Tom spend the rest of the evening reflecting on what happened that day and the bike ride of their lives.
Out for a Run
Early in the morning, just like any other typical Monday morning, he wanted to go for a five-mile run. This day, instead of his typical run on Preston Ridge Trail, he opted to hop in the car and drive over to Anderson Bonner Park, as it is a known place in the Dallas area to people watch. Tom thought since he is newly single and now working from home due to the Covid-19 pandemic that he needed to at least look at a beautiful woman, if he couldn’t actually meet one in a normal manner.
Tom arrived at the park feeling a bit tired and lonely and quickly realized that the park didn’t necessarily meet up to its reputation, or at least his expectation. His momentary disappoint met was met with his inner drive and the feeling of the exhilaration he gets through the typical runner’s high that he feels when exercising. This run washed away most of his sleepiness, changed his mood, and opened up his senses for the day.
Run for Coffee
He finished his run and was still a little on the sleepy side and needed some caffeine to start his day off right. He knew that the local Starbucks was basically shuttered, being a Seattle based company that feared the pandemic and how the public perceived the company. So, he chose a local coffee shop that had remained open during Covid, bucking the proverbial system.
As Tom was in line to order (with six foot social distancing- he is not an animal after all), he noticed the woman in front of him. She stepped up and ordered the most complicated coffee he has ever heard of on the face of the planet. Something with all kinds of milk bi-product or replacement, some form of foam or half-foam, whatever that was, and some sweeteners he never knew existed and some whipped cream on top.
“Okay,” he said out loud ,and thought I wasn’t born under a rock, I’m still young. He additionally said, “Why so complicated?”
Just then he heard a giggle from behind him. “Really,” she said. Tom turned to see a woman in a funny mask that had a monogramed message across the front that said: I can’t understand you.
He read the message and laughed himself. He thought for a second, he could no longer understand much these days. “Of course,” he said, “I’m not sure I heard you laugh or not through that mask.” Carrie then giggled again.
Next, it was Tom’s turn to order and he said, “Black coffee please.”
Then Carrie said “Of course.”
Tom said “I like to keep it simple.”
Carrie said, “Typical man.”
Tom then stuck close by as Carrie ordered, and was preparing himself for delivering a snarky response, expecting Carrie to ordered a super skinny, extra-foam, magic bean, soy milk, super tall, half-caf, latte.
But Carrie simply said “Coffee please.”
The staff walked her through what else she might want in it, making suggestions about milk choices, flavors, and the various cup sizes. And she said “no thanks. I just want it black.”
Big and Black, Tom thought, but decided not to say that out loud.
All that Tom could say was “Oh.”
Carrie laughed and said, “oh no, I couldn’t take the pressure.”
They bantered back and forth a little longer and Tom asked if she wanted to sit outside with him. She obliged and they sat for a couple of minutes together, cracking a few jokes about the pandemic, and current life through her mask. Carrie then said that she had to run as she had to go into the office for a couple of hours.
“In-person, heaven forbid,” Tom said. He then got her number and asked if she wanted to go out sometime, or somewhere. She agreed and left him sitting there outside the coffee shop, thinking about the encounter that morning.
The Running Clock
After a few minutes, Tom realized he had asked out a woman, and he had never even seen her full face. Pretty eyes, check, great personality, check, and everything else, check, check…
Since he didn’t know what he was up against, he decided not to wait long and texted Carrie and asked if she wanted to meet and continue the conversation.
She texted back and said, “It’s about time you reached out,” which made him laugh.
Tom thought, if I can meet her outside, maybe I can see her without that mask. Just then Carrie text back saying, “how about we meet this afternoon at Arbor Hills?” Arbor Hills Nature Preserve is a 200-acre park in Plano, Texas with lots of paved walking and a covered pavilion, in addition to the tons of mountain bike trails that even offers night trails for riding in the dark.
Then she said, “up for a bike ride?”
Tom thought, really? He was Excited, but he said, “of-course.”
Run to the Park
Carrie had also recently broken off her engagement, since she hadn’t seen her fiancé in about a year. Her former fiancé was from Los Angeles where they both went to college, but he was afraid to travel and wouldn’t go anywhere during the pandemic. She said they grew apart as he was unwilling to take on any risk what-so-ever to see her, and didn’t want her to come to him. He didn’t believe in traveling on a plane during the pandemic.
Carrie showed up to the park at the agreed time to meet Tom, donning the mask, but without her bike. She said that she just wanted to see him in bike shorts and she didn’t really mountain bike.
Tom just shook his head and laughed, knowing he had met his match. She had bested his humor all day. He walked her over to the pavilion for which he had previously called up and rented, just for the two of them to eat at after their bike ride.
Impressed, Carrie sat down and said, “I have to get this mask off so I can understand you better.”
Tom said, “Yes, that is how it works.” They both laughed a bit.
Tom was again impressed and thought, why would you want to cover up that face? He said, “your beautiful in person!”
Tom walked back to the car and grabbed the food basket he had brought to the date, with the wine and sandwiches he bought at the store on the way to the park. The two of them sat for a couple of hours just getting to know one another, and then walked around holding hands the rest of the afternoon.
He liked that she was simple enough to meet at a park instead of fancy dinners, and she liked that he was willing to see her and had made the move to get it done despite the pandemic or any other obstacles.
The Relationship and the bike ride of their lives
Tom later learned that it was a pretty low bar that he had to meet, but with that knowledge in hand, he now tries much harder from that point forward to impress Carrie, with whatever he could do to make her happy. Carrie was over the moon from that day, and likes her man to lead the way as long as she can joke about it.
She also orders her coffee with all of the pomp and circumstance one can muster. She likes the way Tom rolls his eyes when she orders.
The couple got married in the spring of 2022, in an outside ceremony at the pavilion at Arbor Hills. It was preceded, however, with a morning bike ride with the entire wedding party. Tom finally got the bike ride he wanted with Carry. Tom, considered this the bike ride of their lives.
