Amanda looked suspiciously at her sister. “Is this a test?”
“No, I’m serious. Did you send him yours?”
“Yes, I did. He had nothing but nice things to say.”
“Aren’t you interested in what he looks like?
“Yes, very. So you see nothing wrong with giving him my address?” Mandy raised her eyebrows at her sister. Something was up, but she wasn’t sure what. She was never this supportive of the Ray situation.
“No I don’t. I say, go for it. He is after all thousands of miles away, what harm would it do? I, for one, am dying to see a picture. Let’s write him now.” Hilary went over to turn on the computer.
Together, the sisters composed a letter to Ray, sending him Amanda’s information. They said they were anxious to get the pictures, to send more than one, and to do it immediately, if not sooner. They signed it ‘Mandy and Hilary’.
“Ray is going to freak out when he reads this,” laughed Amanda.
“I know,” added Hilary, “it will be good for him. I’m really excited about the pictures. We finally will get to see this mystery man!”
Amanda lost in her own thoughts just nodded her head.
~~~
Later that night, Ray opened his mail and read the letter the sisters had sent. He was amazed, as well as amused. What was this sudden turn around with Hilary? He didn’t care, as long as there was one. Also, he had felt Amanda’s hesitation when he asked for her address. He had felt bad about it, because he felt like she really didn’t totally trust him. Of course, if he were her, he wouldn’t either. Sometimes he wondered himself what he was doing on the internet, meeting strangers. For heavens sake, for all he knew, she was a nutcase. He doubted it though. No one had ever made him feel like she did. It’s just that if one of his friends, let’s say, Diego, called him and told him he had fallen in love with someone on the internet, he would definitely call 911 and ask for the men in white coats to be dispatched. But being the one in this situation, it just felt right.
He had developed the pictures of the beach, and had gotten doubles, so no one would question when a few popped up missing. Carrie had questioned this, but he had told her he wanted to send a few to his mom, so she had dropped it. Usually, he shied away from the camera, and this trip, he was always posing. In the water, on the pier, by his car, it was almost funny. He was everywhere. He picked two out, one at the beach in his trunks…he looked happy and relaxed. He wasn’t wearing his glasses and he had to admit, it was pretty decent. The other was one in the cottage, very posed and uptight. Carrie had taken that one. But he picked it anyway, and stuffed them in an envelope with a small note.
Mandy,
As per your and your sister’s request, here are my pictures. Please don’t run to your nearest dumpster until you have seen them several times. I tend to grow on people, and remember, I definitely look better in the dark. Okay, I don’t look like Garth Brooks, but I hope it will do anyway. Hilary, be nice to me.
Ray
He addressed the envelope and put it in his briefcase, so he could send it in the morning. He was very nervous about what Amanda might think. She had told them over and over that looks didn’t matter to her; it was only what was on the inside. He hoped this was true.
~~~
Amanda had to ride the bus home. It was hot and she was definitely crabby. After a tough day at medical assisting, she was in no mood for the hour trip home. She had dealt all day with the pediatrician in the office, and she could be very demanding. Couple that with the fact that she had been giving babies injections all day, it led to her feeling emotionally and physically drained.
It was almost seven when she arrived home. Both the kids were at their prospective places of employments. Alex was a grill cook at a Mexican restaurant downtown, and Elisa worked at a 50’s diner. They both liked their jobs, but they were gone most evenings, leaving her alone for dinner a lot. She was too tired to think about eating, so she grabbed a yogurt from the refrigerator, and sat down at her computer to check her email. Before she got there, the phone rang. She went to get it and was surprised to hear a man’s voice that she didn’t recognize.
“Amanda?”
“This is she,” replied Amanda hesitantly. One of the drawbacks of being alone was that everything made her uneasy.
“It’s Bud. Sheryl asked me to give you a call. She said you were in need of a car.”
Amanda sighed with relief. “Hi Bud. How are you?”
“I’m good. Now how can I help you?”
