The loud snoring woke Lana. After years of growing up listening to her dad snore, it still reminded her of a train. Her family picked travel destinations and imagined their dad's snoring took them to exotic places. She giggled remembering how her mom tricked the kids into learning the world map. It was her mom's way of teaching her girls the different countries. Today she picked Italy as their travel destination. Mike's snoring got them to their destination in no time.
Going to Rome with him would be a dream come true. Maybe they could go there for a
honeymoon. She felt sorry for Kathy. If he slept that hard when the babies were little, she was the only one who heard them cry.
Even with a little nudging his snoring wasn't going to stop. No one seemed to be stirring in the house. Lana thought about making a pot of coffee and enjoying the quiet.
The house was dark, so she crept around the kitchen, trying not to wake anyone. Joe walked in the kitchen while Lana was waiting for the coffee to finish brewing. "Hey Joe, I made coffee, and I'm starving. I'm trying to find something to munch on; would you like to join me?" To her surprise, he was dressed nice. All the while she thought he was sleeping, he must have been showering. Jiminy crickets, these guys are early birds. She wondered if they ever slept.
"I thought about running to the donut shop and buying some pastries. Everyone will be here shortly, and when they get here they'll eat everything in sight. If I get some now, we can enjoy them. Any particular kind you want?"
"It doesn't matter to me."
Lana noticed him shuffling his feet and lingering. "I can tell something is on your mind. Do you want to talk about it?"
"I have something to ask you on a more personal note," he said while his face turned red.
"What's that?"
"It's about a girl I'm dating."
"What about her?"
"I want an opinion from a woman's perspective."
"I'm all ears." She wanted to give Joe her undivided attention, so she raised her finger to say hold on a minute. She poured them a cup of coffee, and they both sat down on barstools.
He trusted Lana would tell him the truth, and that's what he needed. "I met this girl a few months ago, and I was attracted to her from the minute we met."
"Where did you meet her?"
"A party, a friend from college had a Fourth of July BBQ, and she was there. I noticed her right away."
"Do you think she noticed you right away?" Being raised with sisters and having many male cousins, she knew those first glances were a pivotal moment. Then her heart fluttered as she remembered her first time seeing Mike. She was undeniably right about that first glance.
"I don't think so, it was about an hour into the party and I kept looking at her but I never noticed her looking at me. I did notice her friends glance my way, and they whispered to her.
They probably told her I had been watching her. So she knew I had an interest."
"How did you meet her?"
"I asked my friend to introduce us. We seemed to hit it off, so I asked her for her number, and she put it in my cell phone. I called her, we went out a few times and then we started to date.
But lately she hasn't been returning my calls right away. And it seems she makes excuses not to go out with me."
"Have you discussed this with her?"
"Yes."
"And what did she say?"
"She told me that she was really busy, and she wants to continue to date me, but I need to give her some space."
"What do you feel in your heart?"
"I don't think she wants to date me."
"So why do you keep calling her?"
"Because when I'm with her—I feel alive and happy. It's like you and Mike, when you two look at each other, you can see so much love and happiness? I want what you have."
"Do you see the love and happiness as mutual between Mike and me?"
"Yes, there was no doubt in my mind. When Mike first mentioned you, I could tell he was smitten. In all honesty, I was worried. He'd never fallen for anyone before. I've been with the team five years, and you are the only one he ever showed an interest in. I was afraid you didn't feel the same way. But when I see the two of you together—there is so much love, I don't worry about it anymore."
"So what are you asking me?" She could see he cared for this girl, and it's so hard to deal with that first love, especially if it's one-sided.
"She told me she wanted to continue to see me, but her actions say the opposite, at least in my mind. From a woman's perspective what do you recommend I do?"
"Joe, I think you have already answered that yourself. Since you want my opinion, I think you should move on and find another girl, one who appreciates you. If Mike calls me I answer right away, or return the call immediately. He wouldn't have to wait two or three days. Are you willing to live like this for a lifetime? She's not going to change."
"I know," he muttered almost whispering. He was whipped.
"I will give you some advice from my life's experience, and you can take this to the bank. A one-sided relationship will not work. Only one party would be working on the relationship. If she cared for you as much as you care for her, she would act more like you. She would feel alive and happy when she sees you at the end of the day… or when she sees your number pop up on her phone… or when she hears your voice. That's how a relationship should be for both people. One other thing I want to promise you, and I mean this from the bottom of my heart, no matter how much it hurts you now, you will meet someone who has that mutual feeling. It may be in five years, five days or five months, but it will happen. If you never talk to this girl again, it may hurt now, but later you will be glad."
"You're right."
She could tell that might not have been the answer he had hoped for, but she wanted to be honest. "Who's to say—if you give her space, she might give you a call later when she realizes what a terrific guy you are. I hope by then you meet Miss Right." She wanted him to have a little hope even though she knew in her heart that this wasn't the right girl for Joe.
"Me too, I guess I just had to hear from someone I trusted to be honest."
"I bet if you told the men about this they would tell you to get in her britches and move on to the next girl."
He laughed so hard while rolling his head back. "You are right, that's what they said."
"Joe, it is okay to back off and reflect on the situation. I think if you spend time away from her, you will look at everything differently. Now back to the problem at hand. I think chocolate covered donuts for the guys, and I want cream cheese." Seeing his face so sad reminded her of a beaten puppy.
"Mike likes cream cheese too," Joe said.
"See, another thing we have in common."
Joe teased her, "Height is definitely not one thing you have in common."
"Hey now," she said while smiling at him.
Out the door he went, laughing.
Joe was a sweet kid, and she was right about her initial judgment of him. He was kindhearted, and he didn't hesitate to show it.