The Zig Zag #3

When I was planning out this creative adventure, I noodled the notion of telling stories in chronological order. But the more I thought about it, the more I figured chronological order doesn’t reflect the zig zag life.

Last week’s story might have focused on the spark that ignited my zig zag life, but from here on out, I’m treating this like I’ve dumped all of my stories into a hat, gave the hat a few tosses to shake things up, closed my eyes, reached in and picked one. So that’s how it’s going to go.

This week, I wanted to share a story from a zig zag time in my life I adored. The summer I spent Lyft driving in San Diego.

For me, Lyft driving felt like a very human and intimate activity. A stranger would get into my car, and for a few miles, they trusted me to get them to where they needed to go. Not only were they taking up space in my car, but also sometimes they trusted me with their stories.

My car became a dumping ground for people unloading their shit. Depending on the destination (ala the cost of the ride), sharing their life's woes with me as their Lyft driver was much cheaper than therapy.

Before the rule followers out there get all pinched about privacy issues, I was always transparent with my passengers. I always told them I was a writer. We talked about everything being fair game for writing fodder. When I heard a truly compelling story, I always asked permission to write about it. So there :p

On occasion, I became a part of someone else’s story. In this case, I played a part in a love story. My favorite.

This, my friends, is a fated tale of timing and miscommunication between John and Nikita (names have been changed to protect the innocent ;).

On a beautiful sunny evening in San Diego that was full of fun and frolic, I got a passenger ping that someone needed to be picked up in Pacific Beach. Pacific Beach is full of surfers and fun local restaurants like the Baja Beach Cafe. But I wasn’t going to Baja's.

Nope, I was directed to a small tapa’s restaurant on the corner of a beach access pathway and a major road that paralleled the coast. It was pretty busy, but this wasn’t my first rodeo when it came to picking up a passenger on the side of a major thoroughfare.

I maneuvered my way to the right side of the street to be greeted by Nikita. Her shoulder-length brown hair was air drying after a day in the Pacific Ocean, and her yellow sundress had seen better days. She was slouched back on her small carry-on suitcase waiting for my arrival.

I double checked Nikita’s final destination again. I could have sworn I wasn’t taking her to the airport. Yup, sure enough, I was taking her to a local old-timey movie theater about 45 minutes north of Pacific Beach. Mmm, I found it strange she had a suitcase, and we weren’t going to the airport. Of course, I had to ask what was up.

“Hey there, Nikita! Usually, when I pick up people with suitcases, we are heading to the airport, but I see we are going up to the La Paloma Theatre in Encinitas. Will you eventually be going to the airport?”

“Yes, I am carting around my suitcase, but I’m not going to the airport until early tomorrow. It’s kind of a long story. I’m here to make a grand gesture.”

“A grand gesture, huh? That sounds romantic.”

“I hope so. It’s either going to go really well or it’s going to blow up in my face.”

“Let’s back up the train a minute. I feel like I need more context. Would you mind sharing your story? I have to warn you, I am an aspiring romance writer so if your story’s good I might write about it someday.”

“Ha, ha. You’ll definitely want to write about this one…”

John and Nikita both grew up in the Chicago suburbs. Actually, they lived 15 minutes from each other, but never met until a swipe on Bumble brought them together.

Nikita just quit her job teaching elementary school after five years. She was about to embark on a two year adventure teaching English in Peru. She packed up and sold her condo and was hanging out at her parent’s until she was ready to leave.

John was a filmmaker. He and his brother finished a film and were taking the next year to show it around the festival circuit. He also was staying with his parents until he left.

They were both bored. Enter Bumble. A dating app that encourages women to make the first swipe of interest.

When they finally went on their first date, and realized they grew up 15 minutes away from each other, they both felt like it was a bit of kismet.

For both, it was a whirlwind 6-week romance rediscovering Chicago and getting to know each other, while at the same time both were preparing to leave.

