Faxes and Phone Numbers

I had to go fax my tax information to my accountant in Israel tonight. It's what everyone wants to be doing on a Thursday night. My 22-year old step sister was staying over with me at my mom's house so I recruited her to come along for the ride. We drove along, singing together to the Black Eyed Peas and then fell to complaining about how we are both lonely and looking for more people to hang out with and that all we want are people in our lives that we can call when we come up with fun things to do. She is newly back from her mission, and, this being Utah, the majority of her friends are married off. I still feel new here as well.

We walked into the store and the guy behind the counter was exceptionally friendly. He was from the East Coast and had just barely moved here. I asked him if he came to go to school and he said he'd already completed his undergraduate, which inched him somewhat closer to my age range. He looked about my age, but who can tell? No wonder people like on-line dating; it would be great for those of us who are single if we could all carry signs around stating our age, marital status, sexual orientation, and interests. He sent my fax for us, and as we were turning to leave, he asked for our names.

My sister and I went out to the car and she said to me "Yeah, well, I see a lot of copies and faxes in your future."
"Yeah," I laughed and opened the car door. As I moved to sit down, I remembered what we had been saying when we left it. "I just want new people to hang out with." I felt like a hypocrite. I hate feeling like a hypocrite. "I am going to go ask that guy for his number," I said. "He's probably like 21 and he is working here, and he is going to think I am crazy, but I am going to do it."
My sister cheered.

I entered the store and the guy said, "Hey, you came back! I realized we didn't get the confirmation report from your fax."
"And I realized I didn't get your number," I said. "Do you mind if I have it? I am new here too and am looking for people to do stuff with me."
We started chatting about the East Coast and Utah and art and hiking- looking for mutual interests. After a while, I asked him if the report had come through yet. It hadn't so we went to try from another fax.
We sent it through and a paper printed out. "Hey, look! This time the report is coming right away," he said.
"But a paper printed out last time too," I said, showing him the paper he had handed me the first time I had left. "Is this the confirmation report?"
"Are you serious? Of course you are serious. You are holding it. I must have given it to you."
"So, this is what we were waiting for all along?" I asked.
He looked ready to sink through the floor.
"It's OK. I still got your number," I said, scooping up my papers, including both reports, and headed out the door.