A Serendipitous Encounter

Mia sat alone in the booth, old classic easy ignored music was playing throughout the bar. Her phone buzzed for the 20th time, 20 missed calls. She turned it off as she sipped on her wine. She hadn’t expected today to go well but she also hadn’t expected it to go quite so terribly. She cringed as thought back to an hour previously, desperately thinking of the answer. It was a classic question, she’d been asked before. “Where do you see yourself in 5 years”. She could have said anything. Her former self would have jumped at the opportunity with her refined answer. But what did she say? Nothing. She inexplicably burst into tears. Mia had always been someone with a 5 year plan. Scratch that she had a 10 year plan no a life plan. She was going to get her degree in law by 22, marry the love of her life at 25, make partner in her 30s and fit in a kid or two along the way. Now here she was single and careerless at 29. Her eyes pricked with years as she thought about it. She shuddered as she heard the words “No way. Mia is that you?”. She so badly wanted to camouflage into the background instead she smiled at the slightly familiar man that stood before her. University or Highschool? Work? Was it one of Matt’s friends? She thought, still holding back her tears.

How have you been?!

“Oh it’s been great! How are you doing?” He looked at me slyly, “You don’t remember me do you?”

Mia shrugged waiting for him to leave but instead she slid into the booth opposite her. He outstretched his hand “It’s Ollie”.

A moment of revelation swept across her face “Oliver Crest?”

“The very same” Ollie grinned with pearly whites.

She looked him up and down.

“Yeah I know I changed a bit since highschool.”

Mia couldn’t comprehend that this smartly dressed handsome man that sat before her was the same guy who used to show up to English literature in baggy sweats and stinky of weed. A bit of a shocker, she had the urge to call up her friends from highschool and tell them about it, but she didn’t have their numbers. They could have made the same dramatic changes for all she knew.

“So what are you doing here?” smiled Ollie, “Bad day?”

“Is it that obvious?”

“You’re sitting a dingy bar all alone in a business suit”

“Well you’re here too and it doesn’t look like you’ve got a group of friends with you” she chirped out defensively.

“Oh I was just popping in to see Scott, he indicated to the middle-aged man behind the bar, “We’re booking this place out next Friday and I’m dropping off the deposit”.

“Well hello there” as if his words had summoned him, Scott was standing behind Ollie placing his hand firmly on his shoulder.

“Can I get you a drink?”

Before Mia could object Ollie said “Yes I’ll have a glass of what she’s having” then glancing at Mia half empty glance, “Scratch that! Let’s have a bottle”.

“A bottle of Merlot coming right up”

Usually Mia would have felt irritated by this imposition, but she had become curious. Just as she believed she would be a successful lawyer, she had expected Ollie to be a deadbeat dad by now or living paycheque to paycheque working at a gaming store.

“So how have you been Mia? The years seem to have treated you well, “I honestly don’t think we’ve seen each other since graduation.”

“You made it to graduation?” She regretted the words as soon as they’d left.

Ollie just chuckled, “Of course! Well I can see not everyone has changed.”

“What is that supposed to mean?”

“Oh nothing. It doesn’t matter”

Scott had reappeared with a bottle and glass, “Thanks Scott” Ollie took the bottle off him and poured himself a glass. The familiar glug of the bottle as it filled the glass with the maroon liquid always reminded her of her parents and summer nights in the Spanish countryside. They had planned to spend the summer out there, her and Matt. Now there was every possibility she’d be moving back in with her parents. She thought about the 20 missed calls sitting in her pocket.

“Cheers” the clink of their glasses brought her back to the here and now.

“Tell me about you? I heard you went off to Uni and stopped taking anyone's calls. Not even Emily”, he spoke jauntily yet she felt like she was under interrogation.

The mention of Emily’s name gave a thud to her stomach. She thought briefly to their last meeting, what was said or more importantly what wasn’t. The look of betrayal on her face.

“It wasn’t like that. We drifted. Tell me about you.”

She had asked him to change the subject but as he told her about his life she felt enthralled. He’s worked a bit after school to save to go travelling. He toured Europe on his own interrailing and waking up in a new city each day. He recorded his journey and released a book. He then went to University to study Engineering and fell deeply in love with a coursemate Ana who was on her year abroad. He was devastated when she returned to Italy at the end of the year.

