by Katie Karian

#

“So, anyway? Anybody there? I’ve been the only one posting for the last ten hours or something.” Marjory rolled her eyes. She wasn’t hyperactive, everyone else was just uninspired. Maybe if she babbled her head off totally, somebody would pipe in and tell her to shut up.

“I’m in love with a wonderful man.” She glanced up at the forum title. Well, it WAS in her daydreams anyway. Falling in love with a wonderful man. Came right after her daydreams about a hot red mustang and blissful road trip around the world in said car.
Meh. She'd just invent a man. Why not? She was a writer. She could do anything she wanted – hahahahah!

Ok. Who to pick?

Magazine Guy? She thought about the guy on the front of a random magazine she saw at Borders and fell deeply in love with. Whoever he was.
No, it needed to be a real person - or based on a real person she knew.
“His name is Norman, and he’s a guy....” She then went on to describe Andrew Kite in full. She so totally enjoyed this. She mentioned his clumsiness and the way he was constantly running past her office.

“That’s how we met. I glanced over my shoulder and saw him passing one day, and bonzo. I knew it was the real thing. I mean, he’s peculiar. And there is a lot I don’t know about him, but he and I are just like this (I’m clasping my hands over my heart). It’s the real thing, I swear it.”

#

Andrew stared at his computer, his face turning red.

“Hey buddy, you look kinda bad. You have shellfish for lunch or something?” Tim glanced at the computer screen and his eyebrows hit the ceiling. “Whazzat? Some lonely hearts club? Man, I didn’t realize you were into that stuff.” He paused, waiting for an answer from Andrew who was still staring at the computer screen. “Well, hey man. I’m not gonna tell on you. What you do is what you do. But you OK? You haven’t gotten propositioned or something? I mean,” he wiggled his head side to side in time with his hand. “Some of the characters out there on the web might not be totally on the level about themselves, if you get what I mean.”

Andrew minimized the screen. He couldn’t believe this. Here he’d been lusting after the Goddess all this time and there she was doing the same thing about him. It was perfect. It was just like one of those blasted love stories which his sisters kept trying to get him to watch.

His shoulders slumped and he broke into a shaky smile. It made him happy and scared at the same time. So what came next? Should he go down in person, right now, and introduce himself? He should. Or would she freak out? Maybe she was shy and afraid to do anything about her lustful desires.

He glanced at the screen once more and caught his breath as his eye caught detailed descriptions of his body. Yep, lustful desires. She wanted him.

The smile became a broad grin and he was almost tempted to twirl around in his chair and hand out cigars out to everyone. That is, if he had cigars. Maybe he should run down to the drugstore to buy cigars to hand out to everyone.

He turned in his chair and met Tim's blank look. “You won't believe this...” He started out eagerly and then his voice trailed off. He couldn’t talk about the Goddess behind her back. Maybe someday when they got together, she wouldn’t want anybody to know how it took a website to bring them together. “Oh forget it.” Andrew got up. This time, he really did have to go to the restroom.

#

Marjory blushed as Andrew Kite went past. Gosh! He could have seen his description on her screen. True, she’d given him a pseudonym, but wow. She'd gotten way too carried away. She closed out of her screen and glanced at the computer clock.

Four p.m. on the dot. Time to scram.

#

Andrew sighed when he passed the Goddess’ abandoned domain. Here he’d been hoping for one last glance and maybe a word. He could have asked her to come out for a beer or coffee or whatever she wanted. He just wanted to be with her and look at her and tremble in excitement over his luck.

He packed up his computer and grabbed his jacket.

“Goin’ home?” Tim won another game of solitaire before switching back to estimates. “You know, I hate to say this, but I don’t think we’re getting this one. The old coot doesn’t know an automotive part from a fridge part. I don't know why he wants me to use these prices. . . ."

Fridge. Andrew swung his computer back over his shoulder. The White Serpentine boards. He had to get home or somewhere and log in. He could still send her a message. Tell her that he was there. That he . . . .

He blushed as all organized thought failed him. He liked her, wanted her . . . loved her?

#

“Marjory, if you use my hair straightener again, I swear I will sneak in some night and use it on your nose.”

Marjory slammed the fridge door shut and prepped a tossed salad. She was back on a diet. Ugh. She hated being so small. Life was a nonstop diet. She gained a pound and suddenly it looked like she was preggers.

“Marjory, would you look at this?” Em waved her straightener under Marjory’s nose. “All that red hair isn’t mine.”

Marjory glared at her annoying baby sister. “Go ask the boys. Ask Marty. Didn’t you notice how flat his hair was this morning? Go look. He’s in the living room eating in front of the TV.”

That worked. Em turned and stalked off toward the living room, brandishing the straightener like it was an ax.

Dom looked up when she sat down at the other end of the table with her food. His dark blue eyes met hers in reproach. “You’ll have to eat your words one of these days, Mar.”

Marjory rolled her eyes and opened her notebook computer. “Just because you decided to go to seminary next year, Dom, doesn’t mean you have to start preaching at me. She won’t find out whose hair that was unless she does DNA testing on it. And it’s probably hers. She dyes her red hair black the same as me.”

She logged onto the internet, entered the White Serpentine site . . . and gasped. Somebody actually responded to her babble in Daydreams. Happiness is! She couldn’t click on the thread soon enough.