In Need of a Lyft

She turned to hide the tears that had welled up in her eyes, and grabbed a hand towel and dabbed them, blinked several times very fast, then turned back around.

Once they were seated, Randi asked their guest to excuse them for eating while they talked.

"No, not at all. I'm the one who barged in on you during a meal."

"You didn't barge in, and you're not interrupting," the older woman assured him.

Perhaps it was because of the dramatic effect of getting his own teeth straightened, but whatever the reason, he always took note of someone's smile, and Randi's was beautiful. She had perfectly straight, nearly-white teeth that looked much more natural than those that were bleached so white they looked phony.

He also noticed two soft, full lips and a pair of beautiful blue eyes. He'd had the impression her hair was darker, but seeing in the light showed it to be blonde. Not platinum blonde or even blonde like cornsilk but rather a blonde that was slightly darker but still...blonde. There was probably a word to describe it, but Brian didn't know it. What he did know was that even though her hair was very short, it was perfect for her face and made her look even more beautiful than he remembered. He rarely liked short hair on a woman, but it made Randi look even hotter than she would were it much longer.

"Do I have something in my teeth?" she asked, causing Brian to look away after realizing he'd been staring again.

"Sorry. I...I didn't mean to stare."

"My mom's really pretty," Emma offered, having watched the very handsome man stare at her mother.

"Yes she is. She's...very pretty."

He leaned her way then said, "And so are you."

Randi smiled when she saw her daughter's cheeks turn red, and stealing another quick look at their guest, she understood why.

"I take it you're working again tonight?" Brian asked rather carefully.

"I am," she replied apologetically as she looked over at her daughter. "The weekends are my best days, and we really need the money."

"For my braces."

"Oh, right. I almost forgot."

Randi looked at them both, and the look she gave Brian was one of distrust.

"I uh, I came by earlier today looking for you."

"Miss Edna and I talked to him, Mom, but we kept it a secret."

Still a little confused, Brian tried to explain.

"Your neighbor. She opened her door and let me know you weren't home. And that's when I met this young lady."

The look on her face changed from distrust to understanding and even ended up with a smile.

"Okay. I was a little lost there for a moment," Randi said before asking, "but how did braces come up?"

Brian looked at Emma who smiled without shame then said, "Can you show my mom the picture?"

"What picture?" her mom asked.

"He had teeth like mine," Emma told her as though that answered the question.

"Oh. Now I understand," Randi said with a touch of gentle teasing.

Brian opened Photos again and scrolled back to where'd been earlier that day then handed the phone to Randi.

She looked at then looked at Brian then looked again.

"That's...amazing."

She smiled at him then told him, "I also needed a little help."

"You have a beautiful smile, by the way, and that leads me to the other reason I stopped by," Brian told her.

Randi was intrigued and waited for him to explain.

"My big brother is an orthodontist."

"He had teeth just like mine," Emma told her mom even though they weren't the same. Brian had had 'buck' teeth and had been razzed for years.

"I wasn't trying to get involved in your business. I just couldn't help but notice Emma's underbite, and well, you can see what a difference braces made on me, so when your daughter mentioned you work...a lot...in order to get braces for her, I told her my brother would be happy to examine her. Free of charge."

Randi's look changed again as she said, "That's truly very kind of you to offer, but like you, I believe in paying what I owe, and orthodontic care isn't cheap. Or free."

"I didn't mean to offend you," Brian said sincerely.

Randi felt terrible for saying what she did, or more specifically, for the way she said it.

"And I didn't mean to offend you, either, Brian. It's actually extremely nice of you to even offer, but I was raised not to take charity, and this...."

He hated interrupting but this was an unusual situation.

"It isn't charity. It was an offer made out of a sense of connection I had with Emma, but I can see how it sounds, and as you know, I share your feelings on that issue."

"Can you maybe let me think about it?" Randi asked, a much softer look on her very pretty face.

"Of course. I'll leave you the phone number and address, and if you change your mind just give us a call."

"Us?" she asked.

Brian smiled at her then explained.

"I just started practicing with my brother three months. I'm a dentist, too, but just barely."

Randi liked the humility and his sense of humor and laughed politely.

