Netting in Lemon Bay
For several hours that morning, in blazing sun,
our group waded in the knee-deep muck
of Lemon Bay, netting sea creatures
and collecting them in pails. Then we gathered
on shore with the naturalist to observe and
discuss the animals we had found:
juvenile flounder, shrimp, tiny crabs…
I left a bit early because I had a lunch date
with a man who lived nearby.
We had been communicating on Plenty of Fish
and were meeting for the first time.
Woops! There were no showers at the park!
I cleaned up the best I could with a wet towel.
Still sweaty on top and muddy on the bottom,
I went to meet my date at Chili’s.
We met in the parking lot with a hug
and a kiss on the cheek, not my usual handshake.
We talked for two hours over chicken fajitas.
Time flew by! I felt I had known him forever!
…That’s how I met my soul mate!
Reprinted from Life in Inspiring Places
Copyright© 2019 by Cheryl Batavia
Robert and I have been together for eleven very happy years since that meeting at Chili’s. I was sixty-five, and he was sixty-six when we met. My husband had been dead for over twelve years before I started dating, and I had nearly given up on ever finding a soul mate… someone with whom I have so much in common!
Gulf Coast Poet 