Three Years Later….
"Paul, will you go to the grocery store for me?" His mother, Patricia, asked. Paul had been living with his parents since his termination from the World Wrestling Entertainment Company three years prior. He lost his enormous paycheck and couldn't afford to live on his own anymore. In fact, the only thing he could afford was a car: a His parents had moved to Connecticut from New Hampshire and so he followed. At the age of twenty eight, he was back living in a tiny bedroom under his parents roof.
"Sure ma, what do ya need?" Paul said sitting in the kitchen in the early morning.
"Here's the list, please do not forget anything. We are having company tonight so I need everything that's listed." His mother handed him the list and money. Soon he was on his way to the store.
Sometime later….
"Damn, why did I agree to come," Paul muttered to himself, as he negotiated around the sea of carts and bodies in the cereal aisle. He had been at the store for twenty minutes already, and only found four things on the list; only like thirty more to go. He glanced at the list and saw croutons. They were in the cereal aisle, which made no sense to Paul. He found the box and went to reach for it as did a beautiful brunette. They bumped arms and turned to each other.
"I'm sorry. Here take it." Paul said with a slight laugh, offering the box to the woman. He thought she looked familiar but just couldn't place where he knew her from.
"Oh I'm sorry to." She said with the same hint of laughter, pushing the box back to him, "You take it."
"I'm Paul," He said putting the box back on the shelf and extending his hand.
"My name's Stephanie." She took two boxes off the shelf, put one in her cart and one in his. "There." They shared a laugh. To Paul it seemed like the hustle and bustle of the grocery store on a Friday night seemed to fade away. He was completely enamored by this woman.
"Thanks." Paul said shifting his weight from one foot to the other, trying to ease his nerves. "I have an odd question for you." She moved closer to him as a woman with four children in tow barged past.
"Sure." She said glancing at his cart.
"You might know this better than I would, what is vanilla seasoning?" She smiled at his trouble with food shopping.
"Follow me," She said turning towards another aisle, "Hmm you must not be shopping for yourself. Perhaps a wife?" Paul shook his head no, "Girlfriend?" Paul executed the same response.
"Nah I'm single."
"Oh I'm sorry, I didn't mean to pry." Stephanie said feeling her cheeks turn hot. She stopped in front of the extracts and handed him the vanilla. "There is no such thing as vanilla seasoning, its extract."
"Thanks," He said holding the tiny box up, "You didn't pry. It's alright. I'm doing a favor for my mom." They continued down the aisle together.
"Aww that's sweet. My brother would not be caught dead food shopping," she said with another laugh.
"Well then who are you shopping for?" He said with a smile.
"My mom." Stephanie replied laughing. "I still live at home with my parents so as a favor I do the food shopping sometimes."
"That's nice of you." Paul said reaching for a box of brownies. He loved his mothers brownies.
"Eh I try." She could not stop smiling. She thought he was the sexiest guy she's ever laid eyes on. "Their having company tonight so I should finish this up and get it back to the house."
"Um," Paul stammered for a minute, wanting to ask her out so bad, "Yea same with my family, having company tonight. I'm not looking forward to it."
"I completely agree." She said lightly touching his arm.
"Well, um, if you don't want to be there with the company, would you like to do something instead? Um I mean if your single or whatever." Paul said silently regretting saying that because it made him sound stupid. Usually he was shy about asking women out. It had been probably about five years since his last date. He felt a wave of relief when he saw her smiling.
"Sure. Do you know the Italian Restaurant, Carino, on the corner of Main and Sulfite Avenue?" He nodded. "Does seven o'clock sound good?"
"Yea it sounds great. Do you want to meet there?"
"Yea, if you don't mind." Stephanie said, knowing her father would not be happy about this little date.
"That's ok."
"I'll see you at seven Paul." Stephanie said turning away with a wave. Paul stayed in the aisle smiling to himself. He just got himself a date with a beautiful girl.