As Ollie spoke, Mia watched him closely, his hazel eyes lighting up with happiness as he spoke of the good times, eyes cast down when he spoke of the bad. She didn’t know what it was about Ollie but she felt she could sit watching and listening to him for hours as she sipped on her glass of merlot.

He dropped out of University to follow her and they were engaged for four months before her highschool sweetheart won her over the day before the wedding.

He wrote a very convincing letter to his head of Department and went back to University and two years later graduated with a first. Now he works for a company that designed household goods. As he spoke she felt herself getting sunk into his words, she could picture himself there.

“Wow,” Mia was impressed, “You’re quite the storyteller.”

“Its been a long time, a lot just happened. So now tell me about you. Did you get your dream job and meet Mr. Right?”

She looked at him puzzled.

“Emily said you had a whole plan.”

“Oh right. I didn’t know you two talked”. Mia wondered worriedly about how much Emily had talked about her.

“So? I don’t see a ring.” Ollie said, glancing down with a smile.

Mia thought about the diamond ring, now sitting in her bedside cabinet. Her finger still felt naked without it.

“I had both. I lost both.”

Then Mia did something she hadn’t done since Matt had left their apartment 3 months ago. She opened up. She didn’t know if it was the wine or Ollie’s comforting gaze. She told him about their first meeting. How they met by chance and he did all the right things. They had a deep connection and wanted all the same things.

They had it all planned, the wedding, the honeymoon, dogs names, kids names and the things in between. She felt confident in her life. She held back tears as she told him about the day it all came crashing down.

“It felt like I didn’t know him. Like the last 8 years had all been a lie”.

“Hm,” Ollie paused, emptying the last of the bottle into Mia’s glass, “Are you sure you were in love with him?”

*Of course,” Mia said adamantly, it was the only experience she had had and it ticked all the boxes.

“Are you sure you weren’t just in love with the idea of him?”

“I don’t understand”

“So the right guy turns up at the right time and it all fits your plan? It’s almost as if you planned to love him.”

“You’re being ridiculous”, but Mia realized he had hit a nerve. Matt was perfect, well almost perfect. He had the right career, he was tall, dark and handsome as they say. She thought of him now, taking important business calls on their anniversary. Sure she may maybe she had ignored some imperfections, things easily overlooked when your partner is somewhat impressive.

“How did things end?”

“He just left.” Mia realised it was the first time she had been able to say that without bursting into tears, “He said he needed to find out who he was and what he wanted”.

“And what about you?”

“I know who I am and what I want. I’ve always known.”

“Have you? Or do you want what you think you should want.”

“I want what everyone wants!”

“Well what I want changes all the time”

“Oh come on, you wanted to be married to Ana at 23.”

Ollie shrugged, “I did. Now I don’t. Now I want to finish writing my Sci-Fi novel, have an epic Bachelor party next Friday and maybe get a decent chinese take out tonight.”

Mia was startled at the disappointment she felt, “Bachelor’s party? Are you getting married?”

“Nah,” He looked pleased by her dismayed tone, “I’m the Best Man.”

Just then Ollie’s phone buzzed.

“Look I’ve got to go soon, but I would very much like to take you out on a proper date!

From the day Mia met Matt she didn’t think she would get excited about the prospect of another date again, but here she was with butterflies like she hadn’t had in years.

She couldn’t believe she was excited about spending more time with Oliver Crest. If her teenage self could see her now, she’d be sick. She couldn’t explain to Ollie how an unclear past had made her desperate for a clear future, but maybe she had tried to fine tune things too much. She didn’t want the past to affect the future, but what if her future had always been defined by a fear. A fear of the unknown.

“So now you’ve got the chance to decide what you want. What do you really want?”

Several things entered her head. Make things right with Emily. Maybe take the trip around Europe that Matt never had time for. Ace the interview she had next Monday. She wanted to embrace her freedom.

“Thank you Ollie. I’m glad I ran into you.”

She left him with a kiss on his cheek and her number in his phone. Once she was past the doorway she reached for her phone in her pocket. Turning it on revealed over 30 missed calls. She called back the number.

“Mum, it’s me. Just wanted to let you know I’m fine and everything’s going to be okay.