Perfect Halves Book One

CHAPTER THREE

CHAPTER THREE

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Three months earlier

April 15th

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“COME ON, KATE. YOU must try it. You never have the time to go anywhere or meet someone. That shop of yours is taking up all your time. This is your chance,” Ellie waved her hands, trying to persuade Kate. She gazed at Kate, and her big puppy eyes brought a smile on Kate’s face.

Kate couldn’t find any fault with poor, sweet Ellie. She was always trying to find happiness for everyone else, even though her own was questionable. Kate knew that Ellie didn’t have anyone special in her life.

“I don’t know, Ellie,” Kate replied with a shrug, and indecision tightened her lips for a few seconds. “You know that there are all sorts of loony people out there,” she continued waving her hand. “And besides, I don’t think it’s safe to meet someone on the Internet. I’ve heard so many stories about everything that could go wrong,” Kate explained to Ellie.

Kate didn’t believe that it was safer outside, in the real world, than it was to connect with someone on the Internet. Crazy people could be found everywhere, in the streets, shops, and bars. She had read enough minds to know what ugly thoughts crossed people’s minds.

“Okay, Kate. Maybe you’re right,” Ellie agreed with her friend. “But you’re smart and have a special way to deal with people. You’ll know if something’s off. So, you won’t go and meet a guy if you think he isn't all right,” Ellie tried to persuade her. Then she picked up her cup of tea and sipped from the hot tisane Kate had prepared for her.

“That's an idea, Ellie,” Kate admitted with a tilt of her head. “But a guy might look all right. That doesn't mean that he is,” Kate replied, to rile Ellie.

She didn’t like people mingling in her life, and she had to pay Ellie back for doing just that.

“The bad ones are like that,” she said, circling her hand. “And of course, I’m one of the good girls, and that’s exactly why I’ll choose the worst of them,” she joked, but Ellie didn’t notice.

“Don’t be so negative,” Ellie replied, slapping her arm. “Come on, Katie. Let’s make a couple of nice salads, as you promised, and then you’ll open your computer.”

“What do the salads have with my computer, Ellie?” Kate simulated misunderstanding to tease Ellie.

Ellie rolled her eyes and scowled at Kate.

“You know what I mean, so don’t play with me. We’re going to eat and prepare a profile for you at the same time. I know the best dating site.”

“Have you tried it?” Kate threw over her shoulder on her way to the kitchen.

“Me? No,” Ellie grimaced, following her.

“Then how do you know it is the best?” Kate glanced back at Ellie.

“One of my colleagues used it,” Ellie explained, waving her hands. “And she got married a little while ago. She said that she’d had the chance of a lifetime with that site,” Ellie didn’t forget to add.

“Hmm. I see. Ellie, Have you thought that she might have been one of the few lucky ones?” Kate asked. She reluctantly opened the laptop she had left on the kitchen counter at her arrival at home. “Statistics are not encouraging,” she added. Kate had learned that she would usually have the last word in a conversation if she quoted bogus statistics. No one bothered to verify her statements.

Ellie dismissed her reply with a quick wave of her hand and went to gather the ingredients to prepare the salads.

Kate’s gaze followed Ellie. She didn’t want to yield too easy, so she insisted. “You know that I’m right, Ellie. Tell me! Would you do it if you were in my place?”

“Me?” Ellie turned to Kate. “No, of course, not! And you know why. I’m not good at reading people. I believe everything they tell me, and I always get into trouble. You know it,” Ellie explained.

Kate remembered some of Ellie’s bad choices and shook her head.

“However, you’re not me, Kate. You’re smart, and you know people. You can do it.”

Kate couldn’t do anything else but smile. Ellie had always put her on a pedestal, and sometimes Kate felt awkward because of that. However, that was one of the reasons she couldn’t refuse Ellie.

“Okay, I think I can handle it,” Kate shrugged. “I am pretty sure that no one can trace me and find out who I am,” she thought aloud. “Maybe they can find the town if they know to use my IP address, I think,” she said, and a frown appeared between her brows. “Anyway, I won’t answer to any wacko out there. I won’t give any pertinent information about me,” Kate continued pensively. “Okay, Ellie. Now we’ll finally see if I’m smart enough to deal with something like that,” Kate said, and Ellie jumped up and down with glee.

