Disclaimer: Not ours. The real ones at least. Just wild imaginary spinnings.
Summary: Hmmm, about technophobes and friends who mean well.
Chapter Four
The convention was exactly what Jennifer had feared and foresaw: a meeting of PC-crazed geeks, most of them outstanding geniuses. But they had one common denominator: they lived for her work. Ninety percent of them were single, married to their profession and living in a world parallel to reality, where they were the ones whose rules applied. For the first time in her life she questioned the way she lived it. She saw herself as an old biddy, living for software updates and talking to her dog. Pathetic.
So maybe O was right after all. She needed to get out of the house and try to live a normal life.
But she did not want to do it on her own. The problem was, she did not have that many friends, except Mick. And O. Did HE qualify as a friend? A real friend?
Jen went back to her room and checked her mail. She had not done it at the convention because she wanted privacy, just in case she received a mail from O. She cherished those moments. And there was a mail from him.
"Hey sweet J! I have no idea when you are going to read this, but I wrote it just in case you are able to check your mailbox. I hope you read this soon and reply, since my friend is actually leaving his PC at my place for a couple of days and I'll be able to keep in touch without having to sneak up on every possible known person and borrow their computers. Where is your trip to? Are you enjoying it? I am having a couple of rough days at work, I am absolutely worn out. I'd love to hear from you. This thing IS addictive. And I mean it in the good sense of the word … and I didn't mean You by thing, I meant meeting you on the net … I'll shut up, because with every word I am putting my foot further into my mouth. Yours, O."
Jen quickly sent an e-mail back, wishing she could see just what he looked like. Not necessarily in person, but a picture at least. Did she dare ask him for one? He probably wouldn't even know how to download one onto the computer, much less want to send one over the net. Sighing, Jennifer leaned back on the bed, closing her eyes and trying to conjure up some image of what he would look like. Would he be blonde or dark? His eyes…were they as black as midnight, or as vivid as a blue sky? Was he tall…average…or really short? Would he speak with a deep voice, soft like the wind whispering over your skin or a grating one? Bad acne? Or smooth skin?
No matter what he looked like, Jen was glad that she had made a new friend. He seemed to genuinely care and that was more than she could say of Merlin. No matter what, she was going to enjoy the rest of her mini vacation and then she could get back to her normal life…with O.
Orlando practically fell into the door of his apartment, his body aching from all the fighting he had done on the set today. It was late, and he needed sleep, but his mind immediately thought of J and knew he had to sign on to see if she had e-mailed him back. It embarrassed him to know that he had suddenly turned into a computer nerd, but he really enjoyed the e-mails he got from J. She was funny and pretty intelligent. He found himself wanting to meet her, but would he really ever be able to? After all, would she turn out to go psycho on him if he ever revealed who he was? Now that he had thought of it, Orlando wondered if she was an LOTR fan. If so, he was done for.
He grabbed a bottle of water out of the fridge, as well as a salad he had made ahead of time and sat down at the kitchen table to log in to his e-mail account. As he waited, he shoveled in bites of salad and drank it down quickly with his water. Orlando was delighted to find not only one but two e-mails from J. He clicked on the most recent one, according to the date.
"O, I feel so strange calling you that all the time. Don't you think it's about time we actually shared first names? If you don't feel comfortable with it, it's fine. Just an idea. I have seen a lot of things I had hoped to see and some things I had no clue about. Imagine me, Minnesota gal, getting flashed in the middle of the day. Quite funny. Anyway, I am on my way home tomorrow. Thankfully. I hope to hear from you again soon! Jen…P.S. I am in L.A."
L.A.? She was in L.A.? Or rather had been.
Orlando's heart nearly stopped beating when he read that last line again. Then he looked to where she had signed her name…Jen. He never would have guessed Jen. He assumed it was short for Jennifer.
"Jennifer," he murmured.
It fit her. He wished he had known that she was going to be in L.A., so that they could have…could have what? Met? Yeah, right. He hadn't even known her first name till now. He rubbed his eyes wearily and tried to think of what he wanted to say to Jen.
