John’s Date

John's Date

By Paul McCann

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6r2St2IrKro

John was at a delicate age when his family immigrated to Australia. He had just left all his friends behind and knew it was going to be hard to make new friends .He went to school in his new country but was teased about his accent and every day he found himself excluded from all the groups at school who regarded him as different. John was now very sensitive about the way he talked and withdrew staying mostly on his own until his school days were over.
After John left school he joined a local youth club hoping to make some new friends, especially a girl. He had never been out with a girl before and was keen to go out on a date.
He had always thought how nice it would be to have some female company. Since he arrived from his old country he had locked himself away inside a shell but now it was time to come out.

For a year he went every week but wasn’t able to crack it with a girl. Most of the boys had their own friends and didn’t want anything to do with him.

John was able to find a job as a storeman in a warehouse and started to save some money. He planned to save enough to return back home to the place he had left behind.
At work he was a loner and was happy to be that way.
One day he noticed a page that was pinned up to a board in the staff canteen.
It read,

Looking for someone special.
Why don’t you consider the Under 21 Social Club?
Where - We meet in the Church Hall, behind the Cathedral in Lobby Lane.
When - Time 6pm, every second Thursday of the month
How Much – There is a small membership fee to join.

John decided to give it a go and went along to the meeting.
He forked out almost a weeks wage for his membership and a cap, tea shirt,
and tickets for an outing the following week. The club went out each alternative Thursday on a pre-arranged outing. Usually a restaurant, theatre concert or show.
After a few months going along with them, he could see how impossible it was to make contact with any of the girls never mind try to date any of them.
Most of the people there kept within their own click. Small groups in a huddle stuck together in a world of their own keeping others locked out.

John tried hard to break into a few of the groups but people avoided him and left him ostracized from their secret circle.
Although he knew he wasn’t welcome he persevered and went along to every meeting hoping to click with some new member before they got their hooks into them. Most people who joined never gave their contact immediately and usually disappeared once they could see the cruel networking in the club.
Frustrated and disappointed John knew he had no choice but to also leave like all the rest had done.

Holding his head slightly lower to the ground John dropped out for a while and went into pubs and clubs hoping to meet a girl but after a few broken relationships he wasn’t feeling too good about life.
He was breaking up inside and the hurt was eating him up.
He knew the only cure was an arrow from cupids bow and not a poison dart to the heart. Something inside kept on believing in love.
He knew somebody was out there somewhere. He just needed to find her.
There was a little light shone through out of the blue when he saw an advertisement in the newspaper about this dating agency. There was a phone number and an address. There was also a website that people could check out. John had a good feeling about this and decided to give it a go.

After making the necessary requirements to become a member he stating what preferences he required in a girl then he waited for some one who met the criteria. It wasn’t long before communication arrived from a girl who was interested in meeting him.
John could hardly believe his luck and he arranged a time and place where they could meet.
On the evening of their date John bought roses and some perfume.
Waiting at prearranged place, in the tunnel under the train station John stood for a half hour. Thinking he was stood up, nervously he began to make his way home when he was attacked from a group of you8ng men.
As they were kicking him they mocked him about being so gullible.
One of his attackers introduced himself as the girl John was supposed to have met. As he was almost unconscious he could feel someone going through his pockets.

The only thing that prevented John from bleeding to death on the street was a girl who had witnessed the whole thing and contacted the ambulance and then the police. She was able to give the police a very good description of some of the gang members who had viciously attacked John.

The police had arrested three of the group that evening.
When John came to his conscious, the girl was sitting there by his bedside.

As he opened his eyes she smiled and said,

“Hello there. My name is Patricia.”

“I’m John. Tell me, what happened?”
John said,

“Well I’m afraid you were the victim of a cruel act?”
Patricia answered.

“How do you mean?”
John replied looking deeply into her beautiful blue eyes, as she spoke he could feel her words pierce his heart like an arrow from cupids bow.

“The police have had a statement from your attackers. They have been choosing their victims from some dating agency. They all had false ID and lured innocent people like you to meet the, on a date.”

“How do you know all this?”
John asked and Patricia replied.

“Well John, I saw everything that happened and rang the emergency number.”

“How can I ever thank you. You saved my life.”
He said.

“I only did what any person would have done.”
She said

“What a silly man I have been. ”
Said John.

“Well I don’t know. Maybe a little desperate but silly. No, never that.”
Patricia replied and she started to get up from the chair.

“You’re not going to leave. Are you?”
He said.

“Sorry I’m really must. It’s late and I have an early start in the morning.”
She said and smiled.
John reached out and she took his hand.

“Let me take you out to dinner when I’m on my feet.”
He said.

“You don’t need to do that.”

“Yes I do. Please say yes.”

“Ok. “
She said.

“How can I reach you? “
He asked.
Patricia took a card from her handbag and placed it on the table by the hospital bed.

“Call me.”
She said and then she walked out the door of the ward.
John lay there and knew he had just met the girl he was going to marry.

A year later on the anniversary of his brutal attack John proposed to Patricia.

They wasted no time and were married in a church, three months later,
After their honeymoon John was offered a supervisors job in the warehouse and within a year he became regional manager of the company.
After their first baby was born, John was offered an overseas position
as manager of their warehouse in Ireland, the place John had left so many years ago . After talking it through John, Patricia and their little baby left to start a new life in Ireland.

The End

By Paul McCann