Friend Request

A slight chill was in the air that autumn evening as Jen sat down at her computer and checked her Facebook posts, pulling her cardigan tight around her shoulders to keep out the cold. She noticed a new friend request - usually she just ignored those but there was something about James that intrigued her. Should she take a chance and accept his request? After hemming and hawing for a while she took the plunge and hit confirm. Jen was a loner but sometimes it was good to have someone to talk to; share a laugh with or send a virtual hug to. James liked inspirational posts, so did Jen - a good start. They shared pictures of their current fur babies - a cat for James and a dog for Jen. Both fur babies had shiny black coats and were named Princess and Prince, respectively. Interesting, thought Jen. Interesting, thought James. (Both thought the same thought at the same time, without realizing it). Prince wagged his tail when he saw the photo of Princess which made Jen smile. Jen’s Facebook avatar was a photo of the ocean. James had chosen an image of Orion for his. The two of them chatted well into the night without realizing it. Jen invited him to play her favorite game on Facebook - Bingo Drive. He accepted and she was able to give him several items to start him off (each room had collectibles which when complete had rewards such as more daily credits or a set one-time bonus). It was fun for Jen to play the early rooms to get pieces for her friend. They agreed to meet (online) the next day and signed off.

The next day Jen got through her daily chores as fast as possible and signed on to Facebook, but James did not sign on. Aww. She checked back every couple of hours, no sign of him. Maybe internet connection troubles Jen thought, they were becoming more and more frequent for her as well (at least it seemed that way). She sent him a couple of pieces for rooms and signed off after leaving him a “hope you’re okay” message in the chat box.  

Jen was a nurse at a busy children’s hospital. Sometimes the children got better, but other times tragedy struck - those times were the hardest to bear. That first day back at work after a pleasant weekend was one of those days for Jen - it all seemed to converge and tug on her already fragile heart strings. While trying to do some deep breathing during a small coffee break another nurse came in and sat down next to her. Jen looked up. It was her friend Nancy who had become a nurse after recovering from a serious car accident.  

“Dearest Jen, it looks like you have the world on your shoulders. Is there anything I can do” she asked?

“I’m okay, some days it all seems too much, and I wonder if I do any good for my patients.”  

“Some days are particularly hard, yes and with the pandemic scare, I can’t even give my friends a hug.”

“It’s okay, thanks” said Jen.  

The two sat in silence for a while then Nancy piped up 

“My cousin just became a nurse and is coming here for the weekend. Would you have coffee with him as a favor to me? I have a feeling you two would really like each other.”

Jen looked at her coworker. A blind date? She hadn’t been on a blind date in years. By the same token though she didn’t want to let her friend down.

“Okay, I will meet your cousin for you.”

“Great. He will be at the Starbucks on the corner of Elm and Johnson at 5:30pm on Friday. I’ll tell him to dress in red shirt and black slacks, so you’ll be able to recognize him.”

“Okay. I’ll wear my turquoise blouse and black slacks” came a less than enthusiastic reply. Jen was not looking forward to this, but it was only coffee; then she could get back home and talk to James.

For the rest of the week she was a bundle of nerves, but Jen kept her mind on her patients and not the coffee date which made it easier to handle. She had tried on the turquoise blouse making sure it still looked good. Jen could not figure out why she was so nervous about a coffee date, but cest la vie; it would be over before long.

Nancy texted her cousin when she got home after confirming that Jen would be there. You’ll really like her I think cuz; you two have a lot in common. But thanks, you’re doing me a favor - I really want to cheer her up, she’s had a hard time of things lately.

“Covid is getting to us all, but I’ll do what I can to cheer her for you Nance (he always called her Nance saying that one syllable names were easier to remember).” He had a point even though she’d never thought about that.

Nancy told her cousin where to meet his date, what time, and what to wear. He had second thoughts but didn’t want to let his Nancy down. She had been through so much and was making real strides in her career - his was just beginning. What was it again he thought to himself? Oh yes, red shirt, black slacks. He must have put them on several times that week. He felt under a lot of pressure to please his cousin. Never mind, it was just coffee and would be over soon enough.

A bright spot in Jen’s life - James was able to reconnect. He had been having internet issues he said. After a short time, James wrote in the chat box: “I won’t be able to come online on Friday night – I have something I need to do.” 

“No problem, me too. Let’s talk again on Saturday morning, if that’s okay. It’s good to see you.”

“Yes, fine. It’s good to see you too. Funny I guess, but I missed talking to you when I was out of commission. I feel as though we already know each other.”

Wendy nodded. How was James going to see that nod she laughed to herself then typed in:

“Yes, I know what you mean.” 

She appreciated being told that he wouldn’t be able to come online when they had scheduled chat times, that was extremely courteous, Jen thought.

The (dreaded) day arrived, then the appointed hour. Okay, here goes nothing Jen said to herself and walked to the corner of Elm and Johnson. He was there and Nancy was too! There was no chance of running now. Deep breath - you got this, she said to herself. Shyly she sat at the table after Nancy motioned her over.

“Jen, I’d like you to meet my cousin James. James, meet Jen.”

A big smile came across both of their faces.  

“Covid says we can’t shake hands, but it is very nice to meet you Ms. Jen” James said in a soothing voice (to Jen’s ears anyway).

“You too” replied Jen. Then turning to her friend she said “thank you for introducing us Nancy.”

“You’re welcome - got to run. She put a $10 bill on the table. Coffee’s on me. You are both incredibly special in my life. Enjoy! See you on Monday Jen.”

After Nancy had left James said

“Ocean?”

“Yes. Orion?”

“Yes.”

“This is amazing. I am so incredibly happy that we had a chance to meet - it’s even better than being in the chat room.”

“I agree - you sound just like I pictured you would.”  

After an hour of small talk and sipping coffee James said

“Do you think Nance knew we’d already met so to speak?”

“No, I don’t think so and let’s not tell her” replied Jen. “Let her think she introduced us - it will make her feel good.”

“I was about to suggest the same thing, yes. One more thing - would you have dinner with me tomorrow night?”

This time Jen did not hesitate and responded with a resounding yes. She added:

“I know you like Italian. I know a good Italian restaurant close to here that has the most amazing Chicken Rosamarino dish. Let’s meet here at 6:30pm and we’ll walk over there together.”

“I look forward to that Jen. Meantime see you tomorrow morning on Facebook. Have a blessed sleep.” With that, he left, and a happier Jen half skipped, half walked home. Blind date maybe, but she had met a “new” friend.

Things were looking up in her world. She slept more soundly and more peacefully that night than she had in a long time. Was James the reason for that? Maybe. Time would tell…