She explained her situation to him. She told him everything, including the voluntary repossession. “I just couldn’t afford to do it, Bud. I live on a very tight income, and it just wasn’t possible for me to have it fix, or continue to pay for a car I wasn’t driving.”
“I understand that, but it’s going to be a hard thing to explain to my loan officer. But I’m sure going to try. Do you care what kind of car it is?”
“No, of course not. I just want it to be dependable, that’s all.”
“Alright then, as soon as something dependable comes our way, and I can fix it with the money people, I’ll give you a call. How does that sound?”
“It sounds as if I’ve finally met my fairy godfather. Thanks so much, Bud.” She was almost moved to tears. This was too good to be true.
“Nonsense, Sheryl and I are always glad to help you. What are friends for?” Bud had always liked Amanda. He really was happy to help her. He just hoped it worked out, although he was very skeptical.
“I’ll be waiting to hear from you then. Thanks again, Bud, and thank Sheryl for me again, too. Take care.”
“I will call you as soon as I know anything. Bye, Mandy.”
She could barely contain her excitement! She dialed Hilary’s number. She answered on the first ring. “Hi, sis. What’s up?”
“How did you know it was me?” asked Amanda perplexed.
“Caller ID?” She laughed, “Oh yeah, I forgot. Anyhow, guess what? I have some exciting news. Anyway I hope it’s exciting. I have a friend who’s a used car salesman and he thinks he can help me get a car, despite all my difficulties. Isn’t that great?”
“Wow, it sure is. When do you find out?”
“He says as soon as he can find a car, and the money, he’ll call me. I’m trying not to get my hopes up too much, but, I NEED this car. It has been hell without it.”
“I know it has been, sis, I hope it pans out for you. Not to change the subject, but, have you received the pictures from Ray yet?”
“No, not yet. It takes awhile to come from Maine, Hilary.”
“I guess so…aren’t you excited?”
Amanda was excited. She was nervous though too. She had told Ray she wasn’t hung up on looks, but she wondered if she could put her money where her mouth was. She was worried that he would be really bad and she would be totally turned off. Then what would she say? She would just have to wait and see.
“Mandy?”
“I’m here, and yes, I’m really anxious to get those pictures. They should probably get here tomorrow, I’ll give you a call, and we’ll open them together.”
They hung up on that note, each lost in their own thoughts.
~~~
That night, she decided to go online, hoping to find Ray. She missed him and really needed to talk with him, even on the internet. The kids were already in bed, so she sat at the computer and logged on. He wasn’t on of course, so she sent him an email saying she was waiting around for him, just in case he checked his email. She went to the 40s4fun room to see who was there. Looks like all the old regulars, she thought to herself. Kitcat, Hawaiianlover, Skygazer, LAconfidential, all her old friends. She was happy to see them…she popped in and wrote, “Hi everybody…long time no see! They were happy to see her too. There was the continuous “Hi Mandy” until everyone in the room had greeted her. She loved that part.
They kept her laughing, keeping her company. It was so weird to be sitting home alone, yet not really, because s
he had a roomful of friends. This is exactly what she considered them.
Finally, Maineman popped in. Everyone gave their salutations, although Amanda hung back so she could see him in action. All that he asked the whole time was if anyone had seen Mandy40. She thought it was cute.
Amanda typed in, “hey Maine...what’s shaking?
“There you are! How are you?”
They moved into the message box so no one else could see their conversation.
“I’m fine. What’s new with you?”
“Not a lot…same old thing”
“We lead very boring lives, Ray. If you were here, we could at least catch a movie or something.”
“Yes, I know what you mean. But it seems unrealistic to come twenty-five hundred miles to check out a movie.”
She laughed and agreed. She told him about her day, and Hilary’s sudden turnaround.
“What do you think caused her to change her mind? Ray was glad about Hilary’s about-face, but he was also very suspicious.
“Who knows, Ray, I’m just glad she did. It’s nice to have someone in my corner. She’s even going to call Blossom and tell her to mellow out.”
