May 20, 2011
Boston, Massachusetts
Orlando Scott couldn't take his eyes off Cate McIntosh's pale hands as they ate dinner at Parker's Restaurant on School Street. Her hands were covered in light freckles, and he kept thinking about what it would be like to kiss each one. Her beauty gave him energy, focus, meaning; as he watched her hands, he wondered if the hands of destiny were at work when they met just a few weeks ago at the Kylie Minogue concert.
"So," Orlando asked as he took another bite of his New York sirloin, "when do your folks get in?"
"Sometime tomorrow afternoon," Cate replied as she finished chewing on a piece of roasted chicken breast. "They plan to stay here for a few days before we fly back. I hope you get a chance to meet them."
"I'd certainly like to. What do they do?"
"My mum's a nurse at Wollongong Hospital, and my dad runs his own real estate business."
"Cool."
He kept looking at her hands. He couldn't help himself.
"So, are you looking forward to Sunday?"
"Yeah, I can't believe four years have gone by so fast. I'm going to miss so many of my friends."
"Well, at least you have a cool commencement speaker. I love Katie Couric!"
"She's all right, I guess. Who was your commencement speaker when you graduated?"
"Jon Westling, who was the BU president. Bored the shit out of me."
Cate laughed. "I hope Katie isn't as boring then."
After finishing dinner, Orlando and Cate walked up Beacon Street, past the Meltzer & Keller law offices ("The 30th floor, where they work you some more!" he remarked as he pointed to the One Beacon Street tower) and the Massachusetts State House. It was a beautiful and warm evening, and Orlando wanted desperately to just hold Cate's hand as he walked with her.
As they made their way through the Public Garden, Orlando imagined what it would be like to get down on one knee and asked this Australian beauty to marry him, how happy it would make him if she said yes. This was his soulmate, his perfect partner, the one. He had never felt so happy in his life, not even when he hit six figures in salary for the first time. He wanted to spend the rest of his life with her.
They finally made their way to the entrance of his condo on Commonwealth Avenue.
"Well, I know you have to get back to campus. Hope you enjoyed dinner."
Suddenly, Cate shot him a nasty look.
"I didn't know you were so fucking selfish!"
Orlando was shocked. "What do you mean?"
"You're not even gonna let me see where you live?"
"Oh, uh...I didn't want to assume anything."'
Cate smiled. "Such a gentleman."