Hearing her voice at the stock room window, Charlie forced himself to stay calm and smile agreeably. She’d used his name. He hadn’t told her what it was, so she must have gone to some effort to find it out. He couldn’t believe how pleased he was that she used his name when she greeted him.
‘Certainly. It’s Molly, isn’t it? I’ll just get those for you. Molly.’ Now he was using her name as often as possible, just for the pleasure of hearing how it sounded on his lips.
Again, she offered him that beautiful smile. ‘Thank you, Charlie.’
He filled her order as slowly as possible, and then sidled past his desk as she was assembling the pile of goods. Just as she was ready to leave, he handed her the note that he’d taken from his drawer – a note that had been prepared for just this occasion, from the moment he’d discovered her name.
She reached out to take it, and for the first time Charlie noticed that she wore a ring on her left hand. A wedding ring. For some reason, he had not thought about the possibility that she was married, and he almost snatched back the note. As he went to grab it again their fingers touched, and a sensation like an electric shock charged through his hand. They both gasped and let go, and then Molly stared at the note, looked back at Charlie, and deliberately drew it toward her.
‘Thank you, Charlie,’ she said again, so quietly that he could hardly hear her, and then she left.
He waited until the click of her heels had disappeared down the stairway before sinking into his chair. What had he done? They were both married! And they worked together, which was bound to cause some difficulties, and he might, in any case, have completely mis-read the situation.
Of course, he reasoned, it might actually help his cause that she was also married. If she was happily married, then she would automatically spurn his advances, and that would be that. On the other hand, her situation might be similar to his, which was something Charlie had only realised when he’d laid eyes on Molly the week before. The situation with him and Muriel was that he wasn’t unhappily married, but he wasn’t truly happily married either - simply because he hadn’t truly known what love really was.
Charlie recalled what he’d said in his note as he wrote it on one side of a piece of lined paper from a small writing tablet, and wondered how Molly would feel reading it.
Dearest Molly,
Forgive me if I seem impertinent or insult you in any way. That is the furthest thing from my heart.
The thing is, I had never experienced true love until I saw you at the store room the other day, and I fear that if I don’t tell you how I feel that we may never be together in the way that I know we are meant to be – that is, forever, completely and always.
If you feel even slightly the same way, then please agree to meet with me. We can go somewhere innocent and open, like the cafeteria, and it will be enough for me. Enough to dare to hope that you might feel like me, even if it’s just in a small way for now.
Your friend, Charlie.’
Had he gone too far? He might be the laughing stock of the requisition office by now, or even the whole factory.
But then she answered his note in only a few hours – discreetly and amiably. A woman from Molly’s office stopped by to invite him to sit at her table for lunch.
Oh, and Molly would be there too.
Charlie was pleasantly stunned. She had responded quickly, and the answer was positive. His mind began racing with romantic fantasies. In less than an hour they would have their first “date”. They would soon begin getting to know each other. There would be a whirlwind courtship, and before long a marriage, and they would live happily ever after. Suddenly, Charlie was happier than he had ever been in his life. He was in love!
And any thoughts of difficulty did not belong in the mind and heart of a man in love. This was truly special, and as something so heart-felt had to be sent from Heaven, Charlie knew that their love would be supported. He would look for signs, and if any seemed to indicate that this was not the avenue he was meant to walk along, with his soul-mate, then he would take heed. But he hoped fervently that all would go well. It was time to be deeply happy.
Chapter 13
* * *
An Order of Love
* * *
Date: ANY TIME
Charge Account No.: US
To Be Used For: LOVE
Job Order No.: OURS
Quantity Ordered: EVERY BIT
Description: LOVE IN EVERY WAY
Quantity Delivered: ALL, LITTLE BY LITTLE
Approved By: YOU AND ME
Received By: BOTH OF US
Molly’s love requisition form