"Jen, I like your name. And I don't mind sharing mine. It does seem strange to keep using initials when we've shared so much already. I have another question for you…what is your favorite movie? Song? Food? Okay, so that was more than one, but I am curious. I can't believe you were in L.A. It's where I am currently. I wonder if we could have seen each other in passing, and didn't even know. I sit here and wonder…were you the one who was on the other side of the street as I walked the Walk of Fame? Were you the girl who sat at the sidewalk café sipping lemonade? Or were you the one who I nearly bumped into trying to find shelter from the rain? Guess I shall never know. I even imagine what you look like as I sit here, typing this out to you. Fair skin? Blue eyes? Brown? Dark hair or light? No matter, I'm sure you are as beautiful as you sound. Sorry, I am tired, so if what I say offends you, please disregard. I shall sign off now. I hope that we meet soon. If you wish it…Orlando"
Orlando sent the message, his vision blurring as he logged off and started for his bed. He wanted to sleep for the next day or so and then he would think of a way to meet Jen.
Merlin jumped on his owner the exact moment Jen opened the door to her house. She tried to balance the weight of a fifty-pound Bobtail, her laptop, her duffel bag and jacket.
"At least YOU are happy to see me, old buddy," she said, while she managed to enter the house, set down her luggage and crawl over Merlin's head.
Yeah, Merlin would be always there for her. Suddenly she saw herself as an old biddy. She sighed loudly and went to the kitchen, got herself a glass of juice and went to her PC-Lab to hook up her Laptop to her desktop.
After leaving her luggage in her bedroom, Jen started back to her Lab when the ringing of her phone startled her. She let the answering machine pick it up.
"Jen, I know you are there, so pick it up," Michelle's voice echoed though her living room.
Obediently, she picked up the receiver. "How do you know I am here?" she told her friend.
"Because your plane arrived 45 minutes ago and knowing you, you'd take the shortest road home to see if I starved your shaggy creature to death or not. Besides, hun, you are totally reliable and predictable. So, how was the trip?" answered Michelle.
Jen thought 'predictable is the same as booooring' and answered. "It was great. I enjoyed the city and the convention. Not any interesting news, but hey, better than nothing. And I promise to be less predictable in the future."
Mick laughed on the other end of the line. "Please don't change, sweets, I love you just the way you are! So has Mr. Shaggy protested about neglect or mistreatment?"
"Not at all. But you know he loves you very much. Merlin would never turn on you, Mick," replied Jen, while checking the download from the laptop to the desktop in her lab.
"Any news from your e-mail-friend?" asked Mick's voice curiously.
Jen regretted having told her that she actually had found someone she was exchanging mails with through the personal ads.
"He is fine. We have been writing to each other," she answered.
"And when are you going to meet him? Did he send you a photo?" insisted Mick.
"Never and no. Come on, Mick, it doesn't mean a thing. We aren't going to meet. And we just enjoy writing. Nothing more," said Jen wearily.
"Awwww come on, sweetie, don't be a spoilsport," whined Mick.
"Sorry, Mick. I am beat. You know how much I hate flying. I'll talk to you tomorrow, okay?" replied Jen.
"Sure, hun, talk to you tomorrow then. Rest and take care, bye."
"You too, Mick, dear. Bye."
After hanging up she sat down at her PC. Should she check her mail? Hell yes! A long queue of messages from Data Corp downloaded and then she saw it. HIS mail-addy. Jen opened the mail and read it word eagerly.
He actually wanted to know more about her. Sweet, sweet Orlando. Orlando was such an uncommon, old-fashioned name. She didn't know anybody by that name. Well, now she did.
After reading the next paragraph, she panicked. He had said in one of his first mails that he was in California; how could she have forgotten! And as he described having been in a sidewalk café, near to the Walk of Fame… She felt like she was being transported to the Twilight Zone. Maybe, just maybe, they had been only a couple of feet away from each other and they had not known.
