Prince Charming

Lisa looked beautiful on her wedding day. The custom-made, form-fitting, mermaid-style dress she wore accented her naturally curvaceous body.  The white lace fabric complimented her sun-kissed copper skin.  Her train billowed in the warm, light breeze that swept through the open-air castle on the early June evening.  As she walked down the aisle, the candles adorning the floor cast shadows that engaged in their own interpretative dance.  White flowers covered adorned the venue; the only decorations the naturally exposed brick castle needed.  

All 250 of their guests watched as Lisa floated down the aisle. Her intricate veil did little to hide the tears that ever so lightly threatened to cascade down her cheek.  The object of her affection, her Prince Charming, was impatiently waiting for her at the end of the aisle.  Usually, a cool and collected man, even he was fighting back tears of joy. Ron, standing at 6’0 had skin reminiscent of a perfectly poured caramel macchiato.  His high cheekbones and deep sunken eyes made him appear regal and mysterious.  He stood in his black tuxedo, with his fist to his mouth trying to contain the happiness that threaten to pour out of his eyes.  His best man patted him on the back, secretly thinking how lucky Ron was to find a girl like Lisa.  In fact, everyone at the wedding was thinking that. 

After her graceful walk down the aisle to a live performance of “At Last,” Ron accepted Lisa’s hands and just stared at her, in total awe of her beauty.  He could not help himself. He had the overwhelming need to kiss how now and show her just how much he loved her.  He gently lifted the veil.

“Son, we’re not at that part yet,” the Pastor said gathering a chuckle from the guests.  But Ron and Lisa didn’t hear them because they were too wrapped up in each other.  Lisa leaned towards Ron, with her eyes closed, lips parted.  Only, her lips never connected with his.  And instead of hearing her family and friends cheering them on, she heard what sounded like fingers snapping in front of her face.

Lisa’s eyes popped open, and she took a second to look around her surroundings.  No longer in a chateau in the south of France, she had been teleported back to her sad reality.

“Miss, miss,” the tanned white woman said sounding concerned while snapping her fingers in front of Lisa’s face.  “Are you okay? I have a flight to catch. Can you ring me up?” she quickly said in one breath.  Lisa was behind the cash register at “Time to Run,” a convenience store inside the Chicago O’Hare airport.  

“Sorry ma’am,” Lisa said still snapping herself out of her dream.  She was no longer a lovely bride. No. She had returned to just being a lonely cashier. And it turned out Ron probably wasn’t her future loving husband. He was just some dude she met at work two weeks earlier who had stopped texting her.  Lisa quickly rang up the woman who was impatiently trying to get on with her life.  She then rang up the man that was behind the woman, then pulled her phone out of her back pocket.  Checking her phone was against company policy, but there was no one there to catch her. She checked her text thread with Ron for the 50^th time that day.  Still no text from him.  She didn’t know why she was so sad; he never texted her first.  She looked at the last text he sent.  “k.”  That one letter drove Lisa crazy.  Sticks and stones may break your bones, but a simple text like “k” will taunt you.  It was his response to her suggestion that they hang out sometime.

Without customers bothering her, Lisa quickly slipped back into daydreaming about Ron. This time it was reminiscing on the day they met. It was a Tuesday morning. He walked into the store and Lisa immediately saw him because his 6’0 wide frame was hard to miss.  He had on a full black suit, with a long gray overcoat. He looked like he not only worked on wall street but ran it.  After perusing the store, of which Lisa covertly watched him, he brought his bottled water and granola bar to the front.  He put down his items and looked up at Lisa, giving her what she considered the perfect smile.  Lisa replied with a breathless “hi,” and then proceeded to ring up his items.

“$7.95,” she said not bothering to hide the smile on her face.  He handed her a $10 bill. As she was giving him his change, their hands touched, and Lisa swore she felt a spark. So much so that she giggled.  He smiled back at her.

“What’s your name?”

“Lisa.”

That was the beginning of what Lisa thought would be a love story for the ages.   They exchanged numbers and texted heavily for a few days.  Lisa learned that while he didn’t work on wall street, he did work at an accounting firm in the city. He was on his way to a business meeting out of town when they met. After about 7 days of “getting to know you,” Lisa suggested they meet and that’s when the dreaded “k” appeared.  She had not heard anything from him since.

“Lisa, did you finish inventory, or do I need to do it,” Cindy said as she entered from the stock room.  The petite 5’2 brown hair and brown-skinned beauty came from the back while looking at the unfinished inventory sheet.  Her question snapped Lisa out of yet another daydream.   

“Do you think Ron loves me?” Lisa asked in lieu of answering Cindy’s question.

