Page 28 of Finding Parker

Instantly, the phone beeped. I pressed the unread message, opening it, and looked at the screen.

I’ll meet you at Antonelli’s Deli on Magnolia in fifteen minutes. Sound good?

Fifteen minutes in Saturday’s traffic was entirely possible. I pressed the clutch pedal to the floor and turned the ignition. With a little luck and a slight nervous bite into my lower lip, the car started. As the engine warmed up, I typed a message to Parker.

Yes.

I pressed send, and grinned at the thought of meeting Parker for lunch. Holding the clutch to the floor, I pushed the gear shifter forward. As usual, the gears made a grinding sound as I pressed the shifter into gear. With self-taught precision, I pressed the gas pedal to the floor and released the clutch, sending the car lurching forward.

I needed to try to get there before he did. I really didn’t want him to see what I was driving. It was embarrassing enough for me to look at; I couldn’t fathom someone else actually seeing it. As I weaved my way through traffic, my mouth watered at the thought of Antonelli’s Veggie Sub.

And seeing Parker.

PARKER. I don’t suppose I will ever really know if my elevated level of excitement was a result of meeting a woman in general, specifically meeting Victoria, or in part because of a feeling most people typically mistake as love and later attribute to fate. I did, however, know one thing for sure.

The sandwich I was eating wasn’t helping matters.

“Holy crap,” the words escaped before I had a chance to think about what I was saying and where I was.

Victoria looked across the table and grinned as she shook her head. Holding her veggie sub firmly in her hands, she opened wide and forced two more inches of the overstuffed sub into her mouth.

“I’m sorry, but this sandwich is beyond fabulous,” I apologized after I swallowed the bite I was chewing.

“I’m not even going to try to be tactful,” she said through a mouthful of sandwich she attempted to chew, holding the remaining portion of her sub at arm’s length and nodding her head.

“If you can’t accept me for who I am, just leave when you’re done eating, because there’s no sense in continuing,” she paused and swallowed what remained in her mouth as she studied the six inches of sandwich left behind.

“Watch this. I’m going to devour this mother fucker,” she growled as she successfully shoved half of the sandwich she was holding into her mouth.

Seeing Victoria have the comfort to act like herself was reassuring. All too often I’m left wondering if the person or persons that I encounter, spend time with, or befriend are actually behaving in a manner that they would if they were alone. Generally, I convince myself that at least a portion of the person’s personality or behavior is in fact a facade, or some form of feeble attempt to impress me.

She was certainly impressing me, and all she was doing was eating a sandwich as if I weren’t present. As I became lost in another bite of Antonelli’s ham, salami, mortadella and provolone sub, Victoria looked over the table, her eyes widened in a cartoon like manner. With her mouth held open by the inch of sub sandwich that from extended past her lips, she attempted to speak.

“Duh,” she mumbled as she clapped her palms together and raised her hands above her head.

“Pardon me?” I asked, not even coming close to understanding what she had attempted to say.

Leaving her left hand extended above her head, she lowered her right hand even with her face and pulled all but one finger into her palm, leaving her first finger pointed upward. Slowly, she pointed her index finger at the end of the sandwich which remained exposed, and pushed it into her mouth. After a few exaggerated chews, she spoke again.

“Done. I said I was done,” she grinned as she finished chewing.

“Oh. I see that. Did you enjoy it?” I asked as wiped my mouth with my napkin.

“Mmmhhhmmm,” she groaned.

“This is one fantastic sandwich, as far as sandwiches go,” I admitted as I looked at the three inches of remaining sandwich.

“Are you always proper, or do you loosen up at all? You know, as time passes,” she asked.

I placed the sandwich onto the paper wrapper it was served in, and raised my hands to my face in wonder. No differently than I had admired Victoria for being herself as we sat eating, I too was acting and being myself. Nothing added or taken away from the way I would always act. Not having spent much time as an adult in the presence of women, I wondered what she must think of me. She was interested enough in me to meet me for lunch, but I didn’t want her to lose any of her interest.

I had no intention of attempting to become someone or something I was not, either. I wanted Victoria, or anyone for that matter, to fully accept me for who I was, and not for what they wished me to become. After careful consideration, I looked at Victoria intently.

“The person seated before you is truly me. I’m predictable, I suppose. I am always proper, or at least pretty close,” I responded as I reached for the remaining portion of my sandwich.

“Shove it in your mouth, all of it,” she laughed.

“Excuse me?” I asked as I lowered my sandwich.