We're getting married!

A man with auburn hair waits inside the Yardley Inn. An astute hostess, knowing full well that he's readying himself for a first impression, tells him “you have lint on your head.” He removes the lint, says his goodbyes, and flicks it on the floor. A woman with a green scarf and beautiful long hair enters. The two greet, but quickly and thinly like the gusts of air flowing through the doorway. The man, in between his summer pale and winter transparent, rises to his feet. His slender build is no longer merely an attribute of her phone, but three dimensional- even if hardly so. Tonight, their phones stay put. She tells him that she detests food waste. He tells her he’s cutting gluten. The waiter delivers an impasse- a plump loaf fit for four. She can speak French. He has to make his wine choice by pointing. Are you good with just drinks? He asks while perusing menu prices. Her foodie spirit wilts. But it goes well. They slip into the lot and she asks him which car is his. "All of them," he responds. That will surely impress her. And it does. Later that week, they get Mexican Mariachi and catch Last Christmas at the theater next door. The movie is good. Too good. The actor steals the show… from John. And that was the end of John. No sequel for him. You’d think fate would have a better sense of timing. John’s colon infection and grandfather’s passing would suggest otherwise. And as their phones come back out, some dude across the world has pangolin for dinner. Clarity, they say, comes in times of pause. And the world pauses. Well most of it, except for the essentials, like healthcare workers and halfbacks. The brain buried in auburn hair reflects about how they clicked. About how she decoded, even laughed at his offbeat humor. And how effortless being around her was. The last time they had texted was Dec 2019 when the eagles beat the Giants and John wrote “Stupid eagles!” and Melanie wrote “muhahahhah.” Almost one long and strange year later, the Giants beat the birds inside the massive gray yarn skein known as empty MetLife Stadium. However slim, this game was the thread that could stitch things back together, even if she didn’t care squat about football. "What was that?" he texted her, along with a screenshot of the new score eleven months later. "Sorry I lost all my contacts when I got a new phone, who's this" "Who do you like more Snape or The Rock" "Ugh Snape" "You got it" He sends her a video of his quarantine project- the dark arts professor made of tape on his bedroom wall. The man in the video has less acne than she remembers. Apparently, not having colitis has served him well. After being 2, 3 and then 0 dimensional, they're 2 dimensional once again. She agrees to a call. Their first time talking in over a year. He dials her number. The voice answering is not as he remembers. Have I made a mistake, he wonders. So much for quarantine wisdom. But the phone call goes on and by the end, after his nerves have settled, he recognizes her. "So did you notice?" she asks. He wanted to exclaim that he felt no connection and that her voice sounded so different. But what a downer and how strange a thing to say. “So um.. it was my friend Sam who answered. And then my friend Emily took over. I came in after her. We were pranking you.” Nevertheless, he persists. They text for 2 more months as restrictions thaw. Valentine’s weekend. Cue drum roll. Cue sushi roll. Qu Japan in Philly, a trendy sushi spot to meet at for their second first date. She's wearing a green mask, made by voice #1, but indeed it's her voice underneath it. And her lovely mask suits her. And low and behold, so does her suitor. Their proverbial masks slip right off. With the help of sushi and purple fries, the date goes beautifully. When it's time to say goodbye, they don’t. Instead, he comes to meet her dog and play bananagrams with voice #2 who wins every game that night. They were too busy going bananas for each other!