After an incredibly busy week at work, Stephanie needed to relax and get a few more things organized in her house, so she went shopping for some new décor with her Mom. She was ecstatic to have the full colour spectrum to work with again; her colourless condo life was draining.
They were carrying their bags into Stephanie's living room when her Mom spoke up.
"I brought you a housewarming present."
Stephanie looked around and spotted the large gift bag near the front door.
"Awe, thanks Mom, you didn't have to do that. Should I open it now?"
"Of course. It's just a few things I thought you could use."
Stephanie grabbed the bag and headed to the couch. She pulled out all the tissue paper and saw the goodies below. There was a bottle of wine and some brie, a brie baker and a small charcuterie board.
"Oooh, fancy snacks today? Should we crack this open and enjoy some?"
Her Mom gave her a slight smile. "No, that's for you. I'm sure you'll have something to celebrate, and it's nice to have a good bottle of wine for that."
Stephanie's mood fell. "Oh, is today not a celebration? We can make it one!"
"No, I've got to drive back home later. I'd take a sparkling water if you've got one."
"I thought you weren't leaving until after dinner. We were going to go out."
"Yes of course, but we won't finish that bottle and I'd hate to waste it."
"Okay. One sparkling water coming up!" She bounced off the couch and into the kitchen, returning with her Mom's beverage.
"Thanks honey. Now there's a bit more in that gift bag, keep going."
Stephanie lifted out all of the wine and cheese, to find a stack of dish cloths and a dark purple bath towel. It cascaded over her arms as she pulled it out. "Oh Mom, this is gorgeous! Thank you!"
"I hope you like the colour. You said you were tired of all the grey in your condo."
"I love it." The towel was plush and luxurious. She felt warm all over that her Mom finally seemed to be accepting the break up. She saw the glint of something silver in the bottom of the bag, and reached in.
It was a picture frame, and the metal corner was sharp enough to cut her finger tip. "Ouch!" The blood welled up and she brought her finger up to inspect it. It sliced the length of her finger tip, and it was bleeding profusely. She rushed into the kitchen to rinse it, and then wrapped it in a paper towel.
Her Mom looked concerned, but Stephanie tried to make a joke about the situation. "Any chance there's a first aid kit in this bag?" It did not have the intended effect, as her Mom's face fell further. "Mom! I'm kidding! It's fine. I'll grab a band-aid as soon as it stops bleeding." She looked down at her finger again, frowning as it soaked through the paper towel.
She reached back into the bag more carefully this time, and pulled out the frame. It was a beautiful silver frame with an large photo already inside.
Stephanie's eyes widened as she admired the gift; a gorgeous photo that had been taken of their trip on a wine tasting weekend the previous fall: Stephanie, her Mom, and Mark.
It had been one of the best days the three of them had spent together. Once Mark realized the signal was too poor to get anything done, he had ignored his phone all day. They dreamed of future vacations just like it in Italy. Stephanie felt tears come to her eyes and she tried furiously to blink them away.
"Do you like it?" Her mom's voice was almost a whisper.
"It's beautiful."
"That was such a good day. I just wanted you to remember it. And we look amazing in that photo, we don't have many photos together as good as that one."
Stephanie got up and crossed the room to give her Mom a hug. There were many emotions warring inside, so she kept her words short.
"Thank you, Mom. I love you."
She couldn't tell her mom that she really didn't need the picture to be so big, or that she couldn't possibly move on when the photo of one of her greatest days with Mark was always staring back at her. She'd have to find somewhere to put it where she wouldn't always see it. How long until I can replace the picture without hurting her feelings?
She released her Mom and stood up.
"Well, we've got another hour until our dinner reservation. What should we do? Tour the neighbourhood? Watch something?"
"I could use a stretch."
They headed out the door, leaving the photo and its frame face down on the coffee table.
*
They had just finished their entrees when Stephanie caught sight of a small group being led to the table by the corner window. They were almost all business men, with one petite woman in the middle of them, and it reminded Stephanie of nights out with Mark and his friends.
She didn't miss nights like that. The guys all bragged about their latest cases or deals, getting louder with each over-priced glass of scotch they swallowed. Stephanie preferred a night in with Denise, wearing sweats and drinking wine.
A waiter interrupted her reverie by placing the desserts on the table. They were decadent. Stephanie was in heaven, and was scraping the last dregs of caramel sauce and ice cream from her plate when a shadow fell across the table.
Looking up, her jaw dropped when she saw David in front of her.
"Hello again, Stephanie. I didn't know you had a sister!" He dropped a wink in her mom's direction, and reached his hand towards her. Blushing, her mom fumbled her napkin and reached out to place her hand in his.
"Hi David, this is my Mom, Carrie. Mom, this is David, he's one of Mark's best friends."
"Enchantée" David purred, not letting go of her hand right away. Carrie giggled.
"So, I take it we can thank you for bestowing your beautiful daughter on us to brighten all of our lives. She's pretty special, isn't she?"
Stephanie expected to blush at that comment, but instead she felt all the blood drain from her head to pool in her feet. This is not good. Why is he charming my mother?
"Oh thank you! She is amazing." She beamed at Stephanie, and David finally released her hand. "What do you do David?"
"Oh, nothing too exciting. Sales and marketing mostly."
"And are you good at it?"
He let out a barking laugh, but the mirth didn't reach his eyes. "Yes, I've been fairly successful so far, I like to think it wasn't just a fluke."
Stephanie caught Carrie's glance and tried to school her grimace back into a neutral expression, but settled for looking down at the table.
