Sitting on the balcony with his cigarette and coffee, Justin found himself lost in a haze. He sat in silence with a smile on his face, rather than the sounds of the city, he heard the early day birds in the trees. Instead of staring at a blank page, his mind was racing with questions regarding this new reality he was experiencing. "She can't be the one," he thought to himself, "She just might be THE ONE though. Who knows? No one." As the sun reached the rooftops, the shadows became brighter and the world around him woke up. There was much to do to get ready for his brothers wedding. Especially for the bachelor party. When they were younger, the two of them would sit and discuss this very night, speaking of it as one final legendary evening between brothers. "Lives will change forever after that night," his brother once told him. Justin never forgot hearing those words either, they stuck out in his mind like a sore thumb on a tired hitchhiker. Now that this night is finally coming upon them, he realized he had planned every last detail in his notebook except for one. Finding a date for the wedding.
Right on schedule, as was part of her daily morning routine, the phone rang and it was his mother. The wedding was less than a week away, the following Saturday on the eighth of the month. On the other end of the phone, his mother was freaking out about all the preparation that still needed to be done, none of which Justin was involved in. But he listened and told her everything would be fine and that there wouldn't be any unexpected surprises. "At least none I can see happening. I'll call you later Mom. I have to make a phone call." As he hung up the phone with one hand, Justin reached into his pants pocket, the same pants from the night before. There he found a piece of paper with a heart and a phone number. "Call me," he read aloud to himself, as he thought, "She has to be the one.
Now, the so called 'Laws of Attraction' all have varying opinions on the proper protocol for a man in this situation. Justin knew if he called to soon he would risk seeming needy and anxious, but if he waited too long, she might get away. "You can't let her get away," he convinced himself in a stern tone. As far back as his relationships go, the simple fact was none of them worked out before and he justified it as the path to the right person. Only, he had never thought about what would happen when he did find that right person. Nearly an hour had passed and there he sat, staring at the piece of paper, wondering what the heart means. He light a smoke and finished the bottom of his cold coffee. "Fuck it," he announced as he began to dial, "Laws are meant to be broken." He ashed his cigarette over the edge, possibly onto the people below. "HELLO?!" he suddenly heard in a voice that skipped his heart one beat.
The day became late afternoon, and despite his best intentions, he had failed to accomplish any of the tasks he had set out to do hours ago. Even worse, he didn't care because he was talking to one of the most amazing girls he had ever met. Even worse than that, not once in five hours did he ask her to be his date for the wedding. At that moment she mentioned that she had to go to LA the following Tuesday for business, and again Justin muttered to himself, "Fuck it." He finally gained the courage to ask her, reminding himself of the Cowardly Lion from 'The Wizard of Oz.' She asked him what was so funny and he went for the home run play. "Would you like to be my date to Oz this weekend? I mean, my brother's wedding." She laughed, which made him smile. "Of course I would. But under one condition." "Whats that," he asked. "You have to take me to dinner tonight." He sat both stunned and amazed. "Are you asking me out," he wondered. "Pick me up at eight." Then she hung up the phone as quickly as she answered, and again he sarcastically thought, "Style points."
Eight O'clock was a mere 3 hours away and Justin frantically started to brainstorm good restaurants in Boston, but he caught himself in time to realize that this was his one chance to make a great first impression, and since the girl he had met in the park was no ordinary girl, he knew just the place in the North End. There was this one place there, with great food and an enchanting atmosphere, it felt as though you were tucked away in Italy somewhere secret, but everyone around you still spoke English. Every table was lit my candle light and there was a classic brick oven in the kitchen, for their famous pizzas. He made reservations and gave himself a pat on the back for finally getting something productive done. The flower shops were all closed because it was Sunday night, so Justin decided to ready for his date, a shower and a shave, then began to walk to her apartment in Kenmore Square. About a block before her front door, he stopped to smell the flowers, one of the neighborhood gardeners homes. The roses were beautiful, the woman who lived there really knew how to impress a lady in September. He picked one at the bottom of the stem through the fence, took out a five dollar bill, and left a note. "Thanks for the great first impression. I picked a rose. Thank you," and left both in her mailbox. With a few more steps to go, his nerves began to take over and all the questions in his head were back again. Only this time each question made him smile, regardless of how fast his heart was beating. At the bottom step of her stoop, he paused and remember the night before. As the sun set and the shadows regained their darkness, his smile faded as he walked up the steps to ring the bell. He let out an uplifting breath of air, and pushed the door bell, took one step back, and put the rose behind his back. When she answered the door, she asked if he was ready. He presented her with the rose, a smile from ear to ear, and buckling at his knees, "I've been ready for this my whole life." She laughed at him, but smiled as she did, and he asked her, "Did that seemed rushed? I've been practicing it on my way over here." She took his hand and they walked together to the corner in order to hail a cab. His excitement screaming from within, but a silent expression with no more than a smile was all he could muster. As a gentlemen should do, and as Justin was taught, he opened the door of the cab for her and said, "Ladies first." He led her by hand into the cab, like a princess on her way to the ball. He took one last look up into the sky over Comm. Ave. and quietly thought, "Thank you."
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