The Lists of Love

Simon Barks went down his list methodically, “White wine, asparagus, potatoes, garlic, pumpernickle bread, cherry cheesecake, Sumatra coffee, whole bean of course, candles, matches. I think that’s it.”  

In the condo directly below Simon’s, Felicia Francone was writing her own shopping list out. The items weren’t nearly as elegant but each one was written with love. She was having her widowed mother over for dinner tomorrow. Being Italian, the Sunday menu always included pasta, meatballs, salad, Italian bread and red wine—all that and a few more mundane items were on her list. She folded up the small piece of paper, placed it in her Gucci bag and headed towards the door.  

Just above her condo, Simon stuffed the list in his jean’s pocket, slipped into his Van sneakers, yanked his brown leather jacket from the kitchen chair and ran out the door, locking it as he did.  

As he flew down the stairs and got to the lower level he passed Felicia just emerging from her place, and said, “Hi Felicia, bye Felicia, sorry.” He could see that she just smiled and waved.  

Simon felt a pinge of guilt in not stopping to talk with her but he assuaged it by reminding himself that he was in a hurry to get ready for the fireworks tonight. The truth was, however, he rarely, if ever, had time for Felicia.  

“Felicia is very nice,” Simon thought, “but she just isn’t very pretty, a little overweight, probably from eating all that pasta, and so quiet. Just not my type. Now Holly is another story. Wow, what a babe! I can hardly believe a woman so gorgeous agreed to a second date with me!”  

Simon roared into the supermarket parking, honking his car horn annoyingly at a few people in the crosswalk. He exhibited no mercey for anyone slowing him down from his mission. He zipped by the shoppers as they scurried to get out of his way, shooting angry looks as him and his Lapis Lazuli-colored Honda Accord. Simon paid them no attention. Only one thing was on his mind, Holly and the night.  

Darting into a parking space, Simon jumped out of his car, locked the door and literally ran into the supermarket. As the doors opened, he removed the shopping list from his pocket and grabbed a small cart. He quickly scanned the items and began to mentally calculate the quickest route to procure each one on the list. 

First, the most important—the wine! He made a sharp left turn and headed to the alcohol region of the store. Tonight, Chef Simon was serving up pistachio-encrusted Salmon, asparagus, garlic-mashed potatoes, with pumpernickel bread, and cherry cheesecake for dessert.  And, of course, he picked out a nice bottle of a crisp Sauvignon Blanc!

About ten minutes later, Felicia pulled into the same supermarket. She got out, locked the door to her car and made her way to get a shopping basket.

“Man, is Holly gonna be impressed when she sees the spread I’ve prepared for her!” He placed the wine softly in the cart, then went isle-to-isle, nabbing every item on his list in record time. Simon was humming on all cylinders! “Maybe it’s love,” he thought. “Oh yea, it was love alright!” As he strolled down isle 5, looking for the candles he heard, “Hey Simon.” It was Felicia.  

“Oh hi, Felicia. You shop here, too, huh? Sorry that I wasn’t very neighborly earlier.” And before he could put a cork in his mouth, he blurted out, “I have a date tonight,” but then abruptly stopped, thinking it was insensitive to a woman he figured didn’t have many dates.  

Felicia smiled and said, “That’s great, Simon, don’t let me hold you up. Hope it goes well.” And Felicia walked away, leaving Simon standing there feeling like a total jerk.  

All Simon could say was, “Thanks,” softly.   

He shook his head, trying to shake off his jerkiness, and continued on his mission. For some reason, though, there wasn’t the bounce in his step as there had been just minutes ago. He blocked out every thought as to why that was. Simon got every item on his list, and made his way home. He got back to his condo about 2:00, showered, and then and began to get ready for what was surely going to be the best night of his life. 

Simon grew more nervous as the hour of 6:00 was fast approaching. He began to fantasize about how the evening would unfold, or rather, how he wanted it to unfold. He pictured Holly appearing in his doorway in a tight, sexy dress, with high heels, and blonde hair flowing across her perfectly sculptured shoulders. And her eyes, oh those hypnotizing blue eyes! Her perfume filling his senses! He swallowed hard at the thought. 

