There's a saying that birds of a feather flock together. There's also a saying that opposites attract. It's hard to know one's correct. In the summer of 1978, Noelle Silver and Greg Daniels discovered that it's a blend of both.
Noelle's order was always the same, one slice cheese pizza, small caesar salad, and ice water. It was an order Wilfredo was happy to fill but teased her about. "Always the same, always eating alone," he would sputter while waving his Italian arms in wild gestures.
Wilfredo owned and ran the pizzeria down the street from Noelle's apartment. He was a big man with dark, thick, curly hair and a handlebar mustache. His constant smile gave him away as a friendly and funny guy. The mix of his character and the delicious food gave the restaurant a reputation as a great place to eat.
He was one of Noelle's first friends in Cincinnati. She had recently moved from Baltimore and was the only African American woman working at the lab. Driven to demonstrate her knowledge and skill she worked long hours. By the end of the day, she was tired, and stopping for pizza was easier than making dinner. It was also entertaining to watch him go on about how busy he and his wife were, or how the city tried to shut him down or why he was so big working over a pizza oven in the middle of summer.
She found a table with two chairs and was halfway through her meal when Wilfredo came up to her. "I'm having a private party and I'd like you to come."
Surprised at the seemingly randomness of the statement Noelle responded with an inquisitive, "Oh?"
"Yes, I want to make changes to my menu. I have some new items that I'm unsure about. I want people I trust to come, taste and tell me what they think. It'll be free. You just come and eat, mingle and maybe meet someone you like."
Noelle was surprised at the invitation but excited by the idea. She'd never been to a food tasting before and was honored that he thought to invite her. A social function would be a nice change of pace from working or sitting home. "Sure, that sounds great, I'd love too."
"Good, good. Be here about six Sunday."
"I'll be there."
"Wonderful."
***
A woman was standing at the door of Wilfredo's Pizzeria. Noelle guessed she was 25-26 years old, about the same age as herself. "Hello, you must be Noelle," the woman greeted while extending her hand.
"Yes, I am."
"I'm Marcella, Wilfredo's sister-in-law. Come on back I'll show you to your table."
The restaurant was busy. With the number of people sitting or mingling around she assumed every table was full. She knew some of the faces, Anna-Marie, Wilfredo's wife, was there talking to a tall man and an Asian woman. Samantha and Christopher, Wilfredo, and Anna-Marie's kids were set up at the pinball machines.
Marcella led Noelle to the same seat she was at when she had gotten the invitation to the tasting. There was a white man about her age with a wavy shag haircut already there talking to a couple and the next table. "Here you go," said Marcella, "you'll be sitting with Greg."
Before Greg could say anything Wilfredo burst from the kitchen; aproned and perspiring. "Noelle, Greg. Greg, Noelle. Both of you come in here and eat by yourself. It's a total shame, so today I made sure you won't be alone. And besides, I think you both like that space show. The one from ten years ago. Space Trak or Star Train, something like that."
Anna-Marie called him over before either Greg or Noelle had a chance to react.
The woman at the next table, who was very attractive despite her thick glasses, leaned over, "That Wilfredo thinks himself a sly old cupid."
With a nervous laugh, Noelle said, "Yes I guess so."
"Don't mind him, be honored, he only looks out for the people he likes. I'm Lisa by the way."
"Noelle, nice to meet you, Lisa."
"This is my fiancé Doug." The man sitting with Lisa said hello.
"And this is Greg," Lisa motioned her hand towards the man who still hadn't had the chance to speak.
Greg smiled and said hello as his eyes wandered cautiously from Noelle's curly black hair to her dark brown eyes and finally to the yellow top that showed off her toned stomach. She hadn't dressed thinking she was getting set up but was relieved that she still felt presentable.
Anna-Marie shouted to get the crowd's attention. "Ok everyone thanks for coming. We have five different dishes Wilfredo is thinking about adding to the menu. We are going to pass them out one at a time. Please take the scorecard that is on the table, rate, and comment on each dish. Based on your comments we will decide if it's going on the menu."
The first dish was fried calamari, with marinara sauce, lemon wedges, and aioli. Noelle sat silently unsure of how to start a conversation under such circumstances. Greg eventually spoke, "I'm just glad Wilfredo didn't set us up on a blind date, those make me so nervous."
"Oh?"
"Yeah, I'm always afraid she's going to hit me with that stick."
The joke was perfectly timed and well-executed. She couldn't help but laugh. Greg laughed as well indicating that the tension was broken. "What do you do for a living Noelle?"
She swallowed some great tasting squid then said, "I work over at Barrett Laboratories."
He jumped in before she had a chance to elaborate. "Oh yeah, you're doing a bunch of anti-viral stuff over there, right? Experimenting with Neuraminidase Inhibitors and some plant-based stuff."
Noelle was impressed. Usually, she had to spend several minutes explaining what Greg knew immediately and accurately. Before she could respond he continued. "That's some really exciting work. You must've double-majored in Bio and Chem."
Now Noelle was taken aback. When she tells guys that she works in a lab they assume she's the secretary. When she corrects them they seem turned off by her level of achievement. This guy immediately assumed she was a scientist and was impressed by it. She started to get the feeling that there was something different about him. "Are you a detective or a stalker? You figured out a lot with just a single answer."
Greg laughed, "No, no neither. I'm a high school science teacher for the Cincinnati School District. I try to keep up with current science, especially the stuff that happens locally."
Noelle was impressed yet again. She had always found teachers noble. They were selfless, patient people with the skills to cultivate successful minds. She was attracted to men that have a capacity for caring. Maybe Wilfredo knew what he was doing when he put them at the same table.
The next dish that came around was escarole and cannellini beans sautéed in extra virgin olive oil & garlic over penne pasta. It was just as tasty as the calamari. As they ate Noelle questioned, "I assume Wilfredo was referring to Star Trek when he said we liked the same TV show. Are you a fan?"
"Yes. I was a teenager when it was first on TV. I fell in love with it and haven't stopped since. How about you?"
"I didn't see it until it was in syndication. I was in college and at a point in my life where I was very open to the messages the stories sent. That's when I became a fan."
Greg nodded his head, "Is that what you like about it, the social commentary?"
She rarely had an opportunity to have a serious conversation about Star Trek and was excited to do so. "Yes, that's part of it. But more that the stories provide an optimistic vision of the future. That no matter how crazy today's world is, it will get better and we as people will get better too."