What if they had met then? What if he had seen her and been disappointed? He wrote that she was probably as beautiful as she sounded…
Jen looked at her reflection on the screen of her PC. Beautiful? Hardly.
What if he had run away and he had then deleted his mail account only to get away from her… 'Breathe, Jen, breathe. This is paranoid and totally psycho. Don't freak out. Nothing happened…but what if?'
She read the rest of Orlando's e-mail. He wanted to meet her. Not going to happen. She wouldn't go to L.A. again and he was surely never going to set foot in Minnesota. Next best possibility? Chat.
"Dear Orlando, I think that your name is absolutely great. Old fashioned, romantic kind of great. I am sorry that I forgot you told me you were currently in California, maybe then I would have tried to contact you there. You want to know more about me? There isn't much to know, but since you asked some very specific questions, I'll stick to them.
Favorite movie: I'd have to go for a tie between Labyrinth and The Matrix. Both for obvious reasons: I am a romantic computer geek. Favorite song? I don't think you know it. It is called Somebody, by an 80's techno pop band called Depeche Mode. Favorite food: Chinese and pasta. Now it's your turn to answer the same questions…
By the way, have you heard of 'chat'? It's an Internet communication form through which people can actually meet and write to each other as if they were talking. It's also called Instant Messaging. Maybe you'd like to try to meet that way? Hope to hear from you soon, Jen."
After finishing the mail she read it again. It was corny. But it expressed exactly how she felt at the moment. She thought that if Orlando really liked her through her mails, she had to be honest, and risk it that he might not like her anymore. Before she could think about it again, she pushed the send button.
************************
Orlando paced across the living room floor, his cell phone pressed to his ear as he waited for Billy to pick up. He was in a pure panic, and he needed some advice and fast!
"Come on, mate, pick up!"
" 'lo?"
"Bill! I need help!"
There was a slight pause. "Orli?"
"Yeah, it's me! Listen I've got a major problem. I need some advice on-"
"Orli, are ye dyin'?!" Billy interrupted with a shout.
"What? No!"
"Are ye bleedin'?"
"Uh…no."
"Are ye in jail? Stuck in some brothel with the press outside? Please tell me there is somethin' going on with ye besides ye NEED SOME DAMN ADVICE AT FOUR O'CLOCK IN THE FUCKIN' MORNIN'!!"
Orlando winced and glanced over at the clock. "Uh, sorry, Bill. I didn't realize what time it was. I'll call back later."
Billy sighed heavily. "No, dinna do that. What is it?"
"Well, I, uh…fuck, Billy, I didn't mean to wake you up."
"I know. Now tell me what ye want."
"What do you know about this chat, instant messaging stuff?"
He heard Billy's weary chuckle over the phone. "Orli, I think it's time I got to meet this gel, dinna ye?"
"I haven't even met her, you wanker, and no I'm not gonna subject the poor thing to meeting the likes of you. Now tell me what you know about chats."
"Well, what do you want to know? How to have one?"
"Yeah, basically."
Billy spent the next half hour walking Orli through the steps to set up a chat nickname on the computer. Orlando hoped he remembered what to do, because between Billy's yawns and slurred speech, he wasn't quite sure he got it all down in his head. After sending Jen a message back about his chat name, Orlando hit the search button and typed in his name, curious as to what he might find. He was shocked to see the 99,200 matches that came up. He sat there staring at the screen for a second and then shook his head. This was insane! Those couldn't all be for him. He scrolled down the list and felt his mouth falling open even more as he did so.
The thought of that many websites being about him and none with his permission, reminded him of just why he didn't like the Internet. Orlando was about to log off when the little flag went up on his mailbox again. He had an e-mail! He saw that it was from Jennifer again.
"Orlando, I shall meet you tomorrow around 6 p.m. your time, okay? Can't wait to talk to you then! Jen P.S. Just so you know, my chat name is merlin2"
Orlando logged off with a mixture of excitement and dread. Was he really ready for this?
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