The Assignment

“Yeah.” I leaned back in my chair and crossed my arms. “I really was just asking her to have dinner, nothing more. Maybe, like you, she didn’t believe my intentions. But she’d rather go out with some guy she’s never met than have dinner with me on Friday night.”

“She’s got a date?”

“Yeah. With some dude she met on a dating app.”

“What’s that?”

“Online dating. You know, that thing I showed you once on my phone when you asked me if I was looking for a mail-order bride?”

“What does she need to do that for?”

“It’s how everyone meets people these days. There’s no such thing as going out and meeting someone by chance anymore.”

He frowned. “That’s sad.”

“Yeah, but by the same token, it’s easier to meet people.”

“It’s too much,” he said. “Like being a kid in a candy store. It conditions people to pass up something good because they keep thinking something better might come along on that conveyor belt. And they probably pass on someone every day who could’ve been the great love of their life. It takes more than just a quick look to know if someone’s right.”

I swallowed my water. “That’s an interesting perspective. And I agree, it can be too much sometimes. I’m sure it was better when life was simpler. Unfortunately, we’re not there anymore.”

Nonno crumpled up his napkin. “Look, you’re my only grandson. I want the best for you. And I can only hope you’re lucky enough to meet a woman you love someday as much as I loved Nonna.”

Deep down, I did want that. Just not right now. Or anytime soon. But someday? Sure. My grandfather had been in his mid-thirties when he met my grandmother. And my father’s only serious girlfriend was his current one, whom he’d started dating in his late forties. That was proof that sometimes it takes a while for the right one to come along.

“I know how much you miss Nonna,” I told him. “It breaks my heart.”

“If everything you’re saying to me is true, she’d be proud of you for trying to be a better person, Troy.”

An image of my grandmother’s face flashed through my mind. Her love and lessons didn’t always come the easy way. “Well, her hitting me with that wooden spoon once or twice might have knocked a little sense into me, even if it took a decade to sink in.”

• • •

On Friday night, Eric and I went to grab drinks in Meadowbrook Center after work before he was meeting his girlfriend there for dinner. Even though Meadowbrook was a suburb, it had a nice little town center with bars, restaurants, and an urban feel.

After leaving the bar, I got stuck in a long line of cars, stopped at a red light on the main road where a lot of the restaurants were located. I could hardly believe it when I looked to my right. I squinted to make sure, but it was her. Aspyn was sitting with some dude at an outdoor table just off the sidewalk. The guy’s back was toward me, but I could make out her face clear as day. She didn’t look all that comfortable, twirling her hair as she seemed to be listening to something he said. Her eyes wandered a bit.

Body language never lied. There was no way she was into this guy.

Spying on Aspyn’s date while stuck in traffic was like accidentally coming upon a car wreck; I knew I shouldn’t have been looking, but it was impossible to turn away. I got so into watching her that I hadn’t noticed the light change to green. The car behind me beeped, and I instinctively put my foot on the gas in a knee-jerk reaction. The only problem was, the car in front of me hadn’t moved yet. I crashed right into the back of it, rear-ending a poor, unsuspecting person—a person who now exited his vehicle with a look of rage on his face.

The man flailed his arms. “What the fuck is wrong with you?”

I got out and closed my door as cars began driving around us. “I’m sorry, man. There’s no excuse for that. My head was somewhere else.”

So far up Aspyn’s ass, it’s not even funny.

“I don’t even have fucking insurance!” he screamed. “What the hell am I supposed to do?”

“No worries. It’s obviously my fault.” I pointed to the side of the road. “Let’s move over there and exchange information.”

With my hazards on, I pulled over, and he did the same. He was still pissed, but seemed to calm down once I assured him my insurance would cover the damage.

After I gave him all of my info, he drove away.

I was just about to get back into my Range Rover and drive off when I heard Aspyn’s voice.

“What the hell is going on?” She rushed toward me. “You got into an accident?”