Kate had an eerie feeling about that whole online dating thing. She felt as if something had touched her. It was a sign that something with serious consequences would happen, and she didn’t like that at all.

Ellie waved Kate's worries away. They fixed the salads and then returned to the computer.

“Look, this is the website I told you about,” Ellie showed to Kate. “Look, Kate, they have a lot of questions. You can’t get it wrong. You'll find just the right guy. I tell you,” Ellie beamed at Kate.

“Yes, they have questions, but with predefined answers. Look at this, here. Do you think any of this is me? What else can I choose?” Kate asked, frustrated, pursing her lips.

“Yep, you’re right,” Ellie conceded. “It’s a little rigid.”

“And imagine that the guys have the same problem. Most of these answers don’t even apply to me. I suppose that any man who would fill in this form will find himself in the same situation. Even if he doesn’t want to lie, he will. He doesn’t have a choice if he wants to continue with the form,” Kate said, her frustration mounting.

“Choose something close enough to the truth. Something must work for you,” Ellie insisted, afraid that Kate would give up.

“Yes, I can do that if I want to create a new me from scratch. But I must choose something. I can't go further otherwise,” Kate scowled.

They needed about two hours to answer all the questions in the questionnaire. Both were exhausted, and only Ellie experienced something like a triumph. Kate had lots of doubts.

“Now, you have to choose a picture. Choose the best one you have, of course,” Ellie thought to say. She knew Kate well.

“I don’t think so,” Kate replied, shaking her head. “I have to choose the worst I have. If someone likes me in that photo, then he’s a keeper,” she grinned maliciously at Ellie.

“You’ve always had a very odd sense of humor, Kate,” Ellie shook her head astounded. “God, everybody puts the best they have out there. No one tries to attract a possible match with the worst mug shot possible. It’s like using your passport photo, Kate, for God’s sake,” she exploded.

“Maybe,” Kate replied, indifferent to Ellie’s words. “But I like to do things my way, and you know that well, Ellie girl. I know the exact photo that should go up on my profile. I had one taken last year, immediately after I recovered from those two weeks of flu. You remember it was the worst flu in the city. And, in fact, I did need that photo for my passport, if I remember correctly. I was thinking of going on vacation, but then I gave up,” she said pensively. “Yes, I think that’s the photo I should try,” Kate said with self-confidence.

She started browsing the folders on her computer to find the photo in question. Ellie rolled her eyes in disbelief, but Kate just ignored her.

“It’s like you don’t even want to try,” Ellie accused her.

“Au contraire, ma petite. This is me trying,” Kate said with determination. “You’ll see it’s for the best.”

Ellie made a few attempts to make Kate change her mind. However, nothing swayed Kate from her decision. Ellie should have known better than wasting her breath. Kate was stubborn as a mule when she chose so.

Kate looked very pale in the photo she chose. She looked like she had scrubbed her face well, and her cheeks had no color. Only her eyes stood out, green like the sea, a heritage from her departed mother. Flat and dull, her hair seemed unhealthy. At least, she had it dressed in a bun, similar to what her grandmother would have worn five or six decades earlier.

Ellie protested, but Kate didn’t budge. Up the photo went onto the profile.

“Now you must wait,” Ellie advised her as if she had a lot of knowledge about online dating. “You’ll probably get some matches tomorrow, but I wouldn’t count on that,” she shook her head. “Why did you choose to be matched with guys from all over the world? I really don’t understand. You should have chosen just Montreal, Kate. How would you meet a guy from Australia, for instance?” Ellie wondered.

“You were talking about the chance of a lifetime, remember,” Kate replied playfully. “If I want to meet my soul mate, then I must consider that he might be somewhere at the other end of the world, don’t you think? What are the chances to meet him right here, in the city? I’d have already met him,” Kate pointed out, circling her hand.

Ellie seemed to have some doubts, but she didn’t want to contradict Kate. Between the two of them, Kate was the clever one. She knew a lot of things. She always knew the right solution for a problem, and astonishingly, she knew what a person could do. To Ellie’s surprise, Kate was right every time, even if everything Ellie knew about an individual would have pointed in a different direction.

Ellie couldn't understand Kate’s precision in reading people. Nevertheless, since the first year of school spent in Kate’s company, Ellie had learned not to question her friend’s reasoning. Kate always knew better. Why? It was a mystery. However, Ellie had stopped asking that question a long time ago.