"Oh, that's good! Well, I'd hate to keep you from your party. It was a pleasure to meet you, David."
"And you as well." He focused all his attention back on Stephanie. "Always a pleasure seeing you, Stephanie. Hopefully we can get together soon." He reached out and touched her shoulder, before heading back to the group in the corner.
Stephanie looked up to see her Mom grinning and leaning towards her conspiratorially.
"He's handsome."
Stephanie shrugged. "I guess so."
"He's interested in you."
"No, he's not."
The waiter brought their bill and Stephanie pulled out her card.
"Oh yes he is. I could see the way he looked at you. The things he said about you. That shoulder touch. He's definitely interested."
"That's just... how he is. Plus, I'm not interested in him. He's one of Mark's best friends. I can't do that. That'd just be so weird."
"Hmm," she pursed her lips at her daughter while Stephanie paid.
Stephanie tucked her belongings back into her purse and reached for her jacket. "Shall we go then?"
"I suppose. Come on." Carrie got up and led Stephanie out, making sure to pass directly by David's table.
Stephanie could feel his eyes on her as she walked away, but she refused to turn around. He was still looking at her as they walked past the window back to the parking lot, a small smirk on his face. She felt a chill run down her spine.
*
On Monday, she felt like she could open up the dating app again. She still had a lot of messages to go through, but she ignored those and started searching randomly as well.
Unexpectedly, a profile caught her eye. He had sandy brown hair that was a bit long and curling up at the ends, and light eyes. His name was listed as Kevin, age 27. She clicked on the picture to make it larger.
She sucked in her breath, and let it slowly whistle out through her teeth. Recognition flared in her gut; she knew that face. She struggled to pull details about elevator guy to mind, but she was pretty sure that was him. They had joked around while they were stuck, and then suddenly it was all over and she didn't think she would see him again.
Remembering the way he had teased her, and how she was comfortable enough to give him a granola bar, she decided she might as well message him. She obviously hadn't thought of him as anything other than an unfortunate victim of circumstance like herself when they were in the elevator, but he'd made the experience bearable and almost fun. She had also been happy with Mark at the time. Things were different now.
Even if they just met up for coffee, it wouldn't be like meeting a complete stranger, and they could always talk about the elevator if they had nothing else in common.
She decided to go for it.
Stephanie: Hey, have you ever been stuck in an elevator before?
Realizing how weird that seemed out of the blue, she hastily added,
Stephanie: That's not a weird pick-up line or anything. It's a legitimate question.
Her heart was hammering and she tried to take a few deep breaths. She put down her phone and walked away from it, wandering aimlessly picking things up and putting them down for twenty minutes before she allowed herself to look at her phone.
He had replied.
Kevin: Yeah actually I have. It was in an office building downtown, like 6 weeks ago maybe?
She didn't think it was physically possible, but her heart beat faster anyways. It had to be him, just one more thing to confirm it.
Stephanie: Oh really? Were you alone or with other people?
Kevin: Just one woman.
Stephanie: Did you know her?
Kevin: Nope. Never even got her name.
Stephanie: Her name is Stephanie.
Kevin: It IS you! I wasn't 100% sure from your photo, but your opening line was a good hint. I'm Kevin. It's nice to re-meet you.
She was laughing at this point. She didn't know what to say next. He messaged back first.
Kevin: So, have you been stuck in any elevators since?
Stephanie: No, I take the stairs when I can. I was there for an interview that day, and didn't know where stairs were yet.
Kevin: Did you get the job?
Stephanie: Sure did! So now I know where the stairs are, and I take them all the time.
Kevin: Congrats! I still take the elevator. I figure it should be good for another 10 years or so, so I might as well use it now that I know it's been fixed recently.
Stephanie: That's a fair point. But I'm not sure its really worth the risk...
Kevin: Are you saying you didn't have fun the first time?
Stephanie: You know, as far as being stuck in an elevator goes, I had more fun than expected with a total stranger, but I'm not anxious to repeat the ordeal.
Stephanie: How's the cactus?
Kevin: Oh that? I think it's fine. I put it on a table with some other plants, so I think someone else has been taking care of it for me.
Stephanie: Really, after all you've been through together you don't tend to it yourself? I'm shocked!
Kevin: I know... I'm terrible.
Stephanie realized that chatting with him was still easy, and decided to try her usual line for a compatibility test.
Stephanie: So, what's your favourite book?
Kevin: You'll have to be more specific. What genre?
She smiled instinctively at her phone. That was a very good sign, as it was the answer she gave most often.
Stephanie: Okay, what's your favourite genre?
Kevin: Depends on my mood. Usually fantasy I suppose. I like adventures.
Stephanie: So, what adventure is your favourite?
Kevin: Of all time, or of the past year or two?
Stephanie: All-time.
Kevin: Hmm. This is going to take some thought. Can I get back to you with my answer?
It was already better conversation than she had ever had with someone on the app, and her grin made her eyes crinkle.
Stephanie: How about you get back to me over coffee?
Kevin: Deal. When?
Kevin: I'm free Saturday anytime
Stephanie: How about the Books Etc. downtown with the coffee place in it? 2:00?
Stephanie: You'll recognize me, because I will be the one you remember from the elevator.
Kevin: See you then. And I'm expecting to know your favourite book as well. Be ready ð
He went offline. Stephanie put down her phone and went to her desk. She pulled out a clean sheet of paper, and wrote down her favourite books, by genre. She had butterflies in her stomach for the first time in a long time.
Suddenly she was very excited for the weekend.