Grocery Store Cupid

I think the world is run by C students.

~Al McGuire

I zipped into the grocery store and grabbed a shopping cart on a quest to restock my bachelor pantry. The first person I encountered was Jess, a bagger who had recently completed my college public speaking class. He held the distinction of “Shyest Public Speaking Student Ever” in my book, barely squeaking by with a C.

“Hey, Jess. How’s it going?”

“Hello, Mr. Hughes.” I was surprised he even spoke.

With summer school starting in a matter of days, I needed provisions. I was twenty-six and lived alone, still waiting for “Ms. Right” but with no prospects on the horizon.

I filled my cart with all sorts of goodies and ended up in the frozen food section, where I opened the freezer door to survey the pizza choices. I felt someone behind me and turned to find Jess, standing with his open wallet in hand.

“Can I help you, Jess?”

“You’re not dating anyone, are you?” He handed me the wallet, open to a picture of a beautiful lady. “I think you might like my sister Kathy.”

Had I entered another dimension? My quietest student ever was now here in the frozen food section trying to fix me up with his sister. Evidently Jess had been eyeing me throughout the semester as a possible match for her.

“Uh, she looks nice.” I looked around for a way of escape, but none existed.

“She works at the beauty school—you should call her there, maybe take her out sometime.”

“I am between relationships now, so I might just do that.” I didn’t tell him I actually had been between relationships for many, many years.

I handed the wallet back, and Jess returned to his duties. I finished shopping and paid for my groceries, assuring Jess that I would call his sister. I returned to my lonely apartment and ate my usual bachelor dinner of frozen pizza, still incredulous that Jess had suddenly found his voice as a matchmaker.

I looked up the number to the beauty school. Maybe I would call, but . . . maybe not. As outgoing as I was around my students and my friends, I was as timid as Jess when it came to women.

A few days later summer school started, and I dedicated myself to work. Two weeks passed, and I forgot about my frozen food match.

One morning in the middle of class, someone knocked on the door. I was shocked to find that it was Jess. I stepped into the hallway and asked if anything was wrong.

“When are you going to call my sister Kathy? Here’s a better picture.” He handed me a 5x7 photo of the beautiful lady and a slip of paper. “Here’s her phone number at work. Call her.”

“Okay, I will.” I handed him the picture. “I need to get back to my students.”

Jess couldn’t resist one more plea. “Call her.”

I returned to my class, amazed once again at the audacity of this student. That evening I sat in the office with three friends, making dinner plans.

“You need a date, Carlton,” one said.

I pulled the paper out of my wallet. “Well, there is this one lady.”

In a whirlwind, one friend grabbed the paper, another one dialed, and the other one asked for Kathy and handed me the phone.

It all happened so fast I wasn’t sure what to do, but I blurted out that I was Jess’s teacher and he had told me about her and would she like to have dinner with me and some friends tonight?

And . . . she turned me down.

She explained she had been cleaning the school all day and looked “dirty and awful,” plus she had to leave early the next morning for a conference. She apologized and encouraged me to call again sometime.

My unluckiness in love continued.

A week passed, and I was facing another dateless weekend. I pulled the paper from my wallet again. I mustered enough courage to dial the number and asked for Kathy. This time she said yes, and we met at a local restaurant the next evening. We talked and laughed as if we had known each other for years.

One date led to another and another. Three years later, Kathy became my wife.

For me, Cupid appeared in the form of a quiet young man in the frozen foods section of a grocery store, with a photo of a lovely lady. My “Shyest Public Speaking Student Ever” is now my brother-in-law. Jess never lets me forget about that C grade, even though he is responsible for one of the greatest gifts in my life.

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