Lids, Lions... and Love?

My grandmother always told me, "There is a lid for every pot."

For the first 30 years of my life, I believed her. Well to be fair, I didn't really understand what that meant for the first 13 but you get the idea.

After a string of heartbreak after heartbreak, I gave up on dating. Apparently, "I read too much," "I don't listen very well," and "Nobody understands my literary references." Well, sir, you're no A.J. Jacobs. You don't have to have read an entire encyclopedia set to know that relationship wouldn't work out.

So when my sister offered to let me crash with her on her business trip to London, I had to say yes. A week away from work with no responsibilities to mend my yet again broken heart, it was a no-brainer. Think of all the books I could finish!

In grade school, I watched a movie about a boy lost in London. The Trafalgar Square lion statues sprang to life and to cheer him up, took him to the library. I have been enchanted ever since. I've always wanted to spend the day reading in their majestic presence.

It was an unusually warm day for spring so I grabbed a sandwich and headed to Westminster. The air smelled fresh, and winter was finally over. A slight bite to the gentle breeze but nothing my jacket couldn't handle.

Settling in on the stairs, I cracked open my well-worn copy of East of Eden. With how my romantic life was going, I was considering becoming a Cathy. Kidding, obviously.

About a page or so in, a man sits gruffly beside me. Jeez, Louise. There are already too many people here and it's only 11 am.

He cleared his throat once. And again. Come on, dude, take a cough drop or something already.

I looked up. He waved his copy of Steinbeck as a hello. Well, what do we have here?

Our eyes locked.

Toni Morrison, be damned. His eyes were the bluest I have ever seen. He smiled, "I see we're… on the same page." His entire face reddened at his joke.

I burst out laughing, "Indeed, we are." I relaxed. He was charming.

"I'm Noah."

"Hello, Noah; I'm Allie. Nice to meet you."

"Likewise. For the record, I hated that movie."

My eyes widened. What? A man who has seen AND can reference The Notebook? "Me too, it's so unrealistic. Other Noah was totally a stalker. That's not romantic at all."

"Agreed."

We smiled at each other. Ok, London, well played.

I took him in. Blonde unruly hair, a five o'clock shadow that was oddly endearing. American accent.

"So where are you from, Noah? You don't sound like you're from these here parts." My fake southern accent was spot on.

He guffawed. "Correct, I'm from New York, here on business." Then, he switched to an awful southern drawl. "And what about you, little lady?"

My heart swooned.

“Same, on the New York part, not the business part. I'm on vacation. What part of New York?"

"Astoria, you?"

“No freakin way! Same, off Ditmars.”

This elicits a laugh. It's contagious.

"I'm off of Astoria Blvd., near the beer garden."

Wild. My favorite place in Astoria. What are the odds?

"I love it there.”

“Same.” Noah gazed forward, his eyes scanning the Square. "So, what do you think of the lions?" He gestured toward the statues with his free hand.

Oh boy. I geared up and described the movie.

Noah looked surprised. "No freakin way!" He winked at me. My heart fluttered.

"I saw that movie too but I could never figure out what it’s called.”

I get excited. "Me neither, I've googled it so many times and still don't know."

We shared a laugh. Who was this devilishly handsome gentleman?

"Well, you know the legend, right?"

I do, but his eagerness was endearing. "No, tell me."

"Unlike Patience and Fortitude, these…"

I interrupted him. "Wait. Stop. You know the lions' names in front of the New York Public Library?" I was incredulous.

"Of course I do, doesn’t everyone?"

I playfully rolled my eyes. "Well go on then."

"Ok, where was I?" He pretends to be deep in thought. "Oh yes!" Another wink before moving back into his story.

"These lions are called the Landseer Lions, and the legend has it, if Big Ben chimes 13 times, they come to life."

I sighed. "They are quite magical." He murmured in agreement as we silently took in the lions.

After another pause, "So what do you do for work, Noah?"

"Well, Allie, I'm a toymaker."

My eyebrows raised. He grinned.

"You know those children's kitchen play sets? I work in the home office for the manufacturer that makes the lids." He paused for a beat. "Toymaker just sounds more fun.”

No freakin way, Grandma. No. Freakin. Way.