“How much?” he asked.

“A lot!” she exclaimed.

“Maybe you could dip your socks in water to save on ice too…,” he added, teasing her.

“Don’t be ridiculous,” she said, sitting back.

He grinned. He looked vaguely familiar to me. Since he knew most of the people sharing my classes, I assumed he was in one of them too.

As the evening progressed, people came and went, and Joy took no notice of me.

I was enumerating the reasons in my head of why a woman like her would never be interested in someone like me, when she smiled.

“You’re right,” I blurted out.

“Sure am,” she said, leaning towards me. “What are we agreeing about exactly?” she asked, taking a long swallow of her red wine.

“The dryer thing” I said, trying to get my voice across the table. “Every bit counts, right?”

The more we spoke, the more I felt we were alone in the world.

“You shouldn’t smoke” she said, “It’s bad for you.”

I laughed.

“I’m Joy, by the way,” she said.

“Ben. It’s nice to meet you.”

“Are you an accountant?” she asked.