Tad sat with friends at the University outdoor snack bar. In his hand was the favorite chocolate cookie waved around as he described the joy of owning his new motorcycle. He laughed as he related the latest exchange with his father.

“Do you know what Dad calls motorbikes? Murder bikes! He really isn’t happy I sold the old car and bought my bike yesterday.”

Tad’s friends laughed and thus began a spirited conversation on the joys of living with parents.

It was on one of those illustrative waves with the half eaten chocolate cookie Tad had the uncomfortable feeling someone was watching him. The impression so strong he forgot he’d intended to share with friends the conversation with his Father before leaving for class that morning. Tad’s friends gave him a puzzled look as the conversation came to an abrupt halt and the cookie hung motionless in the air.

“Wassup!” Pete looked at his friend with concern. “Are you feeling OK?”

Tad slowly turned to scan the tables behind him. The strong impression was coming from that direction and he needed to settle this disruptive feeling before he could concentrate on embellishing the story. He didn’t hear Pete’s question. His friends were suddenly silent and turned to check the direction Tad was focusing on.

Tad’s friends saw what was bothering him at the same time and burst out laughing.

There three tables behind Tad was a strikingly beautiful girl, the most beautiful Tad had ever seen. She was surrounded by friends and they were all staring at Tad. This angel had a look of deep concentration and her friends grinned and nudged each other whispering to her as she stared. Tad turned a delicate shade of pink and his friends laughed louder and began slapping him on the back.

“Way to go Tad, when did you meet her and how come you didn’t share this news with your buddies! Wait ‘till we share this with the gang!

Tad brushed them off crossly. “I have no idea who she is!”

“Right, we believe you,” shouted the energized friends. “Not sure if the rest of the gang will believe you though.” The friends hooted and waved at the girls who waved back.

Angel said something to the girls and they sobered up instantly. They all left the table but after a few steps Angel looked back at Tad and smiled.

Now Angel’s real name was Sue and she was attending Psychology classes in the block next to the building where Tad was attending lectures for MBA.

Sue was one of those girls who are career focused. While she’d dated through High School and College she was not into going steady as that would divert her from her goal of upward professional mobility. But Sue was a woman and nothing stood in her way when she weighed matters and decided on a course of action. Watching Tad entertaining his friends she’d decided to check him out and perhaps modify her goals just a little bit to include him. Was he as good as he looked, or just another one of those empty headed immature men who were always trying to hit on her?

So Sue set about checking Tad out through Uni connections and watched him closely from a distance to see if there was any point in moving to the next level. The next level of course was a chance meeting in company with trusted friends.

Tad had seen Sue smile as she left the table, and for a brief moment his heart did back flips. The clamor from his excited friends was just background noise as he floated around on cloud nine. But once he was released from Sue’s focused attention his senses began to return and he became aware of his friends teasing. His look of irritation in no way calmed the storm of excitement and he knew he was going to get the ribbing of his life when they went back to the lecture theatre.

Tad had also dated through High School and College. It had all been casual. It would be unheard of not to attend prom, and you needed a partner of the opposite sex if you were to be considered normal in his group. His total interest was in sports activities and study and he’d no time for going steady. Serious relationships were just not on his list of goals and marriage was something for parents, not young men. All of a sudden he’d been confronted with alternatives to his life plans, and was unsure how to handle feelings he’d experienced at the table with his friends.

Who was this Angel? Somehow he felt he would see her again. He wanted to see her again. No, he didn’t want to see her again as she’d totally embarrassed him in front of his friends.

But every day he looked for her and was not disappointed. Wherever Tad went on campus Sue would be there with her friends. She’d give him a dazzling smile and then turn away to talk with friends, ignoring him completely.

But all this time Sue was gathering information with the same determination she completed class assignments and projects. Without his knowledge Tad’s friends became a party to this secret project supplying all information requested through third parties with relish and excitement. Sue soon had notes on the family and a substantial file on Tad’s achievements and failures. Then one day Sue looked over her notes and confided to her best friend, “This is the man I’m going to marry.”

Her best friend was sworn to secrecy and the next day the campus was buzzing with the news. Sue seemed unperturbed at the leakage and went about her business as usual.

But it was time to move to the next stage. The chance meeting!

The drama had been going on for several weeks and everyone on campus seemed to be aware of the plot but Tad. Tad was smitten for sure, but frustrated with the dazzling smile then to be coolly ignored. He couldn’t resist looking for that smile every day though. It was an obsession and he didn’t realize how ridiculous he looked making out each encounter was by chance.

Whereas he’d been totally focused on his MBA studies he now found his mind wandering to Sue’s smile during lectures and had to shake his head to concentrate on the lecture.

Then Tad’s friends asked if he’d like to go with them to a baseball game. They’d buy the tickets. But it was Sue’s friends who actually bought the tickets in close conspiracy with Tad’s friends and guess where they allocated seats for Sue and Tad? You got it right, together!

From that point on it was a foregone conclusion Tad and Sue were a number. Sue did some major adjustments to her future life plan and Tad was so besotted by his Angel he fitted right in.

Now that the mating dance was over they both concentrated on finishing their respective studies, and as soon as these were completed the following year they married and lived happily every after.

“© Copyright Ian Grice 2011 all rights reserved”