Serena gave the picture a second glance. “Him? Why?”
“I like his smile. It’s honest. He’s not smirking like he knows he’s all that and he’s not trying to do the shy thing. He just . . . is. He didn’t take the picture at home off of a web cam or cellphone or something and he didn’t pose for the picture like a prima donna. It looks like it’s one snapped by a friend or something.” She scrolled down to read more of the profile. “He’s thirty-one, he’s a journalist, he has a pet dog named Bandit, a niece and a nephew he loves to spoil and he’s looking for a serious relationship. He also enjoys reading classic literature but isn’t above going to see the latest blockbuster movie or reading a best-selling mystery. He’s also been known to read a torrid romance or two.”
“It says ‘torrid’?”
“It says torrid.”
“He sounds perfect!” Serena looked over her shoulder. “Oh wait. No, he’s not. He’s got a major flaw.”
“What’s that, other than being on this website?”
“His name is Herman.”
Ella laughed. “So his name’s Herman, so what?”
“That sounds like a grandfather’s name, Herman. That’s so old-fashioned.”
“Maybe the name’s come back in vogue in the future,” Ella said with mirth.
“Maybe. But I can’t see you walking down the aisle in your gorgeous wedding dress carrying a bouquet of a dozen long-stemmed roses, that you hand off to me as you take his hands in your trembling ones, and then breathlessly say, ‘I, Ella, take you, Herman.’”
Ella laughed again. “Well, maybe it’s a family name.”
“Maybe.”
“Maybe he has a nickname he goes by.”
“Maybe you should accept his request and find out.”
Ella looked back at the screen at the photo of a man with a smile that made her feelsafe for some reason. He just looked like a niceguy, one who called his mother every week, didn’t move too fast on a date, and was kind to animals and children.
“Maybe I should,” she said, and clicked accept before she could think twice.
Four
Ella’s curiosity continued to get the better of her. She stayed away from the computer long enough to watch a few television programmes while she sat on her couch, eating a microwave frozen dinner. But the siren song of the computer, and whether or not the good-looking man with the nice smile had replied to her yet, made her finally dig out her laptop and fire it up. While it was loading, she noticed her hands were shaking and her stomach had butterflies.
“What is wrong with you?” she muttered, mad at herself for acting like a teenager instead of a grown woman. She went to the homepage of the website, logged in and was immediately met with a chat bar and one message.
Glad you decided to accept my request. It’s nice to meet you, Ella.
She bit her lip and typed,It’s nice to meet you, too, Herman. Or do you have a nickname you go by?
She didn’t expect an immediate reply and was surprised to see one.
No, just Herman. I know, Herman’s not a popular name, but I’m bringing it back in style!
She laughed at that.My name didn’t get popular until well after I was out of high school, so I’ve lived with an unusualname too. I don’t usually do internet chats, so I’m probably bad at it.
You’re fine, he replied.Just like making small talk anywhere else. I just finished up covering a city councilmeeting, so trust me, anything you say will be the most wildly interesting thing I’ve heard all day.
She laughed again, already starting to feel comfortable.I helped small children paint a set for a schoolplay. I think more paint ended up on the floor and on their smocks than on the set.
And what play are they doing?
Three Little Pigs. It’s a musical.
Of course it is. I wouldn’t expect anything less.
