Decisions
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Chapter 5
The familiar tinkling bell made Mary look up from her paperwork.
"Amanda!" she cheerfully greeted, pushing aside her papers.
"Good afternoon, Mary!" Amanda happily responded back, "I hope I hadn't come here too soon to pick up my clothes..."
"Not at all, Lass!" Mary waved that thought aside and then gestured behind her, "Oi've got yer dry-cleaned duds all set ter go fer yer!"
Then turning around, she retrieved the correct plastic bags, without needing a ticket.
Placing the items on the counter, Mary announced, "It'll be $20, Dearie."
"Alright." Amanda agreed, opening her pocketbook.
"By and by," Mary casually mentioned, "de other day, Oi had a new customer come in. And a very fine man he wus!"
"Oh, that's nice for you," Amanda politely smiled, as she handed the money over.
But Mary was not done, "Very chivalrous he wus...an' strong'...an' funny, he wus, too...wi' a 'heart o' gold ter boot!"
Amanda now caught on to what Mary was hinting at.
Putting her hands on her hips, Amanda chided her, "Mary Colleen O'Donnell! Are you trying to set me up?"
Mary nonchalantly answered back, "Jus' makin' sure yer have sum company fer Valentine's Day is al' Oi'm doin'!"
"And I told YOU earlier that I'm perfectly fine spending my time with Mother and the boys!"
"Pshaw, tat is not ter be!" Mary reacted, "Oi knaw fer a fact tat yer boys will be a-goin' fer a sleepover tat day, whilst yer ma will be a-goin' oyt!"
"Mother's going out?" Amanda questioned, "She told you that?"
"Aye, tat she did!" Mary acknowledged.
"She never said anything to me about going out," Amanda half-mumbled to herself, and then she directly asked Mary, "Who is she going out with on Valentine's Day?"
"Why, she's goin' oyt wit' der finest meat craftsman in all the warld ov food, don't-ya-knaw!"
"Meat craftsman in the world of food?" Amanda thought, as her eyes widened, "Mary! Is my mother going out with Stan the butcher at Food World?"
The Matchmaker's eyes had a mischievous glint,"De very same!"
"And don't tell me...YOU'RE the one who set them up?"
"Aye, it's whut I do best!" Mary winked, "They'd be sharin' lunch together fer de last two weeks!"
"No wonder we've been getting better cuts of meat lately!" Amanda exclaimed as they both laughed.
Then Mary reminded her, "An' Oi've got a guid match fer yer as well, Dear Lass! An upstandin' gentleman he'd be, wi' a countenance as handsum as ter scenic cliffs of Moher! Oi guarantee it! Why not give it a go? Oi HATE ter think yer be spendin' Valentine's Day alone! "
Amanda tried not to sound as glum as she felt, "Thank you, Mary, I appreciate the effort, but I'll be fine on my own."
Mary had been watching Amanda's face intensely.
"Ah, dearie me! O' course! Oi get it now!" Mary stated in a distressed tone as she came around the counter. She concernedly grabbed hold of Amanda's hands, "Truly de eyes be de windows ter de soul, fer yer sadden eyes be tellin' me yer heart is a-breakin' fer a man tat's not ter be!"
Amanda blushed at Mary's accurate words, "Ohhh, it's not that bad for me, really..."
"Dear Heart," Mary's tone was gentler, "listen to yer Grand-Aunt Mary, naw! Yer need ter believe in jus' one thing... someone speshul is oyt thare fer yer!"
Amanda tried to be cheerful by teasing, "Well, if that's true, he's certainly doing a great job of hiding from me!"
"Tat's why Oi'm here...to bring him oyt in de open fer yer!" Mary claimed. When Amanda didn't look convinced, Mary added "Think ov it tis way, Lass...if tis handsum Lad Oi speak ov is not yer destiny, maybe he can at least be a friend ter help yer heart begin ter heal!"
"I'm just not sure about all this, Mary," she considered, "After all, I don't know anything about this man! What does he do for a job, for instance?"
"Oh, Oi'd tell yer if I culd, but Oi don't know de answer ter tat one!"
"I thought that would be one of the first things you ask him," Amanda commented, "I know it would be with Mother!"
Mary shrugged, "Whut wuld it matter his job naw, as long as he's a kind-hearted lad doin' a honest day's work?"