“Do I think the guy you met like two weeks ago is in love with you? No, I don’t,” Cindy said rolling her eyes.  Lisa missed the eye roll and continued while leaning against the counter, propping her head up onto her hands.

“But there was a spark. A definite spark. Like love at first sight type of spark,” Lisa said almost whining.

“You feel a spark with a different man every month,” Cindy said with her hand on Lisa’s shoulder.  “This month it was Ron. Last month it was Jacob. The month before that it waaasss…” she said trying to recall the nameless, faceless man Lisa had sworn was her soulmate three months ago. “Paul!” she said proudly. “And the month before that,” she said her voice getting a little deeper with cynicism, “was my brother.”

Lisa stayed on her hands, impervious to the shade that Cindy was clearly throwing her way.  “Yeah, but this feels different,” she said.

Cindy didn’t even bother to ask, “different how.” She knew any answer Lisa gave would be cow’s manure. After working with her for the past two years, Cindy knew that every guy Lisa met who was “the one” was “different somehow.”  It never failed. When they first started working together Cindy would take Lisa for her word and be genuinely invested in the dating stories Lisa would tell.  Until the inevitable would happen.  They would stop texting or she would find some tiny flaw wrong with them.  One guy mispronounced a common word. Lisa could not be reasoned with that the man wasn’t a native English speaker.  Another only tipped fifteen percent and not twenty.  Cindy’s brother sealed his own fate when after their first and only date, he didn’t walk Lisa to her front door.  

Cindy was older and wiser now and knew not to engage.

“Cindy,” Lisa said all out whining her name.  “What does “k” even mean?” she said in an annoying voice.  A woman came to the counter and Lisa quickly checked her out, so she could return to her complaining.  “He sent it but hasn’t followed up. Does it mean he wants to hang out but doesn’t have time? Or he doesn’t really want to hang out and is being nice? Or what if he wants to hang out but he expects me to plan everything?” Lisa asked taking herself down a dark hole of what-ifs.  “He doesn’t really like me, does he? The man I’m supposed to marry doesn’t want me.”  She stuck her bottom lip out and pouted toward Cindy.  

Cindy rolled her eyes and continued her daily tasks. Several things needed to be resupplied but since Lisa was clearly having an existential crisis, she was of no help.  A man in tan slacks and a black polo come into the store. He quickly grabbed a turkey sandwich, plain chips, and a sprite. He come to the counter to check out, but Lisa was so deep in her own world that she didn’t even see him.  He stands in front of her patiently waiting to be acknowledged.

“I can help you over here sir,” Cindy says giving Lisa the stink eye. But it was no use, Lisa wasn’t paying any attention to her either.  She was too engrossed in rereading every text message she and Ron had sent each other and questioning the meaning behind every detail.

“That will be $12.75,” Cindy said. The man used his phone to pay.  

“You have a beautiful smile,” he said, grinning at Cindy.

“Thank you,” she replied smiling back.  She handed him his bag of goods and he walked out of the store.

Lisa scurried over to her and hit her shoulder.

“Ouch.”

“Girl, are you just going to let him leave out of your life? That could be your Prince Charming here to save you from this job.”  Cindy looked at her like she was crazy.  

“Girl, what the hell is that crazy idea even based on?”

“He said he liked your smile. He clearly wants you.” 

“Girl, you truly live in a la la land,” Cindy said laughing and walking around to the other side of the counter.  The store was preparing for its mid-day rush, and she wanted to make sure everything was restocked before they were inundated with people.

“He wanted you!”

“Okay. Lisa, even if that is true, not every man is your knight and shining honor.”

“Yes, but he could have been!”

A few planes were preparing to board soon and customers were filing in to get their last-minute items. One patron who entered was easily 6 foot 2 inches.  He had on a dark blue suit, with wing-tip shoes.  His dark skin seemed to shine under the fluorescent lights.  He picked up a candy bar and some water before coming to the counter.  Lisa was enamored by his presence. She started hearing symphony music playing in the background, and the closer he got the louder the music became. Her heart was beating fast, and her palms were sweaty.  Cindy looks over at her and immediately realizes what is happening.

“Oh no, not this again,” she says moving aside so it’s clear he should go to Lisa’s register.   “Hi,” Lisa says breathlessly, totally overwhelmed by what she considers to be a chance encounter with the man who is supposed to be the love of her life.  “Just these two items,” he says, trying to user her along. He isn’t in a hurry, but she was looking at him with dopey eyes and it was getting a little awkward.  Cindy pushes Lisa out of the way and finishes the transaction.  Lisa stands there smiling like a dog waiting to be adopted at the pound.  “I think I’m in love,” Lisa says as he walks out of the store.  “k,” Cindy says rolling her eyes and walking back to the stock room.