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SCARECROW AND MRS. KING

The Matchmaker

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O'Donnell's Dry Cleaners was a quaint business establishment located on the outskirts of Arlington, Virginia. Although the owner, Mary O'Donnell, was a great American patriot, her heart and traditions belonged to the sea cliffs and lush green meadows of Ireland.

And it was at this small business establishment where Amanda would frequent in order to drop off her clothes to be dry cleaned.

The shop's bell tingled above the door, letting Mary, the owner, know she had a customer. Her smile was genuine when she stepped out from the back and realized it was her favorite customer.

"Good morning, Maryl!" Amanda immediately welcomed her as she placed the pile of clothing on the counter.

"'N a gran' mornin' to yer, Amanda!" Mary greeted her back, with a soft-lilted accent that Amanda could listen to all day, "Yer certainly lookin' luvly today!"

"Oh, welllll, it's just my usual self in my usual jeans!" Amanda humbly sing-songed back. She then noted the newly hung heart decorations as Mary sorted through the clothes.

"And I see you've decorated your shop with cheery hearts!" Amanda observed.

"Aye, gettin' ready for Valentine's Day, I am!" Mary excitedly admitted, then lowered her voice, "Altho' 'cheery ' wusn't whut Oi wus guin' for, Amanda, but a sense o' romance, instead!"

"Oh yes, romance. Definitely romance!" Amanda agreeably nodded, as she also took note of the lovely roses on the counter.

"An speakin' of whaich..." there was a mischievous spark in Mary's eyes, as she asked, "to whut spechul man will yer be spendin' this Valentine Day wit'?"

An image of Lee immediately entered her mind but she forced it aside. She knew better than to fill her head with the impossible.

"No special man I can think of,..." Amanda fibbed, "but I do have Mother...and my two boys..."

"Pshaw! Tis not the kind 'o speshul Oi be speakin' ov for yer on Valentine's Day!" Mary admonished her, as she finished filling out the receipt and then handed it over to Amanda.

"Oh, I know," Amanda sounded as though it was no big deal as she accept the paper, "but Valentine's Day isn't that big of a deal for me."

She hoped Mary believed her.

"But yer shuld be a-celebratin' it!" Mary insisted, "Now, I know it be a bit old-fashun of me, but yer shuld be 'avin' a suitor on tat speshul day! 'N fact, he shuld be there ev'ry day fer yer! Why, yer as bright as ter mornin' sun 'n as luvly as the rollin' hills of Dublin, yer are!"

Amanda blushed, "Gee, Mary, I'm not sure if I could measure up to Dublin's rolling hills, but I appreciate the thought!"

"Nunsense! Any fine, upstandin' lad wud be lucky to be wit yer!"

Amanda smiled. Ever since she ended her relationship with Dean, Mary had been wanting to set her up.

The way Mary tells it, she had been known as the local village matchmaker back in Ireland, with many mothers of fair maidens seeking our her services in order to find perfect matches for their daughters.

Maybe, Amanda privately thought, I shouldn't have come a week before Valentine's Day, not with Mary wanting to try out her matchmaking skills for Valentine's Day.

Too late now.

"Well, Mary, you just let me know when you find this fine, upstanding lad for me!" Amanda diplomatically teased, "In the meantime, not too much starch on Mother's white blouse, please!"

"Aye," she acknowledged, then eyed Amanda speculatively, "Yer know, Amanda, back home, Oi've dun me best work at de village matchmakin' festival! 'N fact, me last matchup wus between a simple farmhan' who culdn't read, an' the smartest lassie 'n der village! An' not to be braggin, but they'd ben 'appy together ev'r since!"

Amanda played along, "Goodness, Mary, you ARE good, to match such opposites! But with only a week before Valentine's Day, I doubt you'll have enough time to find a village farmhand for me!"

"So yer be teasin' me now, eh? If dat be so, den off wi' yer now!" Mary made fluttery shooing motions with her hands, "but don't yer be worryin' about tat rip in yer heart, dear one! Oi'll be keepin' a lookout fer yer ,an' who knows? Perhaps tat rip can be mended by Valentine's Day!"

Amanda wanted to shake off the words, but sadly what Mary said rang true. There were times she DID feel as if there was a rip in her heart.

But she wouldn't keep her hopes up with finding someone special in a week, though. At least Mary's intentions were pure and she was so very dear to Amanda. She instinctively reached over to hug Mary.

"Good bye, Mary, and I'll see you in a couple of days!"

"Guid bye, Amanda, an yer 'ave a gran' day!"

With a smile and a wave, Amanda left the shop, the bell tinkling after her.

Mary pensively watched Amanda King cross the street until she disappeared from sight.

"'Tis a shame fer such a lovely lassie ter be alone," tsked Mary, with a rueful shake of her head.

Then it was back to work for her.

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Two days later, Lee had finished one errand near Arlington. Being so close to where Amanda lived, Lee's mind drifted to thoughts of her. They had almost blown their last assignment together, until, once again, Amanda came through at the last minute with her homespun intelligence and the mission was successful.

Still, Lee's stress level seemed to go through the roof whenever he was partnered with her.

Ever since Amanda entered his work life, his missions no longer went smoothly. They were now more like a mishmash of fumblings and bumblings, BUT...he reminded himself as his face softened...it always turned out at the end AND she surprisingly made his job seem...confusingly cheerful, which was a difficult thing to do when trying to save the world from the bad guys.

He pushed those thoughts aside. It was back to the real world. But first he needed to finish his errands before heading off to work.

Lee made a turn on Walnut Street, wanting to try the local dry cleaners on this side of town. He had never patronized this establishment, but he hadn't been happy with his usual dry cleaners place in Georgetown. The employees there would complain incessantly about having to remove difficult dirt stains or smeared lipstick marks from the clothes he brought in.

It was hard work chasing bad guys and good-looking women! What did they expect? That he'd bring in perfectly clean clothes to them?

He eased his car right in front of O'Donnell's Dry Cleaners and turned off his engine.

This place looked promising, he thought, observing the faded wooden business sign with the old fashioned lettering. A simple shamrock was painted above the words. It had a charming, welcoming vibe to it, which he liked.

Not that an appealing appearance made any difference to him. He just wanted his clothes cleaned.

After all, it was just another dry cleaners... right?

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