flummoxed

visiting with my parents at their church this Easter Sunday, i relished the anonymity and relative comfort their ward brings. i had long since resigned myself to the lack of singles in the tri-cities area and had ceased expecting any social surprises. sure, a few of the folks remember me from back in the day, but the vast majority leave me alone in relative peace and quiet.

that is, until a friend of my mother's waylaid me at the end of church with the questions dreaded by all singles: "are you married? no? but you have a boyfriend, right?" cringing inwardly at yet another awkward admission of my lack in this department, i bravely answered, 'no' and waited for my doom.

i was not to be disappointed. without pause, she proceeded to outline the virtues of her home teacher--'he's single!' apparently being the most vital--and expressed interest in setting us up. hmming and haw-ing, vaguely agreeing to let them get my number at some point--i looked to my mother for rescue. to my despair, she abandoned me to this kind sister, who promptly grabbed me by the hand and hauled me down the hall to meet aforesaid single man.

cheeks aflame, i was barricaded in the library, with no hope of rescue. wishing i had already hit the road back to seattle, i let her pull me down the hall (again!), plop me in front of a surprised young man, and stammer out some awkward introductions. leaving us with the comforting "you're single, she's single, you should email" directive, she left us alone.

apparently, that's all it takes: i'm single, he's single.

we'll see.