Operation Soulmate Read online

  “Can you believe she had never, even, made eye contact with him?”

  “Nooooooo!!”

  “Too shy!”

  “Woww,”

  “So that was her assignment for the week. I told her, if you want him to know you’ve noticed him, you are going to have to make some kind of connection!! She’d never spoken to him, not even to ask for a pencil. So anyway, this eye-contact thing was BIG for her. So she built it up all week, into this major thing, becoming even more terrified and even more invisible, as the week went on, just at the thought of giving him this teeny, tiniest of signals...and then bam! He comes in on Friday morning to grab a pile of papers from her desk and, knowing she’s about to run out of week, she just says to herself, ‘Okay, it’s now or never,’ And instead of ducking down to hide her blushing, as she usually does, she just looks up from her desk for the first time ever and straight into his eyes.”

  “Wow. Go Miss Y! So what happened!!!?”

  “Well, okay, so, at first he’s a little bit surprised....”

  “Well naturally,”

  “Well, yeah. But he gives her this big, beaming smile and she’s so shocked she nearly falls off her chair. So then, she gets really brave and she does it again at tea-break. Only this time when he smiles, she’s smiles back.”

  “Wow! Love it!!

  “Ok, it’s probably a tense, nervous little kind of smile but he totally goes for it. So then she’s totally into her shy, little version of flirting. It’s so sweet!”

  “Awwwww! That’s so loveleeeeeeeey.”

  “I know!!!! So this carries on right through the day. Then around 4pm, she’s just outside her office, getting a drink and just hanging ...at the water-cooler...”

  “Where else,” they both chimed in unison.

  “He smiles at her, she smiles back ...and I don’t even know what happened next because I couldn’t get much sense out of her after that point in the story. But I do know they’re going out for a drink next Wednesday night. Good, midweek night, low pressure, straight after work, not too short notice, respects her time, asked where she fancied going. She is in Heaven!!!”

  Geraldine sighed and just soaked up the sheer gorgeousness of it all, suddenly awash with feelings of awe, admiration and affection. Ben just seemed to glow when he spoke about his work, and that glow just seemed to spread somehow and fill up whichever room he was in at the time. He topped up their glasses and sat back looking satisfied and slightly mischievous again. “It’s hard to believe a woman could be that shy in this day and age, though, don’t you think? The way it’s all just kind of out there with you people nowadays...”

  “What do you mean, you people?”

  “Hey,” He said, holding his hands up in mock defensiveness, “I’m all for women approaching me, bring it on, that’s what I say, but the whole shyness thing, it’s kind of sweet, don’t you think?”

  Geraldine looked at him. He was so full of it! Women were always approaching him and he hated it!!! “Okay then Mr Bring it on, since you’re so obviously in demand and so clearly enamoured with this whole upfront approach, how come you’re still so very single? And if you’re not so totally enamoured with it, which I suspect is really the case, then how come you didn’t ask cute, sweet, shy Miss Y out yourself all this time...oh I know...”

  “Professional code” They both piped up in unison.

  “I would never go out with a client. It would seriously compromise the bond of trust between us. And anyway, coaching someone kind of takes away a lot of the beautiful mystery of getting to know them ...slowly...over time...” Blah, blah, blah, thought Geraldine.

  “Ah, so you like mystery then, do you?”

  “Sometimes...” he said, smiling enigmatically. Was he blushing slightly? Sometimes, Geraldine really couldn’t figure Ben out, at all. He was so clear and congruent in every other area of his life but was constantly contradicting himself when it came to his own personal approach to love. He liked shyness and mystery in a woman, yet also appreciated the upfront approach. Didn’t like women who wore too much make-up but couldn’t stand it when people didn’t make an effort. Claimed to be looking for a woman with depth and integrity, but always went for these model-types. It was as if there was this huge, empty space in his life, reserved for someone who so obviously didn’t exist, couldn’t exist. That level of perfection was impossible to achieve in a single human being. She deeply suspected that he’d secretly become too used to being single now and was just too scared to ever try again. Sometimes it was impossible to even imagine just what sort of woman was ever going to get under his skin and really shake him up. And there was no doubt in her mind, whatsoever, that a good shake-up in the love department, was exactly what Ben needed. Someone who would just blow his mind, so he could, finally stop thinking so much and start listening to his heart again.

  “Keep going Mr. ‘Bring it on’; you’re not even convincing yourself.”

  Ben studiously ignored her. He was used to negotiating tricky questions about his personal life.

  “And to answer your other question, it’s my choice to be single, at the moment. I’m newly divorced and just taking time to heal and to pay my respects for what once was.”

  “Two years!! Newly divorced!! I’ll bet there are Vicars who start dating and remarry sooner.”

  “Oh, you had to bring the church into it, didn’t you? I can’t believe that even you would use religion to bolster up a weak and flailing argument. Okay, here’s the deal. Vicars and politicians look good married, it’s PR. I’m waiting for the real thing.”

  “Oh, good answer, and a love-coach wouldn’t look good married then....?”

  “A relationship coach looks best relating, truthfully, with his personal integrity in tact, don’t you think?”

