As he did, Rhonda said, “’Cause I don’t know how.”

Dave stopped and turned to Rhonda. “Huh?”

“I don’t know how … to do what you just said you would like to do. I’ve never done it before.”

Dave looked blankly at Rhonda. “What do you mean?”

Rhonda shrugged and said, “I’ve never kissed anyone before.”

“What?” Dave was stupefied. Because what Rhonda had just said couldn’t have been true. “No way!” he squawked.

“Yeah way. Never happened in high school. And then never happened at college.” (Rhonda had gone to Northern Maine Community College and majored in precision machining technology.) “And then I started workin’, and I got busy … And, I mean … I won arm wrestling at the Maine Potato Blossom Festival two of the past three years.”

Dave was just about to ask Rhonda what any of this had to do with her never having kissed anyone before when Rhonda said, “And I work in oriented strand board.” (Rhonda was a supervisor at Bushey’s Lumber and Engineered Wood Products.)

Dave didn’t understand what Rhonda working in oriented strand board had to do with her not having kissed anyone before either, so he said, “Yeah, so?”

“Dave, come on. Look at me.”

“I’m lookin’ at ya.” And Dave liked what he saw. “And … you know,” he continued, “I think you’d be surprised how many guys think you look … really good. I mean … I do.”

Rhonda winced.

And then Dave realized something.

And he looked at Rhonda.

And thought about what else Rhonda may never have done if she had never kissed anybody. “Wait—So you’ve never…?”

“No,” said Rhonda flatly before Dave could complete his very personal question. “Not that it’s any of your business,” added Rhonda brusquely.

Dave felt bad for pressing the issue and was about to apologize when Rhonda continued, “And—I’m not really sad about it, you know. I’m happy bein’ just me. I don’t need to be with someone to be happy, you know.”

“Oh, I’m not sayin’ you’re not happy,” said Dave. “You’re the happiest person I know.”

“Yeah well … maybe I could be happier,” said Rhonda, looking at the floor again, “if I was with someone like you.”

Dave’s heart swelled and the lightness filled up his insides again. “Yeah?” he asked, beaming.

“Yeah. I think … that’s somethin’ I’d be good with.”

“Really?”

“Yeah.”

“Well, all right, then,” said Dave. And that strange lightness continued to fill up his insides. And it made him feel like he might burst—because he was so full of joy and hope and anticipation. “So…” Dave was about to ask Rhonda again if he could kiss her, but wondered if maybe she wanted to be the one to initiate the kiss, and he asked, “Do you wanna try kissin’ me?”

“I don’t,” said Rhonda quickly, quashing Dave’s hopes.

“Okay,” said Dave, genuinely accepting her answer, but still feeling that strange lightness.

And then Rhonda added, “I wanna do this.” Rhonda pointed to the painting—which Dave had forgotten he was holding.