"I'm a general practitioner. He owns the business and took me on to replace his former partner who retired two weeks after I started. He stayed to personally introduce me to his patients and to ensure them they were in good hands."

He smiled again then said, "The 'in good hands' thing is still open for discussion."

Randi looked at her daughter and asked, "Do you want to go see Brian's brother?"

Emma smiled so big it made Brian smile as she nodded and said, "Really?:

Randi looked at Brian who nodded then told her daughter, "Yes."

"But I'll pay for the visit," she insisted.

"I can give you an exam, too, while you're there," he told Emma's mom.

She desperately needed a cleaning and an exam, but knew how much that cost.

"Uh, no. I'll hold off on that for now, but thank you for offering."

She then asked Brian yet again if he wanted anything to eat or drink, and he told her he was fine.

"I think I really have worn out my welcome," he told her. "But I did have one other thing I wanted to discuss with you."

"Oh?" Randi asked, a look of curiosity on her face.

He glanced at Emma, and Randi got the message.

"Oh. This is...private."

"Well, kind of."

"Okay, I'll walk you to the door then," she said as she got up.

The door was maybe 15 feet away, and it took just a few steps to get there. Emma was still so close she could hear every word unless they whispered so Randi suggested they step out into the hallway.

Once there Randi said, "Why am I worried I said or did something wrong?"

"What?" an extremely surprised Brian said with a shake of the head.

"I offended you, didn't I? With my 'no charity' comment."

Before Brian could tell her that wasn't true, she said, "It's been very difficult for us since Emma's father walked out on us. Even so, that doesn't mean I can use people or not pull my weight, and that's all I meant by it. I promise."

Now that he understood, he smiled again as he looked right at her.

"That's just one more thing I admire about you."

"I...I don't understand."

"You're obviously a really good mom. You work hard. You're independent. You believe in paying what you owe."

He broke eye contact briefly then continued.

"I admire all of those things, and I...."

His heart was beating fast as he took a deep breath.

"I uh, I told you I think you're a very beautiful woman, Randi, and I meant that. Especially now that I can see you're beautiful both inside...and out. So...I was hoping that maybe you and I might, you know, maybe...go to dinner sometime. Or whatever you like."

The stunned look on Randi's face told Brian he was about to get rejected, so he steeled himself for that.

"You're searching for a way to let me down gently, aren't you?" he asked after several seconds of silence.

"It's more that I...don't understand. I'm obviously older than you. A LOT older, for that matter, but you're also a dentist. You know where I live, you know my financial state, and you know I have a daughter. Who's 12, by the way."

"She told me," Brian replied rather quietly, a polite, little smile on his face.

"Why then would a...very handsome professional like yourself even want to...go out with...the likes of someone like me?"

"Look, I know men aren't always the best of communicators, but I really make an effort to listen and I'm always honest. And in this case, I honestly thought I made the reasons why I like you--and those are the same reasons I'd also like to go out with you--clear, but perhaps I botched it."

He paused for a moment then asked, "Did I?"

Randi realized he was serious. As she looked into his eyes she could he was actually being deadly serious only without there being anything 'deadly' about it.

"Brian, I...I really do work all of the time," she told him, as a part of her really did want to let him down gently. But it was the other part that wanted him to find a reason to overlook all of her excuses and insist she go out with him.

She then said, "And what little time I have I spend with Emma."

He almost said, "I understand," but he wasn't ready to give up just yet as he smiled brightly and said, "then we'll go together. The three of us."

The smile on his face was not only genuine, but it made her weak in the knees as her very, very long drought began rearing its ugly head again.

"You wouldn't mind?" she asked, obviously referring to Emma going with them.

"Mind? No! Absolutely not," he told her immediately.

"Just say yes!" a third voice said.

"Edna?" Randi said as she looked toward the door.

"The walls are paper thin! I wasn't trying to listen in. I just couldn't help but hear every word."

"Oh, my gosh!" Randi said, a feeling of embarrassment welling up inside of her.

"You see? Even Edna knows we're meant to be together," Brian said so matter of factly it made Randi laugh.

"He's right you know!" Edna called out through the door.

Randi threw her hands up in mock exasperation and said, "Okay. Fine. I...we'll...go out with you."

