Tolrem said.

-”I never drink this kind of wine!”, Erl replied.

-”Neither do I! I just wanted to seem easy going, you know what I mean?”

-”I cannot believe you just said that! That's why I said yes!”. And after a moment of silence, Tolrem added: "Well, I'm glad I got my first “yes” out of you”. She smiled.

A few glasses of water later and having finished their meals, they stood up and like a couple that knows where they're headed, left.

For hours, they walked around Manhattan, along the Hudson River all the way to Central Park and back to Tolrem's place. Their connection was inevitable, the way they looked at each other, the circumstances.

Unmasked and at the light of a candle, they sat on Tolrem's balcony and, with a glass of Merlot each, they talked...and talked, until death sat them apart.

For 65 years they lived together, married and had three kids. It was one of those kinds of love that you only see in movies. And one day, 65 years later, they shared the same dying bed. Holding hands, and not having to say a word, Tolrem and Erl died at the same time.

“It was the wine, it was the wine” became the signature phrase that was told by their children and their grandchildren every time they spoke about them. "It was the wine, on the night they met, that almost sat them apart".

By Andres Mejia Vallejo