I was just getting into my car at the gas station and was about to throw it into reverse when I felt a bump behind me that sent me slightly forward in my seat.
I looked in my rear view mirror and saw a tiny red car behind me, with a sweet looking lady inside.
From the force of the impact I guessed the amount of damage was minimal, and I was considering just driving away and ignoring it when I looked back in my mirror.
The lady had opened her door but was still fighting frantically with her seatbelt. When she finally got out, her tight auburn curls fluttered in the wind and grey eyes darted back and forth behind black horned rimmed glasses. Her arms and legs seemed long and wispy for such a small frame. A tan cardigan fit tightly over a tiny chest and floral print skirt hung down past her knees.
A first glance I guessed she was in her early to mid-thirties, but as she looked up at me her wearied glanced seemed much older than that.
I got out of my car and walked towards her slowly. She was pushing buttons on her phone with a perplexed look on her face.
"I guess we should call the Police." she said as I was standing in front of her.
I turned and looked at my bumper. There was a thin smear of red paint but otherwise it was hard to tell anything had even happened.
"I don't think that's necessary." I said. " It doesn't seem to be anything a quick coat of paint won't fix."
She started to dig in the purse she had grabbed from the front seat of her car. "Well, I better at least give you my information just in case."
I checked her out again. She wasn't really my type at all, but it had been almost a month since I'd had any. It just might be worth a shot.
"How bout we talk about it over some lunch." I said, pointing at the Japanese Restaurant across the street.
She slid into the booth across from me and I expected an awkward silence. Little did I know I was in for quite a surprise.
"I'm Alice." She said nervously as she fidgeted with the menu. "I never know what to order at these places... I was born in Iowa... My parents were stationed in Japan... I promised myself I would never eat raw fish."
"The soups are amazing!" I said trying to interrupt her confusion. "You can't really go wrong with the Miso."
She gave me the blankest stare imaginable, and dropped the menu just long enough to wring her hands a couple times.
"Do you know what happens when I eat soup in public? She asked.
Fortunately the waiter came so I didn't have to find out. She settled on a rice beer in a bottle. I ordered the Unagi.
"Eel." She said with a wrinkled face when I had explained to her what it was. "Aren't you afraid you'll get poisoned or electrocuted or something?"
