CHANCE ENCOUNTERS

Fifteen minutes later, they were seated at the ‘best burger joint in town,’ according to the locals. The joint was always crowded, any time of day or night, and was opened until two AM on weekends. Because the lunch crowd was settling in, it took more than a few minutes to order; but that was to be expected since the specialty was international burgers, from any major country, made to order.

After finishing their lunch and making small talk, Evian suddenly became quiet, the same way she was at Lundy’s. He knew she was thinking, pondering something. Only one way to find out. “A quarter for your thoughts.”

She grinned as she leaned back in her chair. “Only a quarter? They might be worth more than that.”

He grinned as he pulled out his wallet. “Ok. How about a dollar then?”

“I’m kidding,” she said, chuckling.

He put the wallet back. “So, what were you thinking?”

Instead of looking away, which became her usual habit when embarrassed or nervous, she looked him straight in the eye. “I may be way off base here, but—what are we doing, exactly? I mean, why did you do what you did back at the DMV?”

What was he supposed to say? I did it because I didn’t want that guy touching you, which was absurd under the circumstances, or because I really wanted to touch you myself, which was even more absurd. He was not about to admit to either one . . . yet. “It was the only thing I could think of because it happened so fast. In retrospect, perhaps it was improper under the circumstances. I apologize if it put you in an awkward position.”

Awkward position?! Get real! “No, it didn’t. It just surprised me.” She didn’t trust herself to say anything further.

He smiled. “I guess I’d better watch myself around you.”

She just shook her head and smiled.

“Ready to go?”

“Yep, I think so.”

Once outside, Evian said, “Well, I enjoyed this, again, and thanks for the company.” She quickly hit the car remote and immediately opened the door. The priest was simply making her nervous and hadn’t done a thing. Her feelings flip-flopped, from enjoying the time she was with him to not wanting to be around him. She was confused and scared to death someone was watching. She wondered if he was going through the same thing.

He was. He also wanted to go somewhere else, away from town and distractions and just talk. It was what he wanted, but the last thing he needed. He stood by the door. “Well, I enjoyed it, as usual. But we’ve got to stop meeting like this.”

“Yeah, well, how do we do that?”

“Well, we could actually plan on going out together, just as friends—”

Dumbfounded, she thought, is he nuts?! “Going out? I didn’t think you—”

“What? Ever went out anywhere? Why does that surprise you? I mean, we don’t go out on dates or anything. Friends can meet for lunch or dinner . . . can’t they?”

Speechless, she gave him a quizzical look. What was she supposed to do, just agree to go out? On the one hand, perhaps it might put an end to the mystery, the aura surrounding their chance encounters. On the other hand, it might turn into one life-changing temptation, one neither could afford to chance.

“Well?”

“Yes—no—I mean—you just caught me off guard with that question.”

“Don’t you ever wonder why we keep running into each other at the oddest places?”

“I do, but it’s one thing when it’s coincidental and quite another when it’s planned. Besides, I’ll bet if you had thought about this, you wouldn’t have suggested it.”

“Actually, I suggested it because I had thought about it. And I did mean a public place.”

“Oh, I know. But I need to think about it.”

“Well, when you’ve thought about it, call me, no rush,” he replied.

After trading business cards, they stood in the parking lot eyeing each other.

“Now that I have your number, I will call,” Evian announced as she walked to her car. Once the door was opened, she said, “By the way, that cologne is very nice.” She got in the car so fast she almost bumped her head on the roof. She started to sweat. What on earth did I agree to? Of all the men in Atlanta, why do I have feelings for a priest? It would never lead to anything anyway.

He turned around and just smiled. No response was needed.
_____________________

During the entire drive home, Evian’s thoughts centered on the priest. Her heart and mind were in total conflict. Why couldn’t they agree for once? Why were they always at odds? But even if the heart and mind agreed, she would still be scared, still question, still doubt. She was more confused than ever.