Silver lining

Ava's naturally curly hair tumbled out of the wig as she yanked it off for what seemed to be the hundredth time. Next came off the chunky, dark glasses. Just as she was about to wipe off the shadow of a kohl moustache from her otherwise waxed upper lip, she changed her mind again. She wanted to follow through on what she thought was a genius plan, but a nagging voice in her head, which curiously sounded a lot like her friend Ashley's, kept telling her to not mess this up. "You're 33! For Chrissakes get yourself a decent guy," she mimicked to herself in the mirror. Ashley would probably use the same words. She wouldn't swear though, not with her precious little baby girl around. 

The last time Ashley had called her, a week ago, Ava swore she heard her mumble the dreaded dirty word under her breath when her prodigal son just wouldn't stop singing the Paw Patrol tune as she tried to convince her to go on a blind date she had set her up on. By the time they hung up, Ava was convinced she was going on a date with a patrol officer. But a text message later informed her that it was, in fact, her friend's dentist that she was meeting at The Concierge and she was to identify him by his silver tie.

A blind date with a man who fills cavities for a living, wears a silver tie and chooses a fancy restaurant for a first meet was too much for Ava to digest. But a lot of people were reminding her of her age these days. If it wasn't for her mirror, she'd think it was emblazoned across her forehead. So, in the end, she had decided to go. Her book of 'How Not To Date", if she ever wrote one, could use some padding up.

But the stand up comedian in Ava, crushed by her parents first and tossed into the bin by the society later, seemed pleased with the opportunity. A blind date, huh? You always wanted a man with a sense of humour, eh? Why don't you show him what a blind date looks like? the rejected comic whispered in honeyed tones in her ear. Then before she could answer, it dragged her to the costume store and chose for her an oversized suit, a black walking stick and dark glasses. A nagging voice at the back of her head kept telling her not to listen to the devil. But what had she got to lose?

***

The bespoke suit he had thought he'd wear for the occasion was now a tad bit too snug. The buttons tried their best to hide his paunch but one threatened to spill the secret. So he ditched the suit. A tie, without a suit, is, well, sad, and completely unacceptable at a restuarant like The Concierge. And so, Ray did what he hadn't done since 12 years--took the day off and went shopping. 

Now, as he dabbed on a spritz of some deliciously musky perfume which the saleslady had pushed him into buying, he almost felt good about himself--his out of shape body, receding hairline and all. When one of his client friends had suggested he meet his wife's best friend, who lived two blocks away from him and worked as a secretary, he had scoffed at the idea. Sure, he was graying a bit at the temples and spending more time on the couch than at the gym, but he could still score his own girls. He was single by choice, after all. 

Over the next few weeks, he set out to prove this to himself, hitting bars and night clubs near his office every evening religiously. He was buying his 64th free drink for an already wasted blonde when he realised crunching numbers all day long and munching on fried chicken at night had damaged more than his waistline. So, he did what any accountant worth his salt would do--invest in a seemingly safe prospect. And now he was heading to what he hoped would turn out to be a pleasant evening of food, wine and hopefully some good company. 

***

Ava was running late thanks to the several people who walked up to her to help her along the way. Even the cabbie wouldn't accept fare, insisting he was fortunate enough to be of assistance. Perhaps she should keep the costume and forgo the deposit amount, chimed the dead joker in all seriousness. 

As she walked into the swanky restaurant, her eyes widened behind her black glasses. The setting sun presented a backdrop of changing colours, painting the space, filled with floor-to-ceiling windows with a kaleidoscope of vibrant hues. She could feel the heels of her practical shoes sinking in the plush carpet as she stood transfixed, drinking in the view. "Who are you looking for? I can help you find the table," offered a waiter, who was immediately by her side. She was about to tell him off when she remembered her gag. "I'm looking for a man in a silver tie," she continued the pretence. 

And even as he led her there, she regretted her decision. The man sitting on the table farthest away from the window was not her dream man by any stretch of the imagination. He was sitting stiff and studying the menu despite facing one of the most glorious skies Ava had ever witnessed. This guy sure won't find her blind humour funny. And what was the point even if he made an effort to smile? It would perhaps lead to a second date and she was sure she didn't want one. So she decided she'd use the prank to get herself out of the awkward situation. She'd just have to be pretty convincing.

***

Dinner service wouldn't begin until 8 pm but Ray, in his excitement, had reached early. So, he quickly occupied the table closest to the kitchen. If his date was a gourmand, she'd appreciate hot food just as much as he did. If not, there would be no point impressing her anyway. But, as the minutes ticked by, it seemed more and more likely that he would be dining alone. The restaurant was filling up with people but there was no single woman walking in. When watching the door like a hawk got too much, Ray ordered himself a red and turned his attention to the menu. This wasn't, after all, his first time being stood up.

