“Orso family dedicates new park!”
“Orso family opens new restaurant!”
“Don’t mind the smell! Dying maples saved by Orso family generosity!”
Grainy, black and white pictures accompany the articles, but the scanned images are of such poor quality, I can’t really see the faces of the Orso family members. I’m intrigued by the article about saving trees and give it a closer look. Apparently, there had been a problem with the pH balance in the local maple forest, and the Orso family had paid for a very expensive sulfur treatment to fix the overly alkaline soil and thus saved the maple industry in the area.
“Okay, now I am impressed.”
I try to zoom in on the grainy picture below the headline. I can identify a woman and two men standing near a grove of trees, but that’s about it. Their features are simply too blurred, which I find really odd. Even a phone camera takes a better picture than those shown in the article. When I investigate further, I find that all the other pictures on the website are of much better quality.
“What’s the deal? These guys don’t like having their picture taken?”
None of it makes any sense, so I set the laptop aside and look back at my phone. Additional notifications from the dating app await, and I’m tempted to ignore them. I’m not getting anywhere, and there has to be a more suitable way to meet people in the area. I would be much better off if I just went out on my own.
But I can’t help it. I read the messages.
The first one is from an extremely attractive young man. I feel a lump in my throat and my heart starts to beat a little faster, but then I realize the picture looks a little familiar. A quick check tells me that it’s actually a picture of the actor from a movie I saw last summer. I roll my eyes and scroll down, skipping the next few as well.
“Seriously, what is with the fish pictures?”
Finally, I find one who appears to be a real person, doesn’t include a picture of a fish, is in my relative age range, and knows how to spell basic words.
AHunt27E: Hey there! Hope you’re having a great day! Are you an eastsider? I’m Aaron.
I check out his profile a little more. His profession is simply listed as “management.” He’s single and wants kids someday. His longest relationship is listed as “Over a year,” and he likes traveling. Otherwise, there isn’t a lot of information to go on, but I figure I’ll give it a shot.
AccidentalC99: Hello, Aaron. Yes, I’m on the east side of town, but I’m new here.
AHunt27E: Cool! How do you like it so far?
AccidentalC99: I’m not really sure yet. Lol
AHunt27E: I’m sure it’s a little weird
AccidentalC99: It is. How long have you lived here?
AHunt27E: About nine years. Started working at the winter lodge here but that place sucks
AccidentalC99: I thought it looked nice. I haven’t been yet though.
AHunt27E: It’s cool for families and all, not much of a night life if you know what I mean. hahah
AccidentalC99: Yeah, I do.
AHunt27E: I’m actually about to head over to the club. Friday night and all. It’s called Big O haha! Wanna go?
Oh wow. He’s actually asking me out, and I’m not quite prepared for it. After the painful breakup with my solitary high school boyfriend, my dates had been few and far between, and none of them could be considered successful despite Aunt Ginny’s assurance that whoever’s son from the next town over would be perfect for me. All the encounters had left a bad taste in my mouth, and I had lost all interest in dating. Then again, this is exactly what I was looking for—an excuse to check out the local hangouts without going all by myself.
AHunt27E: did I scare you off?
AccidentalC99: No you didn’t! lol! Sorry, I was just thinking. I have heard of the place, and have wanted to go check it out.
AHunt27E: Perfect! I’m probably heading over there about 8:30. I could pick you up or wee could meet there. Your choice!
AccidentalC99: Let’s meet there, but maybe outside? I hate walking into places by myself. Lol
AHunt27E: No worries! There’s a Mexican restaurant on the corner by the club. That’s usually about where the line to get into O is anyway. Want to meet outside the restaurant?