The Meet Cute

Despite her better judgment, Cecilia entered the ferry galley and ordered a glass of wine. She looked over the meager selection and pointed to the bottle. “I’ll take a class of that, merLOT”. The cafe worker narrowly avoided rolling her eyes and corrected, “One glass of merLO coming right up”.

Cecilia was too nervous to notice the correction, took her glass to a nearby table and settled down for the rough ride into the city. As she did, a large wave pushed the ferry and her wine sloshed, leaving a visible red stain on her shirt and slacks.

“Shit”, she said as she quickly dabbed at the liquid squeezing itself into the fibers of the fabric. She of course had not packed an extra outfit and would now be walking into her first date with Michael making a less than stellar first impression.

Opening her bag, she sorted through the items looking for anything that could serve as a rescue device. Old pens, crumpled receipts, store coupons, but no stain removers. The ferry and waves collided again and with another slosh, her glass slipped off the table, the remaining liquid spilling into her lap and purse.

Cecilia’s eyes filled with tears as she stood up to try to clean up her mess. The situation had captured the attention of the other passengers. This time, she noticed their comments, gestures, and laughter. Her face turned brighter, nearly matching the color of the ever growing wine stains. A young man sitting at the table next to hers and who looked somewhat familiar caught her eye and smiled gently.

She stepped into the restroom to see if there was anything she could do. One look in the mirror and she knew, this date was over before it began. The rough paper towels did little to soak up the stain or liquid; the tears had spilled over her lashes, smearing her mascara.

As Cecilia returned to her seat, her eyes again connected with the young man. He smiled and nodded as she continued to blot at her clothing. She reached for her phone to text Michael and found it, too, dripping in wine.

Hoping the protective cover and screen shield saved the phone, Cecilia found Michael’s number and wrote a short text:

So sorry - mishap on the ferry and I need to cancel.

She hit send and heard a “ding” right behind her. Not unusual, many people kept their notifications on. Michael’s response was almost immediate.

I’m so sorry to hear that. Any chance I can change your mind?

Cecilia’s lips curved up involuntarily. So sweet. She typed a response.

I’m really, really sorry, but it would really be best to reschedule.

Again she heard a “ding” immediately from the passenger behind her, the kind man who had smiled at her as she returned to her seat. She glanced down as she saw Michael’s response arrive.

Any chance your “mishap” involved a big wave and a glass of wine?

Cecilia was stunned. She read the message again then turned to the kind passenger. He was not looking at her, but she couldn’t help but wonder. Her phone buzzed again.

If so, let’s not let something like that get in the way of a great night. And yes, I’m on the ferry too.

Cecilia’s smile became larger as she typed a quick response.

Um, yes, in fact, my glass of merlot ended up in my lap. Are you sure you don’t mind? I’m quite a mess. And, may I ask, how did you know?

Again, she heard the phone ding, this time convinced it was Michael receiving her message. He stood up and joined her at her table.

“May I?” he smiled and gestured to the bench opposite her.

“Please”, Cecilia responded.

“I’m Michael, and I recognized you from your profile picture. I saw the whole thing happen and had a feeling you’d want to cancel. But honestly, these types of things make the best first date stories and I’d really like to get to know you better.”

“Michael. I’m Cecilia, but I guess you already know that”. She could feel her face again turning pink. “So, I, uh, guess the date is on?”

Michael smiled at her and gave a small nod. “Let’s not let something like a spilled glass of merLOT get in our way”.

Cecilia smiled back and a small giggle escaped her lips. She glanced down at herself once again and decided if it didn’t bother him, it wasn’t going to bother her either.