The Power House

1. write about a first date that surprises both people, but in different ways.

Lisa, although American,  had all her pedigrees and ancestry documents ready for the old church ladies. They had taken such a shine to her at the pub a few months ago, and promised to get together to talk about her connection with the ‘Big House’ as locals called it. She was looking forward to it, but had to run a few errands beforehand. She decided to dress conservative; a big, floppy jumper and black trousers, and she did do her face but wasn’t trying to impress anyone. It was November, her least favourite month, and as long as it wasn’t raining it was nice to be out on a Sunday afternoon. She went to a nearby mall in Yorkshire and shopped, took in the town center, and when it was time to take the bus she realized that the mall had locked up and she had to walk around it, missing her regular bus. She decided to risk taking a different one. She waited in the cold early evening air, and the gamble took off, as she got into the village early. At this time of year, she was working on needlepoint projects for Christmas, and thought popping into a local pub and sewing could kill some time. She chose a very working class Irish pub, and despite her conservative look, someone called her a ‘right bird’ and chatted her up. She considered taking him with to meet the ladies, until he showed her the tattoo on his belly...not exactly a church-lady approved escort. But what Lisa had no idea was that the church ladies already had in mind was a church-lady approved man from the parish, called John. 

She got there right on time, and the ladies were already sequestered in a booth at the posh Indian restaurant when she arrived. She had her papers ready, and figured the idol chit-chat was just a precursor before they went into discussing family history. The ladies were whispering, and Lisa didn’t know what about. Perhaps 15 minutes later, they turned their heads and turned when someone came in. Lisa couldn’t tell if it was a man or woman at the distance they were talking about, but she saw a tall figure with slicked hair walk in and smile in their general direction. It was John, from church, whom they had seen at service that day who came to join them. He seemed pleasant, rather quiet, and the nods and eye contact between the three of them later made Lisa realize something was up.

The evening went on pleasant enough. The ladies talked about things that happened in the old days and sort of dominated the conversation. Lisa had her portfolio out, but none of the ancestral ties ever came up; she  realized that she better tuck it away or else risk getting masala sauce on it. During the meal though, John and Lisa started feeding each other, as if they had known each other for years. They were sitting side by side, and later John said he would have fancied playing footsie, but realized that might have scared her off. Since the ladies were talking about the old days, the couple started talking to each other, and got on amazingly well. John was a farmer on the estate, and he started suggesting that the house next to his was available, and Lisa could live there for free! The foursome ate and drank a lot, and the old ladies decided they better not drive home. After trying to cajole the waitstaff into ‘delivering’ them home with food, it was decided that John would drive everyone home. And since one of Lisa’s ties with the village had been that she imported beer that had been made in the estates Power House, the subject came up. John lived next to it! After depositing the ladies home in his American car [with no heat or defrost, so a difficult ride at best], he suggested that Lisa see the power house...in fact she ended up seeing it eight times that night! 

This was the era just prior to Covid, so they went out on a lot of dates or stayed in and cooked; something they both loved to do. John was going through a divorce, and although gung ho about Lisa and wanting to defend the relationship, he was still raw and broken.  He would have doubts and start to push her away. One time, he broke up with her, just as she had Covid and was left quietly dying at her bungalow...she was at her physical and mental lowest at this point. Neighbors rallied and helped her with food and medicine, and she had no heat at the time, either. Lisa had complete faith in John, as their first date must have meant something. Heck, she didn’t even think it was a date, she thought it was a business meeting! Clearly, the ladies knew his situation, knew he was lonely, and fixed him up. “Come meet Lady Wentworth; I think you will get on”, was what they told him. You don’t get a bond like that from a random first date; Lisa had been single a long time, she knew it was rare. But John had always been married, so he didn’t. 

The time apart killed Lisa. They got back together just in time for her to move, on Valentine’s Day of all days. She wore a sleek jumpsuit and had grown accustomed to the cold, having no heat, and was not 100% well but functioning. After they unpacked, they went to a romantic restaurant with all the other lovers...although they weren’t exactly lovers again yet. After making a make-shift bed, they were, but John kept her on tenterhooks for months. Soon, it was lock down, and that meant you couldn’t go anywhere. It also meant you couldn’t date anyone new, so Lisa made great pains to make ‘date nights’; fixing up part of her flat as a ‘bar’ or part of the patio for al fresco dining. She made sure to wear sexy dresses, and during the week dropped off food she prepared for John to eat, even at periods when he wasn’t speaking to her. They only had each other to rely on, and even though there was only technically a handful of dates out, the first one had sealed the deal….at least for Lisa. She thought so for John, as he met with his attorney right away to make sure he could keep her, what with the divorce looming. She understood about this and not meeting the whole family, and she tried to be patient, which was not her forte’...

The months passed. Somewhere at about a year into this endless lock down, John’s feeling shifted. It was imperceptible to anyone else, and Lisa’s friends warned her to stay away when he wouldn’t sign her visa. In fact, after months of taking her to the appointments, he denied there was any relationship at all! This was a year since their first date and it devastated Lisa. But, she hung in there, and something seemed to change. After about a year of lock down, he started to realize he would not have made it without her, that she was endlessly generous and kind, and wore her heart on her sleeve. Lisa learned about different attachment styles; she was an open heart, and he was a rolling stone, dissociating love and attachment. That knowledge helped her to take care of herself, and in being more distant, of course he missed her more. She wasn’t a game player and didn’t make up rules, but waiting all week to see him was killing her. She had spent her life savings and was tired of waiting, but she decided to embrace this time, and make it one of healing. He realized he missed her, not just her pestering, and that she made a difference in his life as well. When you have only had one real first date, and a handful of others then never be allowed to go out again, you learn to appreciate each other. The ‘beingness’ of sitting together on the sofa, having a meal and watching TV is a quiet calm. He realized he loved her, that she made his life better, and that he did miss the pubs [as did she], but he only wanted her...that was the shift that made the difference.