Fowler - Jason tried to start a conversation

By Bobbi Fowler

Jason was trying to think of a way to start a conversation and he could feel his eyes growing heavy. Giving blood doesn’t usually affect me . . . I’ll just close my eyes for a minute.

Jason felt somebody patting his shoulder, saying his name.

Jason opened his eyes to see that is was the girl that had been sitting next to him patting his shoulder and saying, “Jason - wake up!” How does she know my name, he wondered?

“You ok, sweetie?” she asked.

Sweetie? Jason was puzzled. He struggled up in his chair, looking around. Yep, he was still at the donor center.

Wow, how much blood did they take from me, wondered Jason.

The technician removed the needle from his arm and Jason got up from the chair. He went to the refreshments area and helped himself, thinking if he ate something his head might clear.

He sat down and watched the girl gather up her coat and purse – and his coat, too.

When she got to his table, she asked if he was ok. Still bewildered, he shook his head yes.

She went about getting herself juice and crackers and then sat down with him and started talking about ‘Tilly’ and the sleepover birthday party she had her heart set on. “Who’s Tilly?” he asked. She laughed at him and said, “Oh no, don’t even try it. I am not having a sleepover with a bunch of little kids and not getting any help from you. She’s your daughter, too, you know.” Jason’s eyes widened in surprise.

Jason looked at her hand. Yes, there was a wedding ring. He snuck a glance at his own hand. He had a wedding ring, too!

She asked Jason if he wanted her to drive home. Drive home? Whose home, he wondered. This girl must be confused. Maybe they took too much blood from her.

Jason told her he was capable of driving and took out his keys. “What’s this,” he thought, looking at his key chain. There was a mini picture frame and in it was a picture of him, a little girl and boy, and the girl sitting at his table. The picture showed them on the porch steps of . . . what?! He peered closely at the picture and saw that it had been taken at his mother’s house!

Jason got up to leave, and so did the girl. Taking his arm as they walked toward the door, she gave it a squeeze and said, “do you believe it’s been five years since we met? Right here, in this place, and that we’ve been married four years already?”

With a jolt, Jason sat upright in his chair.

The technician was patting his shoulder and saying, “Jason, wake up – no sleeping while you’re giving blood.” The girl next to him, and most everybody else, was looking at him.

With a sheepish grin, Jason straightened up in his chair and apologized for dozing off.

Chloe got up from her chair and walked toward the refreshments area. She sat at a table and wondered how she could start a conversation with him; maybe ask him out. They had, at least, giving blood in common. That would be a start.

When Jason was done giving blood, he saw that the girl was sitting at a table having juice and crackers. Gathering his courage, he asked if he could join her. She said, “sure! I’m Chloe, and you are?”

“I’m Jason, and that was pretty embarrassing,” he said. Chloe laughed. After chatting a while, Jason asked her to go out with him sometime.

Chloe was relieved and happy that he had asked . . . . that meant she didn’t have to ask him! Chloe said she’d love to and gave him her cell number.

After a whirlwind year of dating and getting to know each other, Jason asked Chloe to meet him at the blood donor center. Chloe thought it an odd place to meet, but agreed nonetheless.

Jason stepped into the donor center and spotting Chloe, his knees weakened. What was it about this girl that affected him so, even after a year of dating? Jason told her about his dream that day as he was giving blood and asked her to marry him.

Chloe said yes, yes, yes! She kissed him and told him that sounded like the happily-ever-after future she was looking forward to, but they were going to have to talk about what they would name their daughter because it was not going to be Tilly.