I wasn’t expecting a limo or anything to pick me up, but I found it comical to see April pull around in an old Dodge Neon. It was black and the perfect car for someone like her. You could tell she adored that thing by the way it had seat covers and a steering wheel cover too. She fidgeted a lot, fixing her make up in the mirror. She scraped the smudged parts away, the ones that were too microscopic for my eyes. I could see heavy bags under her eyes. It was clear to me she didn’t get much sleep the night before. April was probably worried the whole time. This would either be a great weekend for both of us or it would be a horrible one.

I feel like the polar opposite of this girl. While I am organized and well groomed, she cares a lot more about her parents’ approval than I ever pretended to. With the way she picked at her nails I could tell she was anxious to see them. Or maybe she was anxious to see Tom. I bet this whole weekend was going to make her go from crazy to a basket case. She hummed along with the radio and told me to put my luggage in the back with hers. All her suitcases were miss matched, and each seemed to be from a different era. I wasn’t sure how long we were staying there, but with the amount she had packed it looked like an eternity. This wasn’t uncommon for women. This really wasn’t uncommon for women who were trying to say “fuck you” to someone.

“So are we moving to Santa Barbra after the wedding?” I joked.

She looked confused, gazing back and forth between me and her luggage.

“What do you mean?” She asked, cautiously.

“You just have a lot packed.”

“Oh. Yeah, I know. Sorry. I never know what to wear to weddings.” Maybe that is why she assumed I didn’t know what to bring. I snickered to myself and she seemed a bit uncomfortable.

“You’re fine. I’ve had clients who have brought more for less.”

“This is a weird request. Could you stop bringing up your old clients as of now? It makes me feel weird.”

“Yeah, sorry. I wasn’t going to do it in front of your family or anything.”

“No, it’s for me too. I don’t want to be part of the type that is referred to as a client.”

“Suit yourself.” She pulled out onto the highway and we were off. The car was a stick shift, and as I saw her changing gears I noticed that she was wearing a t-shirt and sweatpants. She really didn’t know what to wear to these events, but I never thought she was the laid back type.

“You’re dressed pretty casually.” I said. She took note of my suit and remarked back. She was one of the few women I knew that still wore make up when wearing sweat pants and a t-shirt. I wasn’t complaining. She looked comfortable, and I was a little envious. I was also too professional to wear those clothes to attend to a client. Everything I wore was business professional. I took myself very seriously, even if my parents didn’t. It was about pride more than about image. I needed people to know that I did this job as a way to make myself happy, not as a way to make money. This woman had me feeling a little funny, though. Not that I didn’t enjoy it, it just made me feel strange and nervous like most clients don’t. I guess that probably was an age thing, as well. I didn’t have much experience with serious dating, and having to act like I did this weekend was going to be a bit of a difference for me. Shouldn’t be too hard to handle, though.

“And you seem a bit over dressed.”

“I always dress to impress. If you don’t want to be seen with me, I have to make it so there is nothing to complain about.” That wasn’t true. I normally dressed nice for clients, but I wasn’t going to say that again. When I said that I could tell she was more embarrassed than annoyed. I felt bad. Normally people took my snide remarks as jokes. I saw she was internalizing it. “I’m sorry, that was uncalled for. I’ve just had a rough day.”

“Yeah. Airports will do that to you.” At least she was understanding. “So what is our story? What should we tell my parents? Last I spoke with my mom, I kind of told her how I was pretty single, so we should come up with a good excuse.”

“How about you just didn’t think I was ready to meet the family yet. After all, it is awkward to bring a new boyfriend around your ex-fiancé’s wedding.”

“That’s a good point. Okay, so we aren’t that official yet. We have been dating for six months.”

“Make it two. Six months is verging into serious territory.”

She nodded in agreement. “Okay yes. We have been dating for two months.” As we drove, I couldn’t help but stare out the window on her side. She noticed and looked back at me. “What? Why are you staring?”

“Just looking at the ocean.” I wasn’t. I was admiring the warm afternoon sun on her face. I saw how it reflected and danced on her eyes.

“Yeah, it’s lovely out today. I can’t wait to swim.”

“I thought you couldn’t touch salt water?”

“I can’t. I meant at the pool.” She flipped the station to the CD and started singing along with one of the songs. “So how did we meet?”

“I saw you at the bar. I thought you were the most beautiful person to walk into the room. I ordered you a glass of wine, and you sat with me. We talked until the bar closed and they had to kick us out. Apparently you knew my friend Alex who was dating your roommate Travis.”

“Dating is a big word. They are more friends with benefits territory.”

“Okay, where did you go to school?”

“I attended USC. Valedictorian.”

“Excellent, my mom will love that.”

“And where did you go to school?”

“University of San Diego.”

“That’s a good school.” She struck me as bright. “And your major there was?”

“English, and I’m a failure at it. I haven’t gotten a single job.”

“In time you’ll find something.”

“Let’s hope. And it better not come with an apron or spatula.” I laughed at her joke. She was taken back. I was really surprised she didn’t know how funny she was. She smiled over at me, warming up I hoped. “So when they ask what your career is, what do you say?”

“I will tell them that I flip burgers with you.”

She laughed and then told me no a thousand times. “Okay, what will you actually say?”

“I will say I’m in finance.”

“Ooh, that’s good. Then they will think you have money. That could be my motivating factor for dating you.”

I knew that it was just internal dialogue, that she was trying to make our story, but this still was able to sting a little.

“Maybe they will stop harassing me about getting a job and will just keep sending me cash so they don’t think I’m using you. Maybe I can tell them that too. That we had a fight because you thought I was taking advantage of you. Yes, okay good.” She was mostly babbling to herself now and I was still looking back between her and the ocean. “Okay, what kind of finance do you do?”

“I run a small hedge fund.”

“Eh, that’s good, but it isn’t super believable.”

“It’s what I actually do.” I fished in my wallet for a business card and handed it over to her.

“What?” She looked between the road and my card. We pulled into the hotel and was thrown back. “Really?”

“Yes. I didn’t have those made just for this weekend.”

“Wait, I can’t tell if you are serious or not.”

“Call the number if you don’t believe me.” I got out and started to unload both of our things. Travis told me that Tom was really nice, but he didn’t seem like the best guy if he broke up with a girlfriend of six years after a car accident. It also seemed so recent to April that I didn’t really understand why Tom would already be engaged. Maybe April really was crazy. I’m sure this weekend would give me a better feel for her personality, whether I wanted it or not.

I almost had that list she gave me memorized. I knew what to do and what not to do. I could tell that she was the type to be easily agitated, but I have worked with this type before. It seemed so strange coming from someone so young who supposedly had their life in shambles.

I had actually been to this hotel before on business. It was very nice, and I could tell that not only did she come from money but she was expected to marry into money. The poor woman’s life must have been very foreign and scary for her. I could understand that, even if I never experienced it. I gave her the benefit of the doubt because I thought she was adorable. She was a little curvy and spoke her mind without thinking twice of stepping on someone’s toes. I made a mental list of her quirks. So far I had nail biting and picking at it as well as excessive list making. And inability to dress for an occasion would have to be added also.

April was an enigma. A lovely type A-anal enigma.

I’m sure I could win her over. She won me over without trying.