Chapter 17

The new red dress looks amazing paired with her light brown wedges and clutch, even though the neutral accessories make her feel so conservative. She got lots of compliments on it at church. Sol gives herself a wink in the mirror, then texts Willow with the details of her first date with the new guy, Raymond. Hope springs eternal, she says to herself. Franklin has been asking her to meet again, but she’s been too distracted to make room in her schedule for him. She picked a coffee shop in a Baltimore suburb to meet Raymond for their date today. She’s hoping that means she doesn’t run into anyone she knows. The locals call Baltimore “Small-timore” for a reason!

When Sol sees Raymond, she smiles and gives him a quick hug. “Nice to meet you!” They do the normal small talk, and Sol thinks he’s pretty cute. She likes how he asks questions and seems interested in learning about her too. She knows it’s a little hard to tell on the first date—people tend to be on their best behavior and looking their most attractive—but it’s a good start. She asks about his living situation and he says, “Well, I usually stay at my parents’ house during the week because they live near my job.”

“Oh, really?” Sol says, surprised but trying not to show it. “I thought you said you just bought a house.” She can’t believe how many guys she’s met who live with their parents!

“I did,” Raymond replies. “But it’s in Rock Hall on the Eastern Shore. Of course my realtor sold it to me like, ‘It’s only about twenty-five miles away from here.’ But he didn’t tell me that was if I had wings or a boat! It’s a new build, so it’s not like I was driving there to look at an existing house. I was looking at plans and picking all my options. The place is amazing! And the price was so good! I mean, maybe I was a little starry-eyed. But turns out my commute over the Bay Bridge ends up being almost two hours to get to work. I should have known it was too good to be true. So I usually stay at my parents’ house and then go home on the weekend. What about you?”

“Oh, that makes sense,” Sol answers, trying not to show her disappointment that he is a grown man living with his parents and looking for a wife. “Yeah, I’m thankful my commute isn’t bad. I have an apartment in a rowhouse in Baltimore City near Johns Hopkins University. The best thing is there’s a shared backyard that I can use to take my dog out. So tell me about your job.”

They continue chatting, and he seems nice, but all Sol can think about is how can she consider dating someone who lives with his parents. Even though he does have his own house. Once again, she’s thankful she’s learned to keep her first dates to an hour. When they say goodbye, Sol makes sure not to make any promises about seeing him again.

She texts Willow to let her know she’s back home and then texts Thea: Another one bites the dust. I’ll tell you everything tomorrow. SMH!

Thea texts back, Oh no, not another one. 🙄 That dress though!