She, of course, would be mezmerized at the meal he had lovingly prepared for her. The candlelight. The music softly filling the air with expectation. He would hold the chair for her. Then sit directly across from this dream that had walked into his world from the cyber space of the Internet dating site where he found her. The setting was perfect for “love to bloom!,” Simon imagined.  

Then when dinner was over, the plan was to put on Kenny G, and ask Holly if she wanted to kick off her heels and slowly dance in the middle of his plushly-carpeted living room. And she would smile and agree. He was actually becoming short of breath as he envisioned taking her hand and walking her to the living room, and then gently taking her in his arms, feeling her body next to his.  

As he got lost in his mind’s wonderland, the oven buzzer went off in the kitchen, which meant the salmon was done. It also meant it was just minutes from 6:00, as he had it perfectly timed with Holly’s arrival! His heart began to pound within his chest. He grabbed the two potholders and with hands shaking a bit, took the salmon out. Grilled to perfection! He listened closely for the knock on his door. Nothing yet.  

6:10, no Holly. 6:15, still no knock. 6:20, silence. He said in his mind, “Women, they’re never on time. What’s up with that?”

Finally when the clock read 6:30, Simon decided to call her.  

After several rings, she picked up and he said, “Hi, Holly? It’s Simon. Ah, just wondering if you’re close?” 

“Close?” she said, “Close to what, what do you mean?”

Simon’s heart sank, realizing she wasn’t close; in fact, it seemed she totally forgot about their special night and probably wasn’t coming at all.

Painfully he continued, “Holly, tonight we had a date, remember? You were coming over for dinner. I made some amazing food and…” She interrupted him, 

“Oh, right,” Holly answered with a tinge of disinterest in her voice, “I’m sorry, Simon, but I’m not going to be able to make it. Some…thing…came up. Yea, something came up.”

Simon could tell she was lying. Nothing had “come up.” She never had intentions of coming over. Just then he could hear a man’s voice in the background. His sinking heart was now feeling like it was going to shatter.

“Look I gotta run,” Holly interjected, wanting to end the conversation. “But thanks for calling. Have a nice day.” And Holly was gone. Probably forever. So was his silly fantasy.  

Simon clicked off his cell phone and placed it on the table. The face of Holly appeared on the phone’s cover, a picture he took of her on their first date, with the light of the candles reflecting off of the phone’s smooth face. He starred at it for minutes. He then leaned over the two candles and blew them out. He looked over at the stunningly delicious dinner he had spent hours preparing, fighting back the tears. As sumptuous as the food looked, he had no appetite.  

He slowly walked to the doors to his patio, opened them and stepped outside as he needed some fresh air to clear his mind. He placed his hands on the wooden railing and starred into the night sky.

“Am I the biggest fool ever, or what?" Simon asked. "To think a girl like Holly would actually fall for a guy like me,” shaking his head in disbelief.  

Suddenly, the amazing aroma of garlic began to assault his senses. He looked around, wondering where the smell was wafting from. As best as he could tell, it was coming from below him, maybe from Felicia’s place. “Felicia!” he thought. Then he recalled how he hardly acknowledged her earlier when he was so stupidly consumed with his foolish fantasy. And worse, how he had to go and say he had a date tonight and how that must have made her feel.  

“I am the biggest jerk on planet Earth!” he blurted out. He then found himself starting to chuckle, as the aroma of garlic began to make him more excited than Holly’s perfume that he never got to smell. He looked back at the spread on the table and got a crazy idea in his head. He ran in, put the salmon back in the oven, turned the stove back on low to heat up the aspargus and mashed potatoes, and then zipped out of his condo and down the stairs to Felicia’s place. He was about to knock on her door but stopped and said out loud,

“What am I doing? Felicia isn’t my type! But why do I say that? I really don’t even know her, I have never taken the time to get to know her. What’s up with that?”

Suddenly the door opened and there was Felicia looking surprised to see Simon just standing there. Simon, startled, looked up but said nothing.

She said, “Oh, Simon! I thought I heard someone talking outside my door. Is everything OK?”

“OK? Simon asked, “Oh yea, everything’s fine. I was just about to knock when you opened the door. Ah, this may be a strange question but are you cooking something with garlic?” 

