“Sorry, Mike, for not coming to your birthday party; I hit a kid on the road,” Victor said as he threw back a shot of gin. “I was at a construction site for work, got in the car, and just as I pulled onto the road, this boy appeared right in front of me.
Can you imagine? Thank goodness I wasn’t going fast. I jumped out, and there he was, thankfully alive. I asked if he was okay, and he said he was fine. A little redhead, about six years old.
‘Where are your parents?’ I asked.
‘Mom’s at home,’ he replied, ‘cooking dinner.’
‘All right, let’s go,’ I said, ‘we need to talk to her.’ He led me to his building, pointed to their apartment door, and then hid behind me. I rang the bell, and a woman opened the door. Beautiful, unlike anyone I’d ever met before, but there was a sort of sadness about her. Her eyes had no spark, you know?
‘Excuse me,’ I started, ‘there’s been a bit of an incident. Please, don’t be alarmed, but I accidentally hit your son with my car. He’s fine, here he is,’ I said, pulling the boy from behind me. ‘But maybe you’d like to call the police?’
‘No need for the police,’ she responded quietly. ‘This is the fifth time he’s done this.’
‘What do you mean?’
‘Mark, go to your room,’ she said sternly to her son. ‘And please, come in. Would you like some tea? Or maybe coffee?’ The tea was delicious, with herbs.
‘Please forgive us,’ said Sarah, as she introduced herself. ‘A few days ago, Mark overheard me telling a friend how hard it is without a husband, so he’s been trying to find us a dad. You’re at least the fifth man he’s jumped in front of. He nearly gave two of them heart attacks. I keep telling him, it’s just him and me, but he’s stubborn, takes after his granddad. Once something’s in his head, that’s that. Did he scratch your car much? Should I pay for the repairs? No? Well, if you insist.’
I sat there looking at her and realized—I was in love. Hard to believe, Mike, but for the first time in my life, I was sitting across from my woman. Tired, in her bathrobe, no makeup on. And I felt like losing her would be the end of me.
‘I know this seems absurd,’ I said, ‘but maybe as an apology, I could take you and Mark to the cinema?’
‘That’s not necessary,’ she answered. ‘You know Mark might get the wrong idea again.’
‘Do you not like me?’ I asked.
‘It’s not that,’ she said. ‘Under different circumstances… but as it is, you’d think I was using my son to hunt for a husband. It’s so embarrassing.’
‘True,’ I joked, ‘and I’d be the villain taking advantage of a woman in a complicated situation. Now we’re both bound for hell. But given the situation, maybe we should at least burn together?’
I don’t remember what else I said, but the next day, I picked them up and we went to see ‘Transformers’. Then to dinner, then… Long story short, Mike, I’m here because we’re getting married in June. We need a photographer. Think you can do it? Look how photogenic they are.” Victor pulled out his phone and showed a picture of a laughing red-haired woman and a little boy sitting next to her.
“Now I’m certain Cupid doesn’t have wings, but instead, a mop of ginger hair, freckles all over, and a couple of missing baby teeth. His name is Mark. And his surname… well, soon it will be Victor’s last name. Of that, I’m sure.”