“Great, I hope it doesn’t cause World War III”
“LoL Ray, it won’t…or at least I hope it won’t”
They chatted for hours, talking about nothing in particular. She noticed that the only thing he didn’t bring up was his divorce. She wondered why but decided not to bring it up. Maybe he thought about it so much he wasn’t in the mood to talk about it. She would wait until he was ready.
Finally Ray wrote, “The sun is beginning to rise over here, Mandy. The sunrise is beautiful, but it’s my cue to hit the hay. I loved talking to you. Thanks for staying up with me. You are an amazing woman. I will call you soon.”
“Ok, Ray, take care. Have a restful sleep.”
“LOL, you mean within the next three hours? ‘Nite, Mandy.”
Amanda turned off the computer and drifted off to sleep on the spot.
~~~
Bright and early the next morning, the phone rang. Amanda’s first thought was who could be calling in the middle of the night! Then her eyes opened and she noticed the sunlight. She groaned.
“Hello?”
“Oh no, did I wake you?”
She didn’t recognize the voice and became instantly irritated. “WHO’S THIS?”
“I’m sorry, Mandy, it’s Bud. I was trying to catch you before you left for work.”
“Oh Bud, I’m sorry I didn’t recognize your voice. I’m a little cranky before coffee.” Amanda could feel herself flush with embarrassment. “What can I do for you?”
“You can come and pick up your car.” Bud was smiling. This felt good!
Amanda bolted straight out of bed. “What?”
“I got it all worked out for you…and if you don’t mind driving an older Cavalier, you just have to sign the papers, get insurance, and drive away.”
“Bud! You’re kidding me, right? You’re serious?” She was beside herself.
“Can you do it today, Mandy? You have to start with the insurance.” Bud gave her all the information on the car.
“I’ll do it today. Can I call you at work when I get it all situated?”
Bud gave her the number and address of the car dealership.
“I can’t thank you enough, Bud. I’ll owe you forever!” Amanda was grinning from ear to ear. Finally, something was going right!
The older Cavalier turned out to be only four years old. She was so excited! She didn’t know who to call first and then picked her boss.
“You’re not coming in, right?” Mariah was losing her patience with Amanda.
“No, I’m not. Don’t be mad! I’m picking up my new car! Then I won’t be such a loser anymore, Mariah! Be happy for me! See you tomorrow, bright and early?”
Mariah had no choice but to be happy for her. “Hooray! I will get the old, responsible Mandy back! See you tomorrow, ready to work!”
Next, she called Hilary. She sounded cranky. “Hey, can I get a ride from you in a bit?”
Hilary rolled her eyes. “I have a busy day today, Mandy. Where do you need to go?”
“Bud came through! I have to go pick up my new car!”
“Mandy, that’s great! Yes, I will arrange my day to take you! Hooray!” Hilary was only too happy to do this for her. This would make her life so much easier.
“Thanks, sis. I’ll call you.”
Next, she dialed Ray number. She had saved him for last on purpose.
“Ray Knight.”
“I got a car!” Amanda blurted it out.
“That’s great”
“Yes, and it’s only four years old and not too many miles and I just have to go and pick it up! I’m so excited, Ray. I couldn’t wait to tell you.”
“I’m excited for you! You sound so happy.” Ray was smiling on the other end of the phone. She sounded like a little kid in a candy store. She was so cute! “When do you pick it up?”
“As soon as I get insurance, Hilary’s going to take me to sign the papers and pick it up. So I better get started. Mariah was great about letting me do this today too. This is my lucky day, Ray Knight.”
“I’m happy for you, Mandy. No more buses! This is great.”
~~~
Amanda and Hilary were inspecting her new car. It wasn’t anything fancy, but it was in good shape and it worked. Bud promised it was dependable. The car payment was a lot less than her Mustang, so she was thrilled. Bud had told her it hadn’t been easy due to her other pending car loan, but his boss had put it through anyway.
“Well, thank him for me too, Bud. Thank you, thank Sheryl. You just don’t know how much this means to me.”
