Atypical Boy

A blind date. What could go wrong?

Caleb stood in front of the dorm mirror, adjusting his tie for the fifteenth time. Unfortunately, every adjustment made him more nervous.


His roommate Marcus watched from the bed. “That doesn’t make any difference to her.”


Caleb swallowed hard. “What doesn’t?”


Marcus sighed. “Whether you comb your hair back or wear it spiked. Also, stop talking like you’re solving ancient riddles. Girls don’t want to hear things like, ‘The moon of destiny smiles upon your appetizer.’”


“That only happened once.”


“It happened at Starbucks.”


The blind date had been arranged by Caleb’s older sister, who’d also paid for dinner at a fancy French restaurant because, according to her, “love shouldn’t die because you’re broke.”


The evening started badly.


Caleb tried to say bonjour to the hostess and accidentally sneezed halfway through it.


Then he knocked over a water glass while reaching for bread.


Then he nervously told his date, Hannah, “Your eyes remind me of… weather.”


“Good weather?” she asked, laughing.


“I hope so.”


But Hannah kept smiling.


When Caleb forgot how escargot worked and launched a snail across the table like a tiny meatball, Hannah laughed so hard she snorted water through her nose.


Oddly, that helped.


Soon they were talking easily. Caleb admitted he got nervous around people. Hannah admitted she once fainted during a class presentation about frogs.


By dessert, Caleb wasn’t speaking in riddles anymore.


Outside the restaurant, snow drifted softly around them.


“I had a really good time,” Hannah said quietly.


Caleb’s heart nearly exploded.


He leaned in carefully—very carefully—and kissed her goodnight.


Then he immediately slipped on ice and fell into a shrub.


From inside the bush, he groaned, “I ruined the moment.”


Hannah smiled down at him. “No,” she said. “You actually made it perfect.”


Fifty years later, she’s still smiling at Caleb.