Chapter 5
Janet told Sofia that all the men were friends and said they’d be pleased to go on a date if she called. The whole thing sounded weird, so weird that she was curious. It was a bit like Jane Austin’s Emma as far as the matchmaking went.
Below each name, there were a few sentences about the men. She printed the list when Miss Lillian tottered in using her walker.
"I see you're part of Janet's matchmaking experiment. She says people use phones and computers to find matches, and her way is better. She's had some success, so it's worth trying. If there were men on that list interested in dating a woman with one foot in the grave, I'd give it a try," she said.
“I’m considering it, and I might be daft for doing so,” Sophia said.
Without Amanda home, Sophia fixed Miss Lillian an early dinner.
She normally had dinner at four-thirty, and it was four, so her schedule would remain somewhat steady.
They had fed her what they ate, and things didn't go so well.
Sophia made her spicy meat sauce with cheese bread.
Miss Lillian said it tasted great, but her delicate system rejected it.
Miss Lillian directed them towards food that she could easily digest. Sophia made mashed peas and potatoes.
She loved it with a glass of brandy that was mixed with plenty of water.
Then she had her pills, and it was off to bed.
At the facility, there was no brandy, which was silly.
A woman her age didn’t have a lot of time left, and she was entitled to a glass of brandy on the way out.
“No eggs and coffee this morning?” Miss Lillian asked.
"No, ma’am. That will be ready for you after you have a nice rest," Sophia said. She didn’t want to upset Miss Lillian, but she knew she was confused about the time.
Sofia chose the first name on the list. Chaz Livingston was sixty. He was a retired airline pilot. He had two grown daughters and was divorced. Chaz liked sailing and exploring the restaurant scene in new cities. He was a self-described foodie.
Sofia dialed while she had the nerve. “Chaz, hello. This is Sofia Baxter. I’m Janet Long’s niece, dog-sitting for her while she’s away for the summer.”
"Sofia, hello. I bet you're calling from a list given to you by Janet," Chaz said. He had a silky voice and sounded upbeat and confident.
"Yes, and this is my first call. I'm not sure how I feel about this. Janet is eccentric and has some wacky ideas. If you want me to hang up and lose your number, I will."
Chaz laughed. "No, please don't. I love Janet's wild ideas, and honestly, they often work. She once asked the town council to let them put red and green lights on the electrical towers for Christmas—the kind that cast light, not actually strings of lights on those ugly towers."
“I’m guessing you’re going to tell me her plan worked,” she said.
"It absolutely did. Now there are colors for every holiday and celebration. We have to live with those cement pillars, and now it's not as bad. I saw you today with Oscar and Otto, whom I recognized as Janet's dogs."
“At the bay?” Sophia asked.
“Yes, and I was going to come over and introduce myself. I was with my girlfriend, Eva, and it didn't feel right to chat up a strange woman while we were on a date."
“You have a girlfriend?” she asked sheepishly. “Now I really should hang up because you know why I called in the first place. I’m so embarrassed.”
"Don't be. Janet clearly needs to update the list. I actually met Eva in a roundabout way through the list. I was dating a woman whom I met through Janet, and we decided that we should be friends only.
We had no chemistry, but when she introduced me to her cousin, it was fireworks.
If we can manage a friendship out of this, I'd consider it a resounding success," Chaz said.
"Give yourself credit for having the guts to make the phone call in the first place. "
“I suppose, and you're kind to spin things in a positive light. You've given me the courage to make a second call, but not right away. I need time to build myself up."
"I get that, but don't wait too long. Men, or at least the ones I know, like a woman with confidence, and cold calling someone from Janet's list proves you have it," he said.
"I'm not desperate, but I figured I would give it a try. I'm only here for the summer, so I thought I could at least have one of those sweet summer romances."
"I remember having one of those when I was a teenager, and my parents sent me to camp. I met a girl who knocked my socks off. When I came back to Morro Bay, we kept in touch through letters and emails. I was going to marry Cher no matter what it took, even though she lived in Phoenix."
“What happened to Cher?” Sophia asked. She was a sucker for a good love story.
"Like all summer romances of yore, it fizzled out. Cher met a guy in Arizona, and I met someone in Morro Bay. We were fifteen and thought we were going to marry and have a picket fence. At that age, we thought we had all the answers."
They both laughed, as if they had forgotten they were strangers.
Chaz told Sophia about his two grown daughters.
He wished they could have stayed young forever because they were both Daddy's girls.
They grew into independent women and didn't need him as much.
Sophia assured him that they still loved him just as much, if not more.