He was perusing through the appetizers, when he felt two people walking to him. He heard her before he saw her. The sound of her walking stick reverberated throughout the restaurant and when Ray looked up, he felt everyone's eyes on him. Before he could see her, he saw the waiter hurrying to pull out the chair for her. He stared at her as she settled in, then quickly looked away embarrassed at getting caught. It was only when she cleared her throat to draw his attention, did he turn to her again, realising all too late she wouldn't be able to tell the difference.

"Umm, hello," he stammered, "I didn't know you were…sorry"

"Blind?" 

"Umm, yes…not that I…"

"I'm sorry, I thought my friend…"

"No, no, it's okay… I'm sorry… will you have, erm, what will you have?" he was mad at himself for being so clumsy, but she had caught him completely off guard. He gathered himself enough to flag down the waiter and ordered the virgin mojito she said she wanted.

"Sorry I'm late," she cut into his thoughts, "I missed the bus and had to take the cab".

He was staring at her now, noticing how she used her hands to explain herself, her nimble fingers animated for impact. This was unusual, sure, but as Ray settled into his chair comfortably and loosened his tie a little, he almost felt thankful that he didn't have a pair of eyes tracing his every move. Over the next few hours, he found himself being able to let go as he gorged on pork belly, even sucking on the fat when no one was watching, ordering a side of fries with his fish because why not, and wiping down the last dredges of chocolate sauce off of his plate. If she didn't know he was fat, he could get away by sounding like someone with a huge appetite thanks to hours spent at the gym, right? 

But it wasn't just freedom from judgement and the amazing food that made him feel better. Little had he known his blind date would be such a riot. In fact, the only times that Ray had stopped savouring his food that evening was when she had left him gasping for breath with yet another anecdote about her sightlessness. As far as he was concerned, he was having a great evening, especially in comparison to the one the man sitting alone on the opposite end of the restaurant was having. 

***

Halfway through their hearty meal, Ava had realised she was with the wrong man. No, of course, she had that figured out even before she had sat down to eat, but when she watched a man in a silver tie sitting alone on the opposite end of the restaurant, flash the waiter a perfect smile, she knew she had been led to the wrong man. But by then she had ordered herself her date staple--a Ceaser salad with low fat mayonnaise, and stolen enough fries off Ray's plate to know what she would be missing out on if she sat opposite a specimen as perfect as the one her friend had chosen for her. Besides, Ray had already ordered the chocolate mousse tiramisu.

So she sat there, watching him stuff his face, first with disgust, then amusement and finally respect until she realised it was because he thought she wasn't watching. She was almost as proud of herself for pulling off the blind act convincingly as she was mad at herself for thinking of pulling off a prank like that. Especially on a man like Ray, who had not once given her the eye. Perhaps he was repulsed by her blindness but apart from the initial surprise, she was yet to see any signs of discomfort. On the contrary, here was a man who didn't mind laughing at a woman's jokes instead of trying to change the subject or coming up with, what he thinks, would be a better joke or anecdote. She almost wanted to kiss him when he had to stop chewing on a mouthful to laugh her 'sightseeing' pun. 

By the time coffee arrived, she didn't even remember she was in get up. The shapeless suit and blocky shoes felt so much better than the little black dress and stilettos she would have squeezed herself into for a date otherwise. She had forgotten all about the man she had inadvertently stood up and as she stood up to leave the restaurant, she didn't remember she was playing blind. So when Ray slipped on the mayo she had accidentally dropped, she reached out and broke his fall, realising her folly all too late. 

***

He didn't look back as he stormed out of the restaurant, his face burning with rage and shame. He had just made a complete fool of himself in front of a woman who was clearly having a laugh at his expense. Perhaps this will be another anecdote for her repertoire, he thought bitterly, as he waited on the curb to hail down a cab. Ava was soon behind him, apologising and explaining, much of which he tuned out. Why listen to a woman who had spent an entire evening lying to him.

***

No amount of apologising seemed to be working with Ray and Ava found herself on the verge of tears. The hurt of betrayal in his eyes was scarier than his blinding rage. But when he flagged down a cab and hopped on, she didn't miss a beat before barging in. At first, they didn't talk, each stewing in the awkward silence before he finally asked, "Why?" and she blurted everything out--her idea of a joke, silver tie, wrong table, being comfortable in his company, not wanting the evening to end. 

***

He couldn't stop thinking about the last part. He hadn't wanted the evening to end too and though it was true that he only felt comfortable in her company and let his guard down because she couldn't see, he wasn't feeling self-conscious even now when they were sitting inches apart. 

***

He was strangely quiet but she could tell his anger had dissipated. By the time he turned and smiled at her, they had almost reached his apartment. And Ava couldn't stop thinking about how she would get him to ask her out on a second date. 

***

Ray, meanwhile, couldn't stop thinking about the silver tie he had received as a free gift with his purchase at the store that day.