"Yeah?" Brian asked as they heard Edna say, "it's about time!" which caused them both to laugh.

"If you'll give me your number, I'll call you to see when you can um...fit me in."

Another huge smile appeared as she gave him her phone number which he tapped into his contacts list and saved.

"So I'll call you," he said.

She kind of hesitated then smiled and told him, "And...I'll look forward to it."

"Okay. Well, have a good eve...night. And be safe."

"I will. And Brian? Thank you again for the...."

She mouthed the word 'money' then quietly said, "And the daisies. They really are beautiful."

"As are you, Randi," he told her, using her name again, a name he was growing to love in spite of never having heard of a girl named Randi before.

She felt something she hadn't felt since the first months of her marriage, and it swept over her so hard and so fast she got goose bumps.

Even though she was quite a bit older than Brian she felt like she was back in high school being asked out for the first time by some cute boy who was a couple of grades ahead of her, and she found herself unable to look at him and instead stared down at the floor.

"I'll uh, I'll be going now," Brian said. "But I will call you. Soon."

"Okay," Randi replied as she looked up at him again. As she did he flashed that smile her way, and once again her knees got wobbly.

As he turned to leave, Brian leaned toward Edna's door and said, "Good night, Edna."

"You kids have fun!" she called back.

The tension broke, and Randi laughed like she hadn't in so long she couldn't remember.

Brian pointed at her and said, "See? You're even more beautiful when you smile," then turned and walked away.

She watched until he disappeared into the stairwell then said, "What just happened?"

When she walked in, Emma was standing there and smiling.

"Hey! Were you snooping?"

"Maybe," her daughter said, still smiling so brightly it mad her mom's heart swell with a number of emotions.

"Is that okay?" her mom asked.

"Going out?" Emma asked.

"Yes. It it okay for us to go...do something together with Brian?"

"Of course, it is!" her daughter said, taking her mother's hand for the first time in several weeks.

"Mom? Do you think Brian is handsome?" her daughter asked rather seriously.

Her mom gave her a 'watch it' look, but that only made Emma laugh even more. Then her mom got serious and answered her daughter.

"He is very handsome, honey."

Emma's next comment brought her mother back to the reality of their life.

"Daddy's very handsome, too."

It was true. He was so good looking when they met that it hurt. Even now, he was in amazing shape and women flocked to him.

Randi thought about all that then knelt down.

"But Brian isn't Daddy."

Emma's hug was so unexpected it made her mom tear up. She didn't need to ask why she was being hugged. Emma just needed her mother to reassure her that not all handsome men would break their hearts.

"So. Are we good?" Randi asked after wiping away a tear with a hand her daughter couldn't see before letting her go.

"Yes. We're good."

"Come on then. We have to finish dinner."

Emma didn't say, "So you can go to work."

She only took her mother's hand and said, "Okay, Mommy."

In spite of the reminder of her former husband Randi felt good for a change. In fact, she had no idea how long it had been since she felt this good, and stopped trying to remember lest it ruin the mood."

The food was cold, but neither of them cared. They sat and talked and ate cold food, both feeling happy, and were Randi to admit it, even optimistic.

Just as quickly she reminded herself of how very unlikely it was that anything more than a one-time...thing...would come of this with "thing" not meaning...that. More likely it was a kind of pity date if it even was a date. Still, it felt really good to feel wanted and for someone so handsome to tell her she was beautiful; someone who was also able to make her daughter feel good about herself, as well.

She sighed as she thought, "But...what if it is more than just...a thing?" before the reality of going back to work hit her and hit her hard.

"Right. And bullfrogs will sprout wings and stop busting...."

"Mom? What does that even mean?" Emma asked.

"Sorry, honey. I was just thinking about something," she said as she thought, "out loud."

"Something bad?"

"No. Not bad. Just...very unlikely. That's all."

Brian got home and after the short ride in which he couldn't stop thinking about this beautiful, older woman, he pulled out his phone.

"I hope this doesn't cause you to think I'm...weird...but I just wanted to tell you I've never met anyone quite like you before, and I'm really looking forward to seeing you again. You and Emma."

He added a heart then changed it to a smile and hit 'send.'