“Yes, I do and I am happy to help. Whenever you have problems, come to us.”
Amanda enveloped him in a giant bear hug. “I will, I promise. Thanks so much.”
She got into her new-to-her blue Cavalier, and she and Hilary went to celebrate.
Amanda pulled an envelope out of her purse and tossed it at Hilary.
“What’s this?” Hilary looked at the return address. Her eyes bulged. “Is this what I think it is?”
Amanda sheepishly nodded. “It’s Ray’s picture.”
Hilary shrieked. “Oh my God and you haven’t even opened it! Aren’t you the least bit curious?” She looked at her sister like she had three heads.
“I’m scared, Hil. What if he really does look like Jabba? He hasn’t exactly painted a pretty picture for himself, what if it’s for a reason. Of course, I keep harping that looks don’t matter, but it’s going to be kind of hard to kiss a Jabba the Hut look-a-like, don’t you think?”
Hilary burst out laughing. “You are a hypocrite! Looks DO matter. I knew you weren’t the Pollyanna you proclaim to be!”
Amanda pulled into the restaurant where they were going to have lunch. Irritated, she grabbed the envelope out of her hand. “Shut up, and I am not a hypocrite. Do you want to look at these with me or are you going to celebrate your moment of thinking you’re right?”
Hilary backed down. “No way!” I have waited a long time to see these. Let’s go in, order some ice tea and do the unveiling!”
They walked into the restaurant in silence and were seated. They ordered the ice tea and two chicken salads. They looked at each other. Hilary was hardly able to contain her excitement. “Well?”
Amanda bit her lip. “Let’s do it.” She silently prayed that the man in the picture would be kissable.
She ripped open the envelope and took out the pictures. There were two. She slowly looked at one, then the other. In one, he was standing in front of a cottage. He looked relaxed, and was smiling. In the other, he was obviously at the beach. He was coming out of the water, wet and happy.
She looked at her sister.
“Well?”
“I could easily see myself with this man, Hil.
“Let me see!”
Amanda handed her the pictures. She was l
ost in thought, actually trying to put this face with the voice she heard so often. It definitely was not what she imagined. At first glimpse, he looked better than average. His hair was a light brown, short, done like any professional man of his age, with a brown, well trimmed mustache. Looking closer, she noticed his smile. He had one great smile. It lit up his face. In the picture at the beach, he looked sheepish, his arms opened like ‘yep, this is me!’ She arched her eyebrow as she noticed that in his swim trunks, she really got a good look at his body. In the picture at least, it wasn’t half bad. She liked the way he had a spattering of hair on his chest, which was nice and full. She could imagine the muscles rippling through them as he walked. His green eyes were small, but alive with emotion. She could see that even in the picture. His lips looked soft and inviting. She could definitely kiss this man. In fact, looking at this picture, she really wanted to.
Hilary shook her out of her fantasy.
“Mandy! Are you listening?”
She looked at Hilary. “Cute, huh?”
“You lucked out, Mandy. He looks nothing like Jabba the Hut.”
“Well don’t sound so disappointed!”
Hilary stuck out her bottom lip. “I’m not. I’m happy for you. I was just hoping you would have to be put through the test of him being homely.”
Amanda threw her napkin at her. Smiling smugly, she crossed her arms on the table, looked straight in to her sister’s eyes and said, “Looks like I won’t have to be put to that test. I definitely like what I see.”
~~~
Amanda had not told the kids about the car. She waited for them to get home from school. They would be so excited.
Alex arrived first. “Hey…whose car is out front?”
“What one…the blue one?”
“Yes”
“Oh, that’s ours.” She had her back to Alex. That way she couldn’t see the big smile on her face.
“OURS? We got a car! Alright! That’s what I’m talking about! No more buses in the morning?”
Amanda laughed, “Go take a look at it.”
Alex took a soda and went to sit in the new car. “Do I get to drive it, Ma?”
When You Least Expect It Page 11