  “Hmmm.” Geraldine was not, at all, convinced. She got up to warm some plates in the oven, leaving Ben to wrestle with his contradictions for a while. He’d been challenged and they both knew it. But why was he still single?! What was his problem!? He was too nice, that was his problem. Yes, he did have women throwing themselves at him, constantly, but after a few dates, they quickly became friends or he’d just end up coaching them and feeling resentful. Geraldine had stood by and watched as one glamorous woman after another had turned him on, turned him into her coach and eventually turned him unceremoniously out, into the friend zone, only to disappear in hot pursuit of some irresponsible or otherwise wildly unsuitable guy who would offer them nothing more than the thrill of the chase, the lure of the unattainable.

  Ben picked up the receiver and proceeded to order dinner, while Geraldine nodded, shook her head and whispered “Mushroom bhaji,” as he tried to concentrate on speaking to the waiter. He didn’t want to think about what was going on in his dating life. He’d decided recently that women were just a little bit too complicated these days...and maybe, just a little bit too much like men. They actually did seem to relish the unattainable, the challenge. They were used to having to run after the careers they desired, put in bids for houses they wanted to buy, fight off competitors with their wit, intelligence and aptitude for the long, hard corporate haul. So when even the most eligible man was too available, emotionally, mentally, physically or in any other way, he ceased to be interesting. It was fair enough, in a way, he supposed. Men had been running things that way for centuries. But what happened when everyone thrived on the thrill of the chase, the seemingly unattainable? In the end nothing was ever attained, as everyone on the planet ran around chasing their own tail. Instead of someone, sometime stopping the madness, turning around, and finally noticing someone who was attainable and sharing one beautiful, brief moment of bashful eye-contact that might slowly lead to a life-time of passionate unravelling, and loving discovery.

  “Hang on a minute” He said, folding his arms decisively, as he replaced the receiver. “You’re a fine one to talk! “You sit around all day, telling people how to keep their marriages together, find a soul mate, let go of the past, have the perfec
t relationship. You do exactly the same thing I do, okay maybe in your own slightly kooky, other-worldly way, but it’s basically the same thing, and I don’t see you looking all that loved up right now.” Geraldine was stunned for a second or two.

  “What do you mean, kooky?”

  “Oh, no. I don’t think ‘kooky’ is really what that last question was about, do you?”

  “I’m sorry, Did you ask me a question. I don’t remember there actually being a question in what you just said. Maybe you meant to imply a question but, hey, it’s a bit late for debating by implication. It’s too vague. Wow it really is getting late,” she said, glancing at the clock (which treacherously announced that it was only 7.35) and stretching with faux-tiredness, while every cell in her body stood on high emotional alert. There was definitely an impending penetration of heart and mind looming on the horizon. How had they managed to get onto this subject anyway? Only 7.35 ...and now there was that blasted take-away coming... She was trapped!

  Geraldine also despised discussing her disastrous love-life. In fact, just recently, she had almost given up on relationships completely. Yet, it haunted her that she was still single and fast approaching thirty. It wasn’t, however, something she was overly keen on discussing in any great detail...and Ben loved detail. She was crap at relationships and that was that. She got up to leave but he stopped her by rushing to the living-room door and blocking off her exit. “Oh, no...We’re gonna have one of these aren’t we?” She said, desperately trying to avoid eye-contact.

  “No. Its okay, no need to panic. I’m just curious to know why you know so much about how to have a great relationship, why you’re responsible for so many happy couplings and yet, you’re still so single?” It was a good point. Geraldine shrugged her pyjama-clad shoulders and quickly glanced over to see if they’d left the back door open. It was locked securely.

  “It’s my personal choice at the moment, “ She said bravely, “I’m newly aware of the fact that I’m crap at relationships and I’m taking time to heal and to pay my respects for what never was.”

  Ben ignored her facetious tone. “Okay then Gerry,” He continued, warming to the subject and cheering up considerably, confident that a conversation about his train-wreck of a love-life had been completely averted. “Just answer me one simple question, and then I promise to leave you alone.” For a moment or two, she stood facing him, like a tiny hunted animal, a rabbit, caught in the proverbial headlamps of the proverbial on-coming truck. She suddenly felt exhausted and so not in the mood for anything like this conversation. Still what damage could even he do, with one question?

  “One simple question?” She said, wondering if there was really any such thing as a simple question, hiding away in Ben's extensive inquisitions lexicon. But when a conversation like this was started on home turf, there were very few escape routes, so she quickly decided that under the circumstances, a single question seemed relatively harmless.

  “Okay, okay,”

  Ben took a deep breath. He was tired of seeing her like this. He was tired of seeing both of them like this, but he was sure he could help at least one of them. “If you believed that I could help you, I mean really, help you. I mean, if I promised that I could help you to find the perfect guy before you turn thirty, would you be, at least, willing to talk about this?”

