My Date With A Mystery
I sat at a table for a while at a Village Inn all by myself. I had invited someone, but the longer I waited the more sure I was the he wasn't going to come. It wasn't a date or anything; in fact I had invited everyone to my study group. He was the only one who said yes, and it was awful of him not to show up.
A man sitting down at my table soon interrupted my angry thoughts. He had black curly hair, high cheekbones, and hollow icy blue eyes. He sat there staring at me for a minute and then another, and then another and just as I was about to pretend he wasn't there he spoke and I was surprised to hear him have a thick British accent "So your date ditched you" he stated as if he knew "It wasn't a date" I replied simply "Oh well my mistake" He replied sarcastically.
Finally after a moment of silence I spoke up once again "Why on earth have you sat at my table?" and after a moment or two of more silence he answered "Because I was bored" he sates as if it has extremely obvious. "Why me then? Out of all the people here, why did you sit down at my table?" I asked looking around at all the other people who would probably be more interesting then me. "You're the only one sitting by yourself… well besides my partner" He gestures to the man across the room. The man waved, when he realized we were staring at him, with a cup, of what I'm assuming was tea, in his hand.
I looked back at the man across from me "Your not from around here are you?" I asked in a more of a statement kind of way. "What gave it away? Was it the accent by any chance?" he questioned sarcastically "That among other things" I stated with a smile "So what brings you to the US?" I looked at him with curious eyes as I awaited his answer "Just business really" He replied looking rather bored by the subject. "Well what's your job then?" I questioned with much interest. "I'm a consulting detective" he said for once actually looking me in the eyes as he spoke. "Well that's not really a job." I sated soon gaining a deathly dark glare from the man in front of me "Well its more of a real job then yours is" He replied rolling his eyes "I don't think you can really say that without knowing what my job is" I sated matter-of-factly as I crossed my arms "But I do know what your job is."
He looked me up and down then smiled "Judging by the gray marks on the side of your palm you draw an awful lot, but that's hardly a job, so what is it that you do?" He paused as if expecting me to answer, but clearly wasn't because as soon as I opened my mouth he continued "The way you talk to people, the tone you use, suggests 'I spend a lot of time with children" he used a mocking tone to mock me and my job "Maybe you have kids? No, there's no signs of a ring not even of one being removed for a date" He stopped again waiting me to say something "It wasn't a date. But what if I-" he interrupted me again "Rape or divorce are very unlikely. You're to strong. If it had been one of those two you would have been more bothered by me sitting at your table so randomly. In fact you seem rather the opposite" He smiles a cheeky smile before continuing "You might be a teacher? No there's more to it then that. Before sitting down I saw small specks of paint on the back of your neck, clearly not from you itching your neck when you were painting. Maybe from a young child who was making so-called art? Maybe you teach art?" He asked with a questioning look. I tried not to nod my head, but it was just so amazing I couldn't bare not to. "You teach eight year olds 'art' I hardly call that a real job" he rolled his eyes and leaned back in his chair as if he had made his point and the conversation should now be over. "I teach teens as well" I pointed out trying not to smile at his one mistake "Which is probably why you use your 'mommy tone' around adults as well. Teens probably don't take well to their teacher being so close in age."
It seemed as though my confused look began to bother him because before I knew it he was talking and explaining things again "The mommy tone is a nice way to talk down to people nicely and to also put yourself up in the process. This makes a larger gab between you and your older students making them treat you with a little more respect then they would have other wise." The dark haired man looked at me to see if I know understood "Oh no I get it. I just don't under stand how you knew all of this." I looked at him with pleading eyes and he sighed giving into my bagging eyes "I'm hyper observant… I deduct things" I couldn't helped it I chuckled at that I don't think I'd ever heard someone say such a funny word so seriously "What?" he asked puzzled as to why I found that so entertaining "I've never heard someone say something like that in a manner as serious as yours "
For the rest of the time we people watched and he explained to me the many postures people take when they go out to eat. People who hunched over their food and nod their head in agreement and never say anything usually means they don't want to talk they just want to eat. He also told me that people when they go on a blind date (Especially women) will order small amount of food as if that some how made them a better person and then some times its just so there's more talking rather then eating. Finally I spoke up with my own opinion on his friend "Most men don't drink tea in the US unless maybe they're old which is one of the ways to tell he is not from the USA. It's not just his accent that gives it away. A lot of other things can point this out as well. Like the names you guys give things like Telly and stuff" I said all of this for my own entertainment, but Mr. Blue eyes seemed rather interested in the whole thing. To me it just seemed like common logic. "Tell me more" he said still staring at his friend "He is relieved your not sitting with him. That's why he didn't seem apologetic when he saw you had just randomly sat down at my table" I didn't know this for sure, but it made sense in my head so I said I anyways "Don't be silly I'm the only thing interesting thing in his life" I laughed at this and he only stared at me like What-its-true. "If he wanted your company he would have come over here by now." I was still making guesses, but this man seemed to eat them up so I continued "But look. Every now and again he looks over to us as if to check up on you" I looked over to his friend just as he looked over to us. This was not a guess. I'd seen parents do this many times when they sat in on my art class. They wouldn't move from their seats in the corner, but they would always look up from their books to check on their trouble making little child. I was no detective, but I could tell when someone one cared or was worried about someone else, I always thought this to be my weakness because some times I would see it when it wasn't there. The man who sat in front of me seemed to be the exact opposite. Like the dark haired detective had never really noticed it even though it seemed so clear.
Suddenly he got up "I have to go" he stated walking over to his friend and dragging him over to pay. It was odd to me, but to tell the truth I was surprised he had stayed so long. I still don't know who my mystery date was, but to me he seemed an awful lot like a detective from an old book.