Felicia laughed and said, “Yes! I’m making some pasta sauce because my mother is coming over tomorrow. Is the smell bothering you. I’m sorry if it is.”  

“No, no, not at all; in fact the aroma is wonderful!” Simon said. He continued, “Felicia, I want to apologize again for this morning but more so for being a self-absorbed jerk.”  

Her eyebrows furled, as she looked at him with question marks.  

“I know I’m babbling,” Simon said, “and am sure you have no idea what I’m talking about. Listen, Felicia, I don’t want to take you away from your cooking but may I ask you a question?”

“Sure” she said.

“Have you had dinner?" Simon asked.  

“Actually, no” Felicia said, “I was going to throw something quick together after I got the sauce started. Why?”

“Well,” he said, “I just made some amazing Salmon and wondered…wondered if maybe you’d like to join me for dinner?”  

Felicia stood there, starring at Simon, not knowing what to say as she was so unaccustomed to being asked out to dinner by a man.  

Simon broke the silence. “If you don’t want to, I certianly understand as I’m almost a stranger to you and this is so unexpected. Sorry.”

“No, I, I, would like to come for dinner, Simon. It’s so sweet of you to ask.” She then looked at her apron and fluffy slippers and said, “Can you give me a few minutes? I’ll shut the stove off and throw something else on and be right up. That OK?”

“Really?” Simon asked with a smile, “Great! Yea, I’ll go up and get everything ready and just come up and come in, don’t even bother to knock.”  

And with that Simon was gone, leaving Felicia standing in the doorway somewhat stunned and wondering what just happened. She then whirled around, shut off the stove, pushing the pot of sauce off to a cooler place on top, and ran into her bedroom.  

“What do I wear? What do I wear?” she asked herself repeatedly, gazing back and forth at her wardrobe. “I gotta lose weight! I mean I have to lose weight!”  

She concluded that a dress would be too formal and send a message she wasn’t sure she wanted to send or that he would want to receive. She decided on a dress, however, but over her best pair of jeans, showing no leg, and leather boots. She darted into the bathroom, quickly brushing her long brunette hair, brushed her teeth, and put on some mango-peach cream around her face and shoulders. Again, perfume was inappropriate for this strange, unexpected dinner invite as she had no idea of Simon’s intentions. When she gave herself several look-overs in the mirror and approved, off she went to the condo above hers.

As she was told, Felicia opened the door and walked into Simon’s place, saying, “Knock, knock.” She heard some rattling coming from the kitchen and made her way there, looking around his condo, impressed as to how neat he kept it. Or maybe it was just tiddyed up for his date which for some reason never materialized. She was “Plan B,” she guessed.

“Come on in,” Simon said. Felicia walked into the kitchen as he was pulling the salmon from the oven. Simon placed the tray on the stove-top and looked up at his…date. He had to fight his eyes from bugging out and jaw from dropping as there before him was a stunningly attractive woman, one he oddly had lived above for over two years but never saw.  

They stood there and looked at each other; then Simon broke the awkward silence saying, “Felicia, you look very nice! Thanks for coming to dinner on such short notice. Have a seat,” and pointed to the table.

They talked and laughed for hours, long after finishing dinner and dessert. It might have actually lasted till midnight and beyond but Felicia ended it by saying she was tired and had to do a few things more to get ready for her mother coming tomorrow. Simon, the gentleman that he was, walked her to her condo, bowed, and said goodnight. Felicia thanked him for the wonderful time, smiled sweetly, and closed her door. 

Felicia walked slowly to her kitchen and put everything she was cooking in plastic containers and into the fridge. Before shutting out the lights, she glanced at the end of her counter and there was her shopping list. She smiled, glad she had decided to make it, and how it somehow brought her together with Simon.

Simon slowly walked, as if floating on air, up the stairs to his place. He threw just about everything into the dishwasher, and what was left was tossed into the sink. He went back outside on to his back porch and gazed out into the night sky. He pondered how nothing unfolded as he thought—and hoped—it would. Yet, it seemingly did. It was the best night of his life! And the best was yet a head!  

As he said this, Simon pulled out his cell phone and deleted Holly’s picture.