It was the car that had helped her to her aunt‘s place that first day. There was only one person in the car; maybe it was the owner driving the car now. Had he seen her? Her brother had gone crazy when she described that car. But she didn‘t tell him about the handsome owner who was more remarkable than his car. Nor how they‘d first met. Perhaps she would meet him in better circumstances and they‘d hit it off. By then, she would have a high powered job and her own place. Gladys laughed. She certainly had a very good imagination. The only sensible parts were about finding a job and getting a place soon as she could afford it. After more than a month at her aunt‘s house and that conversation they‘d had, she still did not feel very comfortable.
The other wish about the guy was too fanciful. She didn‘t even know what she was hoping for if they met. That he would fall at her feet and declare everlasting love?
Dreamer, her inner voice mocked, you’ve read too many romance novels. This guy drives the latest car models and lives in the posh part of town. He’s not going to notice you.
What she needed was to focus on the more important things in her life right now, like this interview for instance. She might be single but she would not allow thoughts of handsome men to distract her from her goal. Her mother and brothers were looking up to her. Gladys
continued on her way, her wishful thoughts buried in a corner of her mind.
**********
Edward had seen Gladys alright. How couldn‘t he have done so when he‘d deliberately altered his route to pass through this street again? Thanks to Kanayo, he knew her name. Kanayo would not say anything else but confirmed the street. He almost stopped when he saw her, but a curious apprehension threw him off balance. He had planned to offer a ride to her destination and apologize for the first meeting. He expected to be excited, but the way his heart began to pound made him forget all that. So what happened? He spun the wheel expertly into a right turn and watched in the rear view mirror as Gladys turned the other way.
He was usually a smooth operator and never got nervous going after the women he wanted to date. According to most of the women he dated in the past, his heart was made of stone, and that was true. His close knit group of friends called him Mr. Ice. But none of them knew his full background. His life growing up in orphanages and foster homes had been so traumatic that he‘d run away at the age of seventeen. But life on the street had been no kinder; some associates had cheated and betrayed him along the way.