Poetry Man. Melanie Schuster

believe it or not, and he was in PR or something. We actually had a decent conversation for about a minute until he said that he hoped I wasn’t a democrat. That’s when I noticed the little enamel Tea Party button on his lapel and I got up and walked out. I just couldn’t deal with it,” she said wearily. “Besides, if I’d stayed in my chair, my next ‘prospect’ would’ve been the married man.”

      Sherri and Emily knew how seriously Alexis took politics and infidelity so they didn’t suggest that she had overreacted. Emily did have a question for her. “Have you ever thought about online dating?”

      Alexis made a face. “Yes, I tried that, too. The results were less than stellar. I keep getting emails from boys who were too young and men who were too old. Lots of white men, for some reason. Why they found their way to a site called Mahogany Singles I don’t know, but I was their pick of the week.”

      “Don’t be so close-minded,” Emily chided her. “Are you telling me you wouldn’t date a man from another race?”

      “Not if he’s old enough to be my grandpa,” Alexis replied. “I don’t care about race. I just don’t want to date senior citizens. If somebody bought me a Mercedes and it was blue instead of red, I certainly wouldn’t hand back the keys,” she said. “If a man has the right qualifications, who cares what color his wrapper is? I’m just not into antiques, that’s all.”

      Sherri tried not to laugh but failed. “That is so wrong, Alexis! An older man might have a lot to offer. Wisdom, maturity, sophistication…”

      “Age spots, wrinkles and a lifetime supply of Viagra,” Alexis cut in sarcastically. “If you’re interested, I have several you can email. One of them looks like he played backup for ZZ Top, except his beard is longer.”

      They were all laughing when Todd Wainwright came to collect his beautiful bride. Todd seemed to be perfect for Emily in every possible way. He was tall, gorgeous, brainy and he adored her. He cherished her so much that it would have been sickening had it been anyone but Emily on the receiving end of all that love. Alexis felt as if her friend deserved every wonderful thing that had come into her life and she was really happy for the two of them. They chatted for a while, until Todd announced that Emily needed to relax before dinner.

      “You ladies will have to come up to see us soon,” he said. “No more flying for her before the babies get here.”

      Once upon a time Emily would have had a sarcastic remark to rebut a statement like that, but all she did was smile and agree. “We’re actually cutting it close,” she said. “This is the beginning of my last trimester. I’m due in August but with twins you never know.”

      Alexis and Sherri walked the couple out to their car and waved them off. Sherri gave Alexis a one-armed hug and reminded her that she had to pick up Sydney from a play date. She got into her car and buckled her seat belt, but before she drove off, she had to drop some knowledge on Alexis.

      “I just figured something out today, Lexie. The reason you’re meeting the wrong men is because you don’t know what you want in the right man. You need to make a list of every single quality you desire and then you’ll know him when he finds you,” she said.

      Alexis frowned. “A grocery list for a man? That doesn’t sound very romantic. It sounds kind of desperate, actually.”

      “Not really. What happens when you go to the store without a list? You come home with everything except what you went to get. You have to know all the characteristics you’re looking for in a man before you throw yourself into the mating pool. And I figured something else out today, too. You really don’t want to date, you want to get married. You’re looking for a husband, not a playmate. I could see it in your eyes when you were looking at Emily and Todd.”

      “No, I don’t,” Alexis sputtered.

      “Yes, you do, and there’s no reason why you shouldn’t want to get married. You’d make a wonderful wife and mother. But in order to get that, you need to be very specific about the man you want to see first thing every morning. When you make that list, don’t hold back. Include everything you can think of and then put one secret thing at the very bottom of the list. It has to be something that will truly touch your heart that no one else could ever guess. When you see that trait in a man, that’s how you’re gonna know he’s your mate,” Sherri said confidently.

      “If you know so much about it, why aren’t you hooked up? It seems to me that you’re the one who should be on her way to married bliss, not me.” Alexis was very fond of having the last word, but so was Sherri.

      “Yes, but remember there’s one big difference between you and me, chick. I don’t want to get married. Go inside and start working on your list, I’ll call you later.”

      Before Alexis could marshal up a reply, Sherri was backing down the driveway, waving merrily. All Alexis could do was stare at her friend with her hands on her hips and a little pout on her lips. She walked back into the house and poured the last of the lemonade over ice, deep in thought as she did so. She wasn’t completely sold on the idea of making a list, but she did go into her bedroom, taking out a pretty navy blue leather journal she’d bought a couple weeks ago. Armed with her glass and her notebook and a pen, she went to her deck and reclined on a chaise, sipping and thinking.

      Chapter 2

      Despite Sherri’s insistence that a list would make things easier in the dating department, it only made things worse. Alexis dutifully wrote down all the characteristics she was looking for in a man. However comprehensive the list was, it wasn’t magic; even months later, the list didn’t cause Mr. Right to show up at her door. She was sticking to her resolution not to look anymore, but she hadn’t noticed a sudden influx of new men in her life. She told Emily so while they spoke via Skype that night. Emily was breast-feeding one of her sons and Alexis felt a pang in her own breasts as she watched. She was so fascinated that Emily had to call her name a couple times to reengage her in conversation.

      “You aren’t listening to me, are you?”

      “Not really,” Alexis admitted. “Where is Daniel?”

      “I’m impressed. Most people can’t tell Randall from Daniel. Daniel has already dined and his loving daddy is changing him and putting him to bed. So tell me what happened with the dating thing? We talked about this back in June and here it is, almost Halloween and you’ve done basically nothing to improve your dating situation.”

      “I told you I’m not on the hunt anymore. He’s going to find me and so far he’s taking his own sweet time.”

      Emily was about to say something when Todd came into view to scoop up Randall. He was bare chested and wearing scrub pants and the look of love he gave Emily made Alexis’s heart turn over. After he greeted Alexis with a quick hello, he bent to kiss his wife and cradled their son on his shoulder, patting his little back to insure a good burp. Emily stared after him with the same besotted look in her eyes and Alexis suggested that they talk later, but Emily wanted more dating details.

      “Emmie, there are no more details. I just haven’t had any social intercourse to speak of, really.”

      “Wow. You made this decision way before the babies were born and now it’s the end of October. But I really do think it’s better to take your time than to mouse around with a slew of losers. Don’t worry. Your man is on his way, trust me.”

      “He’d better get here soon because frankly I’m losing interest in the whole idea. I’m looking for a couple new spa locations, one in Hilton Head and one in Georgia. I’ve decided to be a tycoon. I don’t have to look for anyone or wait for anyone to do what I do best.”

      Emily sighed deeply and ran her fingers through her hair. “Don’t give up on love, Alexis. There’s someone out there for you, I know there is.”

      Todd returned to the bedroom and soft music started playing. He had a tray with two flutes of what looked like champagne and a plate with fruit and cheese. This time Alexis insisted that she had to leave