They both knew the end was inevitable, but couldn’t get enough of each other.

Nikita had never felt this way about anyone. The timing couldn’t have been worse.

With promises of staying in touch, they said their goodbyes and started the next act in their respective stories. Aside from goodbye, not much else was communicated about a possible future. Both assumed different things.

...

Nikita was in Peru for two months when she received a package from an address she didn’t recognize. She opened it up, and it was full of momentos and trinkets from John. It was celebrating the time they spent together in Chicago. He had written in the card how much he missed her. He wanted to keep things going long distance.

Nikita dropped the card to the floor. Along with the card, her heart dropped with it. She couldn’t believe this was happening. John never said anything at all about continuing their courtship. Nothing. They had just said goodbye and that was it. She hadn’t even heard from him until she received this package. Yup, she hadn’t heard from him for two months. Two months is a long time not to hear from someone she got so close with so quickly.

But it was long enough for Nikita to start dating someone she met in Peru. She had to tell John. It was not a conversation she was looking forward to having. She called him from Peru to thank him for the thoughtful box and card and to tell him that she was seeing someone else.

John was devastated and humiliated. He put so much thought into that box. He wanted to be with her. But Nikita reminded him that he hadn’t communicated his desire to continue what they had going when they left. She had no idea how he felt. She assumed it was over. He assumed they were going to keep going.

See what assuming does?

As she hung up the phone, she didn’t think she would ever hear from him again. Especially now.

So life went on for both of them. When Nikita’s first year in Peru was over she went back to Chicago to her parents. She was heading back to Peru in July for her last year of teaching.

Through a little social media sleuthing, Nikita learned that John was back in Chicago too. More kismet? She decided to be brave and reach out. John was thrilled to hear from her much to her relief. She just wasn’t sure after the way they left things back in October that he'd be open to meeting up again.

John was about to leave for a few more festivals. He was in the last leg of shopping his film around. But he had one more weekend in Chicago before he was jetting off to California.

That weekend was spent with Nikita in a cabin at a lake just outside of Chicago. It was magical. It was as if very little time had passed at all. They talked about anything and everything, picking up the connection they felt almost a year earlier.

During all the talking, John revealed that he was worried that no one would show up to the viewing of his film in San Diego.

This gave Nikita an idea. She was going to show up to see his film play at the La Paloma Theatre in Encinitas. But she was going to surprise John.

Between that weekend together and Nikita’s arrival in San Diego, they had been non-stop texting each other. Neither wanting to let go of that connection but still afraid that the other wasn’t available and that time was not on their side. Nikita didn’t know what John's current relationship status was, but she knew it was her turn. It was her turn to make the grand gesture.

So she bought a plane ticket. She went right from the airport (with her suitcase) to the beach. That is when I met her.

I was tasked with the duty of getting Nikita to the La Paloma Theatre so she could surprise John at his film viewing.

After listening to this story, we were almost to the theatre when I felt something bumping the back of my seat. Nikita was nervous. She wasn’t sure how this was going to play out.

So I asked her the question that was rattling around in my brain for the past two minutes.

“How would you like this to end?” I took a quick peek in my rearview to see how she was reacting.

She closed her eyes and took a deep breath.

“First, it would begin with him not having a date at this film viewing. Second, I want to have an amazing night with him. A night of just being together until the sun rises, and then I have to get to the airport. But when you write it, you can end it however you wish.” She laughed nervously at that.

I’m glad she gave me permission to end the story however I wish because I don’t know how it actually ended in real life. I know, right?!?

I pulled up to the already buzzing theater, and Nikita slowly got out. We said our goodbyes, and I wished her well before she closed my car door.

I didn’t get to see the look on John’s face when he first saw her. I didn’t get to see if he had a date and now it was awkward. I didn’t get to know about the most amazing night they might have spent together.

But what a story. What a story, indeed.

How would you end it?

I wish you a zig zag kind of a week. Until we meet again.