Chaz explained how his marriage to Bev ended in divorce.
He and his ex-wife could write a book about how to have a truly amicable divorce.
He had questions about how he should proceed with Eva.
Chaz loved her so deeply and feared being too intense.
He might scare her off. Sofia gave him advice from a female perspective, which he appreciated.
She told him about Amanda, which led her to explain Vince, Kenny, and the tragedy that followed.
He was sympathetic but realistic. He told her that tragedies happened, but she had been given the gift of moving on.
He had never met either man, but he was sure they would want her to fall madly in love.
She had to strive for happiness and live her best life in their honor.
"Chaz, we've been talking for ninety minutes. I don’t usually talk this long, and your ear must be tired. I'm so glad you picked up," Sofia said.
“I enjoyed every minute of it. Who says men and women can't be friends?
It seemed like we both needed one. Eva won't admit it, but she'll be so happy that I spoke with you.
Communication is our major issue, and much of it is my fault.
I needed advice from a woman, which is one of the reasons I wish I had a sister growing up.
It would be like having a built-in therapist, and I could have avoided some of the mistakes I made. "
"What about your mother?" Sophia asked and wished she hadn't. Some people don't have mothers, and it might be painful to talk about.
"My mother believed in celibacy before marriage.
I wanted to know if there was something wrong with me because I hadn't kissed a girl until middle school.
She would have recommended that I not kiss a woman until I stood with her at the altar.
Now, there's absolutely nothing wrong with that, but I needed advice from someone in my generation. "
"I gotcha. Consider me your surrogate sister," Sophia said. "We should meet in person someday, and I want to meet Eva, too."
“You’ll probably meet her before me. She’s in that Triple B Gal’s club. Which I’m sure Janet told you about,” Chaz said.
"I'm going to give it a try," Sophia said. "I see Amanda coming home, so I should go."
“Keep in mind what I said about compromise. This feels like one of those situations where it might work,” Chaz said. “I have experience with my two girls. They’re always impressed by compromise.”
Sophia had a few minutes to process what had just happened.
A situation that could have been an embarrassment turned out quite pleasant.
It was going to be a heck of a story to tell.
She supposed it was good practice to talk to someone about her past without ending up in tears.
Sophia didn't get sad recounting everything, and Chaz had advice for moving forward.
Janet's list was a success, although not in the way it was intended.
In her mind, things turned out better than expected.
Amanda walked in and gently closed the door. Things were already different from when she left, as she slammed the door only a few hours earlier. Sophia sat calmly at the kitchen table with two empty glasses and the cookie jar, which had recently been filled with their favorites.
“Snickerdoodles?” Amanda asked.
Sophia nodded. “Bring out the milk and let’s get eating. I think we deserve dessert before dinner tonight.”
“I’m here for it,” Amanda said as she filled the glasses with milk.
Without a word, they played rock, paper, scissors to see who was going to speak first. Amanda won, which happened most of the time.
"I need a car so I can work, and I'm not beholden to you, my friends, or public transport to get me to campus. There are times when all I think about during the day is how I'll get home. I'll be focused on my classes if I have my own wheels," Amanda said before placing a cookie in her mouth.
"The school angle won't work because you don't like SFSU or know which area of study you're interested in. I have an offer, and it won't be contingent on you staying at SFSU. You can get a job and pay me each month for the car I will buy for you. Consider it an interest-free loan."
“I accept. When can we get it?” Amanda asked.
"Hold your horses. I need to see you hold a job for at least a couple of weeks, and you have to start mapping out your future.
I don't need you to wake up and have all the answers, but hanging out with friends every day isn't going to cut it.
If that doesn't work for you, then save money and see what you can afford. I'll help with insurance, regardless."
I also want to say I think you're on the right track, and I'm proud of you.
With Miss Lillian, you're showing initiative and responsibility.
I count that as a job while we're here in Morro Bay, and it would be a good idea to use your time here to think about where you want to work when we get home.
There are many restaurants in our neighborhood if you want to take that route. "
“Is that all?” Amanda asked. Her enthusiasm faded a little from what she had expected—an easy negotiation.
“I have to run this by your dad. In no way would he allow Miss Lillian to buy you a car when I can afford it. It’s a compromise because I want you to have a car. I’m not the wicked witch,” Sophia said. She reached across the table and squeezed Amanda’s hand.
They made a good dent in the cookie inventory before putting it away. Amanda went to check on Miss Lillian, and then she ran back to the kitchen.
“Miss Lillian isn’t in her bed,” Amanda said breathlessly.