Page 61 of Love's a Script
As Ruben reversed into a parking spot on a mound of slush, Mary said to her sister, “I’ll sign us in and meet you outside the changing tents.”
Ruben got out of the car with the sisters and opened his trunk so they could retrieve their bags.
“Thank you again,” Mary said. “I appreciate you coming to the rescue.”
“Of course. And if you want,” he said, “I could wait. Give you a ride back.”
“No, that’s okay. We’ll be fine.” She gestured to the fleet of cabs waiting for participants.
Ruben wanted to insist, but Mary walked away toward a long queue ahead. He watched after her until she disappeared in the crowd.
He turned to close the trunk, startling when he discovered Hattie still standing there, studying him.
“By chance, are you a member of the National Broadcasting Association?” she asked.
“Uh, yes, I am.”
Hattie smiled. Nodded. “Thought so. And does my sister know you’re in love with her?”
Something lurched in Ruben’s chest. He didn’t ask Hattie how she knew and simply said, “No, not yet.”
“So you plan to let her know?”
He nodded.
“Would you like to do it now?” she asked, holding out her registration bib.
Chapter Thirty-Four
File no. 07 – Interview with Kent Camden, organizer of LGBTQ speed dating events
CHESA SALVADOR: What’s the appeal of speed dating?
KENT CAMDEN: It happens so fast. You’re able to get out of your head in a way that might be difficult on a longer date. The people who are the most successful in speed dating, and I’d argue dating in general, are those who throw out the script they’ve always used and let the person sitting right in front of them influence the interaction.
“Plungers, the event will begin in fifteen minutes. Please start making your way to the beachfront,” announced an omnipresent voice as Mary stepped out of the change tent into the cold in a sports bra, underwear, rubber boots, and her felt mermaid costume.
She headed toward the spot she and Hattie had planned to meet, expecting to see her sister ready to go in an identical ensemble.
“What’s going on?” Mary asked. “Why aren’t you changed?”
Her sister was still in the warm clothing she’d arrived in and didn’t seem in any rush to change that.
“I’m feeling a little sick all of a sudden.”
“Oh,” Mary said, touching her sister’s forehead with the back of her hand. “Let’s leave. I’ll quickly get my?—”
“No, stay. Ruben’s going to take my place in the plunge.”
“I-I don’t understand,” Mary said. She assumed Ruben had already left, and she didn’t want to see him again. The ride in the car with him had been torturous. She’d played as if his casual talk and laughter hadn’t pained her, but it was clear life had moved on for him.
“Here he comes,” her sister said, nodding to where Ruben was exiting the changing tents wearing, as many around them did, a rented robe and tall rubber boots, but with his height, more of his bare legs were visible.
“I’ll watch you guys from the beach. Have fun,” Hattie said, darting off before Mary could ask any of the several questions she had.
So instead, she turned to meet Ruben with a smile she hoped didn’t reveal her anxiety.
“I’m not prepared for this at all,” he said, laughing.