Randi was brushing her teeth before grabbing her keys and heading off to her part-time job when she heard the ding.

She put the toothbrush down and smiled when she saw it was from Brian. When she read the text she laughed.

"Mom? What's so funny?" she heard Emma call out.

"Nothing, honey. Just a nice text from...a friend."

She finished brushing, rinsed, then grabbed the phone again to send him a reply.

"I don't think it's weird at all. It's...sweet. And I don't think you're weird, either. But isn't...this...a little weird?"

She, too, added a smiley face then sent it before thinking, "What if he thinks I meant I don't want to see him again?"

The panicked welled up so quickly she felt sick to her stomach by the time the phone dinged again.

"I guess that depends on what 'it' is," she read.

Feeling relieved she mentioned the obvious.

"Well, I'm obviously...older than you are. Doesn't that concern you at all?"

"Not in the least. Why? Does it bother you?"

Randi's panic became a warm, pleasant glow that made her feel happy.

"No. Not at all."

"Then it's not weird, right?"

Randi was all smiles as she replied, "Okay. No, in that case, I don't suppose it is."

She almost sent it but first added, "I'm really looking forward to seeing you again, too, Brian."

He read her response, then said out loud, "You are so hot!"

By the time he set his phone down, he was aware of a very large bulge in his jeans; a bulge that ached to be relieved. Self-fulfillment wasn't his thing, but now that he was single again, he thought about how it had been over a week since he and his ex had done it. Then he thought about how long it would be even if things went perfectly with Randi and sighed.

He looked down at his left hand, laughed, then said, "I guess it's just you and me, buddy," before heading to the shower to provide himself with the best option available to him, his 'spank bank' freshly filled with the imagery it needed to get the job done.

He woke up the next morning, and after a couple of seconds for his brain to engage, he smiled when he realized it wasn't a dream. It was all real and he couldn't wait to call her. He knew she had a day job but had no idea what she did or where she worked.

He laughed when he told himself, "I bet Edna knows," and even though that was borderline crazy, he really wanted to be able to see her.

"No. You're not doing that," he then said only to himself. "She said this isn't weird, but if you track down where she works, that's gonna change and you and Old Rosie Palm are gonna be best friends again like you were way back when."

Brian had never so much as held a girl's hand until after the braces came off, and as big as that was, there was another change that had also made a huge difference--his hair.

When you're overweight and look like a beaver it can make doing other things seem like a waste of time. Combing his hair was one of them. Brian wore a thick, matted-down mess on the top of his head that resembled a bird's nest more than human hair, and it was a week or so after his last visit to the orthodontist that his aunt stopped by the house.

She saw her nephew and asked him to smile.

"Look at you!" she said as she moved closer.

Brian watched her as she started at him. Then her eyes began moving. She was taking inventory. From his shoes to the 'bird's nest, she was sizing him up.

"You need to come with me," she told him after smiling at Brian's mom who also came with them.

His aunt worked at a hair salon, and while she cut women's hair almost exclusively she was also very good with men's hair and sat her nephew down in a large, comfortable recliner.

"Lean back and let me work my magic!" she told him. "You're not gonna believe what you see in the mirror when I'm finished."

A quick shampoo to untangle the mess was followed by the blow dryer and then the scissors. Less than 20 minutes later she told her nephew to close his eyes and spun him around.

"Okay. Take a look!" she said, a huge smile on her face as she watched his reaction.

Brian looked at himself then looked back at his aunt then over at his mom.

"What do you think?" his mother asked as she moved closer.

"I...is that really me?" he asked as he turned his head left then right.

His aunt answered for her sister and said, "It is. And I gotta tell you, you are freakin' gorgeous, young man!"

Brian had been checking out his new 'grill' every time he walked by a mirror or anything reflective enough to let him see the newly-straightened teeth, but this latest change was even more dramatic.

"I can't believe this. This is...insane!"

"Crazy, right?" his aunt said, the smile still on her face. "Crazy like a fox!"

"You look so handsome, honey," his mom said as tears filled her eyes.

She'd felt so bad for her son for so long that it had become a kind of obsession. Guilt welled up inside of her every time she looked at him for years even though it wasn't her fault that his permanent teeth had come in so badly.