  Geraldine stared at the locked, back door for a second or two, then back at Ben. Even if she could find the key quickly enough to get away from him, where would she be running to? He’d certainly come after her, and any escape could only be short-lived. Suddenly, escaping through the back-door seemed eerily symbolic of her current approach towards her entire, emotional life, and she knew with all her heart that running away from the country’s top relationship coach was as good as saying, there’s no hope for me, ever! She collapsed back into her chair, grabbing an unopened bottle of wine from the coffee table on her way back. What did it matter anyway? If he couldn’t help her it would be just another night, just another chat with Ben, just another one of their fun but fruitless battle-of-the sexes, mutual moaning sessions with nothing lost. But if he could help her, ...then her life was about to change, miraculously, and just in time for the dreaded birthday.

  “Okay, then, give it your best shot. Show me what you’ve got.”

  “What, all of it?! Honey, I don’t think you could handle it.”

  “Ugh!! Ben!! Stop messing about...” Geraldine cringed slightly. It was so weird when Ben flirted with her. Funny, but just, plain, weird.

  “Okay, let’s get serious about this,” He said, disappearing into his room for a second, and returning with a notepad and pen in hand, ready to begin his coaching drill.

  “Oh no,” she said, wincing slightly. She'd forgotten all about his legendary thoroughness.

  “It’s okay, just a few probing questions.” He said, unhelpfully. She glared at him through narrowed eyes. “I’m joking! Look I already know practically everything about you anyway. Those walls are quite thin and your voice carries a lot more than you think it does.”

  “Ugh,” She said, looking away in disgust. Not that anything noteworthy ever happened between those walls.

  “Look, this is just to get to the bottom of what it is you’re looking for why, you haven’t found it yet and how you can change that.” He said, succinctly. It certainly sounded harmless enough, and she was beginning to have trouble standing anyway, so she decided to just slump back into her chair and simply refuse to respond to anything too probing. “Okay, so what are you looking for?” he said, pen poised expectantly over pad.

  “What do you mean? A man, of course...”

  “Yes but what kind of man?” Geraldine rolled her eyes. “Look, if you’re not going to do this properly, we’re just wasting our time here, aren’t we? If you want to get a different kind of result to the one you’re currently getting, there’s going to have to be a bit of a change in attitude here.”

  “Okay, okay.” Geraldine was a bit taken aback. She’d never seen Ben like this before, so focussed; it was cute. It certainly made her sit up and take notice. She could see now why he had the no-nonsense reputation he’d earned over the years. “Okay then, but first I have a confession to make...”

  Ben sat forward in his chair and leaned in closer. “Good, this sounds like progress already. A confession is always a precursor to some kind of breakthrough...”

  “Promise not to laugh though.” He sighed, and gave her a look that was so full of compassion she knew she could probably tell him anything at that moment, and he would listen with the deepest respect and understanding. She shook her head and sighed. Oh, he was good. No doubt about it. “Okay, I’ve got this...list.” She almost whispered.

  “Great! A list is a great idea! See, this is gonna be so easy with you. You’d be surprised how many people don’t even have a list. Okay, go get the list” he said, pushing his shirt sleeves up, rubbing his hands together and then running them through his hair in what (for most women) would probably have been a maddeningly attractive gesture.

  “Okay, great." she said, eyeing him warily. "So.. okay, while it's great that you’re okay with the idea of a list....and that’s reassuring.... So far so good.. you have to promise not to laugh at the list itself when I bring it out. Okay?! I mean, this is not your regular, run-of-the-mill list...”

  Ben sighed. “Gerry, do you know how many lists I’ve listened to over the years? Believe me, yours will not be funny.” Geraldine jumped up and rushed to her room, feeling excited and terrified all at once. She was about to finally get help. But she was also about to open up to Ben, in the process, in a way she'd never dreamed she'd have the courage to. She was about to and share with him a new level of weirdness that went deeper than those even he had witnessed in her so far. It was too late. She was in too deep now, and even the room seemed to be moving around and sort of... spinning in agreement...beckoning her to take action.

  When she returned, Ben was scribbling furiously. “Hey, I haven’t even been in th
e room. What could you possibly be writing!?”

  “Just some background notes, I’ll show you later. Okay, lay the list on me.” He said, as she carefully placed a carved wooden box onto the table. He tried hard not to smirk, when he noticed on closer inspection, that it seemed to be engraved with tiny hearts, stars, angels and fairies.

  Geraldine watched him closely, daring him to comment, but he said nothing. Choosing instead to simply bite his bottom lip and blink hard. “Oh just stop it 'Mr. Bring it on'; you’re still single.” She said, opening it up slowly, to reveal a purple, satin lining which lovingly held a single sheet of folded, purple notepaper. She gently unfolded it, and handed it to him with reverence. “You have to read it, I can’t read it out loud; it feels too weird.” She said, hiding her face in her hands momentarily. Ben scrutinised the sheet of paper for a second, before beginning to read a list, some of which looked to him like gobbledygook written in an impressive gold ink. Nevertheless, he read it out loud, patiently, as Geraldine listened, cringing ever so slightly.

  Twin Flame Checklist

  Sense of familiarity, as if you’ve always known each other

  Similar tastes in aesthetics, clothes, people and food.