Conversations-8

Chelsea, my step-sister, came into the library last night.

"ROBYN!" She yelled at me in a whisper. We were in the library. "Don't you want to do something with student life?" she asked me.

"Yeah," I said slowly, "what about it?"

I may have someone for you," she told me excitedly,

"What do you mean?" I asked.

"Well," she began conspirationally as she sat down on the stool at the reference desk, "Do you know Brandon? He went on a retreat with us this weekend. He's thirty."

"Does he work in community life?" I asked her, "I thought he was older."

"Yeah, you know him?" she asked me with surprise.

"Yes. Funny story actually," I told her, "He graduated from the same grad program at the same time I did. I have seen him once or twice, and whenever I'm around him, I sort of feel like a loser."

"Why?" She asked with an indignant look on her face.

"Cause he has a great job in the field and I'm still working at the library" I said.

"Oh...well, he worked at the same place for like 10 years," she told me. "He came from a place where he knew everyone, and came here. He told us at the retreat we went on that it has been hard coming here because he just doesn't know as many people. I think I'm gonna set you up. Would you be interested in dating him?" she asked me.

"I don't know," I responded. "It seems to me that if he had been interested in the first place, he would have pursued something after we first met. But he didn't. Plus I thought he was married or had a girlfriend."

"Well, he doesn't. He's single," she informed me. "And I think he needs more people to hang out with. He hangs out with my friend Jeff all the time."

"Where does he live?" I asked, "Does he have a church he goes to regularly?"

"He lives in Flex," She told me, referring to the on-campus apartments. "And I don't know where he goes to church."

"What made you think of him for me?" I asked, curious.

"Well, he is a Christian, and after our quiet time, he seemed really sincere," she told me, "AND he knows a lot of random information. Like, did you know the flabby part of your elbow is called a 'tweenus?'

"No its not," I contradicted, "Its called a 'weenus.'"

Chelsea started laughing..."No way."

"I'm serious. You better go look it up." I said with a straight face.

One of Chelsea's friends had been listening in to the conversation. "I'm gonna look it up!" he said. He went over to the computer."

"See?" Chelsea said, laughing, as if to indicate that Brandon and I had things in common.

Chelsea's friend came back. "She was right!" he said, referring to my knowledge of the weenus.

"Yes!" I said, and I put my arms up in a gesture of victory. "I was right!"

Chelsea started laughing really hard. "That's so funny! I think you guys would be perfect for each other."

"Well, do you want me to tell him about you?" She asked.

I said, "Well, I always thought that the guy I started dating would be my friend first, so if he's interested in making some new friends and meeting people, then yeah, tell him I know a lot of people around our age. It's going to be hard for you to introduce us because we've already had an initial meeting."

"Hmmm," She was thinking.

"You could tell him that he was wrong, and that I was right..." I said helpfully.

"Yeah!" she said excitedly. "Okay, I'm gonna do that. I gotta study."

Chelsea walked away from my desk and started talking to her friends. I had to tell her to be quiet about three times. But I love her.