Southend U3A

Writing for Fun

December 2015

Heaven Sent - Reg Pound

When my sister suggested that I should sign on with a Dating Agency I was horrified. What made her think I was that desperate?

It wasn't me that was desperate it was her. I think she resented my happy state of being single which started from the time she got married.

Since then she had tried her non-existent match making skills by introducing me at one time or another to most of her old school friends, many of her work mates and a number of her sundry undesirable acquaintances.

When all these dates failed she reckoned it was because they were too good for me.

Actually as I am rather unadventurous I think they failed because they were too bad for me and because they were too much like my sister.

So as my sister always gets her own way, here I was in the Lounge Bar of a restaurant awaiting the date that the Heaven Sent Introduction Agency had fixed up for me.

The Agency fee included a starter and main course meal and glass of wine, which they said ensured there was no difficulty about who pays. The meal is booked for 7pm and the table was No. 7. Seventh Heaven, intended as a good omen.

I'd arrived an hour early so I could judge who I had let myself in for.

Of course my 'introducee' may have had the same idea.

There was a likely looking candidate already in the lounge. She was well made up and looked a bit 'tarty' for my taste. She caught my eye but just as I thought she may be the one, the barman went up to her, whispered something, and she got up to follow him to a middle aged man sitting at the bar. The barman smiled at them both as they went out of the bar together.

That was a near miss; a pick up; that would have been embarrassing.

Meanwhile a couple of more likely candidates, each alone, had arrived, only to be met by their respective partners.

Time was passing and it was getting near the agreed time. The Lounge was getting rather busy now and there was just one unaccompanied female who I hadn't noticed when she came in.

She must be the one. She looked quite plain, nicely dressed, and seemed to be a little cross. I was going to go to the restaurant manager to be shown to table seven which entailed walking past my expected companion. That seemed cowardly. Why not speak to her and we could go in together.

'Hello. Are you from Heaven Sent?' I asked.

She looked startled and hesitated before answering, 'I don't think so but that is the most original chat up line I have ever heard.'

I am not sure whether she laughed or just smiled at me. Perhaps it was more like a smile which pleasantly changed her whole appearance.

If she wasn't the one I was meeting, I began to think I wished it were.

Just then her mobile phone rang. She excused herself to answer it.

'Yes. Yes. No. Never mind. Not too bad. Speak to you later.' She put her phone away.

She turned hack to me. 'Sorry. You were saying?'

'I beg your pardon. I'm so sorry. I mistook you for someone else.'

'Well, if you didn't know who I was, it must have been a blind date. I am flattered you thought it might be me.'

'Yes. It was something like that.' He felt at ease in her gaze. 'As a matter of fact I was expecting a date from an introduction agency. She doesn't seem to have shown up. I feel such a lemon. I expect she arrived, saw me and changed her mind. I'm sorry to have troubled you.'

'Not at all. That was my brother on the phone. He was supposed to be taking me to dinner but he can't make it. Anyway I hope your date soon shows herself.'

The Restaurant Manager came in and spoke to the barman who in turn pointed us out and came over to ask if we were waiting for table seven.

'No,' she said, at the same time as I said, 'Yes. I am.'

'Sorry' he said, 'I have just had a phone call telling me the expected guest would not be coming. The meal has been prepaid. Will you be taking the meal, sir?' he asked.

I replied, 'No thank you,' hesitated and said, 'Yes, why not?'

I started to follow the manager to the table and with an uncharacteristic bit of quick thinking asked my mistaken companion if she would like to join me for dinner. 'It's all paid for and would be a pity to waste it.'

After a moments consideration she said, 'Yes, why not?' She was a bit peckish and her brother had let her down. We both went to the Restaurant to table seven. We settled down and introduced ourselves. I felt at ease; had it been the Agency's 'date' we would have been on guard trying to create a good impression, and sizing each other up.

And so the evening passed pleasantly with uninhibited small talk. Until it was time to go.

* * *

The story could have just ended there, but I found myself wondering how it might end. I left myself with three possible outcomes:

1. She confesses the Agency doesn't exist – it was a 'set-up' by my sister. Or

2. She was standing in for her friend who was meeting me. Or

3. She confessed she was the date and was about to abort meeting me when I spoke to her.