Picking Up a Vibe - Part 2

Two weeks after rebuffing my romantic overtures during a trip to Costco, Mimi unexpectedly invited me to lunch. But I found this surprising turn of events only mildly exciting, since Mimi made it clear that we were just two friends getting a bite to eat. Mike, on the other hand, was elated—interpreting the lunch as proof that his vibe detections were to be gloriously vindicated after all.

But, having been burned once, I refused to get my hopes up. And the lunch itself did little to change my mind. At several points during our meal at a Chinese buffet, Mimi reminded me that this wasn’t a “real date” and strenuously insisted that we split the tab 50-50.

I offered no resistance to this plan, and when the bill came, I began mentally calculating my contribution while Mimi dug through her purse. But after a moment, she set the purse aside and burst into spasms of laughter. It was some time before she was composed enough to tell me what was so funny.

“I don’t even have my wallet,” she finally said, before dissolving into further mirth.

I think that was the moment when I knew that we would be together in the end. Part of me must have sensed that my only hope for romantic success was to find someone who could laugh off embarrassing situations, as life with me was sure to produce a wealth of them. So I decided to press my luck and invite Mimi to my office Christmas party—carefully emphasizing that it wouldn’t be a “real date” or anything.

Under those conditions, Mimi agreed to go. And though I feared that she would be bored among the scientists and engineers I worked with, or turned off by my poor singing during a “Twelve Days of Christmas” spoof I was forced to participate in, Mimi seemed to have a good time. And as we left the party, she casually slipped her hand into mine.

Mike, I knew, would be pleased to hear this.