"And you know all this goodness about him in the TEN minutes you've known him?" Amanda questioned.
"No, Dearie," Mary corrected her, "Oi've knaw all tis guidness aboyt him in de first FIVE minutes Oi'd met 'im!"
"Perhaps... but, Mary, he's still a stranger to me."
"Listen, Lassie," Mary continued, "An auld Oi-rish romance poet once say, 'There are no strangers, only lads we haven't met yet'!"
"Still," Amanda answered hesitantly, "it's a strange way to meet someone, especially on Valentine's Day..."
"Not at all!" Mary countered, "It's tradition fer us! Why, back 'n Oir-land, we wud exchange Valentine cards wit'one another, an de cards were alwus left unsigned! We had NO idea who had sent tis one o' tat one! But tat wus de fun ov it all! We then went aboyt ter village, tryin' to figure oyt our secret admirers! Such suspense an' joy it wuld bring us, ter find who wrote whaich one!"
Amanda smiled, "I have to admit, that IS a sweet way to find your Valentine..."
"It's wurked fer us fer centuries, it has!" Mary stated as she next closed the deal, "So it's a pact, then! A lunch date at noon, on Valentine's Day at Paddy's!"
"The pub down Columbia Pike?" Amanda questioned, "Isn't that place always crowded?
"Not ter worry, Amanda! Oi knaw de owner ov de place, an' he promised ter save de finest table fer yer! An' if not," Mary imitated a scolding index finger, "he'd be hearin' from me, wit' words as sharp as a whip!"
"But...how will I know which one is him?"
"He'll be wearin' a red handkerchief in his jacket pocket! Tat way, yer surely knaw it be him!"
Amanda was out of excuses, "Looks like you've thought of everything..."
"Aye, Oi knaw me business, an' believe me, Cupid's arrow will be fast but accurate!" claimed Mary, and added for Amanda's benefit, "even if tat arrow be only an arrow ov friendship!"
Amanda looked cynically at Mary, "I thought Destiny determined our fate, not Cupid."
"Aye, destiny will be thare as well, Lass, fer 'Destiny' is, in fact, Cupid's LAST name!"
"Oh, Mary!" Amanda laughed.
Maybe it wouldn't be so bad, Amanda optimistically thought, for once, Valentine's Day wouldn't be her loneliest holiday.
Just then the shop bell tinkled again, signaling another customer had entered the store.
And all talk of matchmaking for Amanda had to come to an end.
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Later that night inside his apartment, Lee tossed back a drink and then slammed the emptied glass down.
What started out as a humorous prank in conspiracy with Mary the Matchmaker didn't seem so funny now, not since he felt something ignite between Amanda and him.
If they shared a luncheon on Valentine's Day, he didn't want Amanda to get the wrong impression about how he felt about her.
Whatever those feelings might be.
Regarding matters of the heart, Lee hadn't felt anything since Eva and even then, it was different. Eva was sexy, smoldering and mysterious; Eva inspired every man's fantasy.
Amanda, meanwhile, was...smart, cheerfully down-to-earth, and understanding; she inspired every man to...to what? He paused a bit to help complete his thought...Amanda inspired every man to nobly settle down and become a better version of himself!
Certainly not him!
The shock of that last thought caused him to fill his glass again, this time filling it to the very, very top.
Maybe he should cancel the luncheon Mary had set up between them on Valentine's day.
Maybe.
Ignoring his drink, Lee walked over to the counter and picked up the business card that Mary O'Donnell had given him. The front of the card stated the usual business name, address and phone number. He flipped the card over to read Mary's personal scribblings:
Paddy's Pub
Columbia Pike
February 14th
Noon
Wear red handkerchief in jacket pocket
He stared long and hard at the words, wondering what to do.
Then again, maybe he was worrying needlessly. Perhaps The Matchmaker had not been able to convince Amanda to meet up with a 'secret' Valentine.
Who was he kidding? Mary the Matchmaker could sell greenery to lush fields, cliffs to mountainsides, and fluffy wool to sheep! he thought.
Oooo boy, he face-palmed himself; he was more of a romance poet than Mary!
He pensively looked off into space, weighing the pros and cons as he subconsciously tapped the business card with his other hand.
Then he stopped the tapping.
Lee had finally come to a decision.
He would cancel the date.
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