Saturday night the doorbell rang at six forty-five. Matt was ahead of time. Jorden checked the peephole; he glared back. She jumped. After she regained her composure, she opened the door.

“Gotcha. Didn’t I?”

“Never!” Jorden laughed. “What kind of escort are you?”

“The best! See, I’m even early. Are you ready?”

“I am. I haven’t seen a show in ages.” It dawned on Jorden, she and Alex rarely went to the movies. Most of the time, he arrived too late.

Jorden noticed Matt looking in her direction. Her shoulder length hair shined from the shampoo and conditioner Emma Lynn had lent her. The pale rose sweater she chose went nicely with the dark brown wool skirt which flared slightly above her knees.

“You look great!”

“Thank you.” Jorden couldn’t help but blush. She had now become used to Matt’s distinctive features. His thick dark eyebrows arched upward to give him his Asian look. Together, they were an odd looking couple in this southern community. They drew looks of curiosity and a few rude stares. The rude ones irritated her. She wondered if Matt ever noticed them.

Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid turned serious in the end but was hilarious at other times. Many of the scenes got the audience howling at Paul Newman, Robert Redford, and Katharine Ross. At the end, Matt pushed open the theater’s door and held it for Jorden. “What did you think?”

“Loved it.” Jorden moved past Matt, thinking about how she enjoyed the characters and the South American countryside, especially in Bolivia.

“It’s only nine thirty, want to grab a beer?” Matt suggested.

“Why not,” Jorden replied.

They ended up at Delroy’s. It appeared to be a cross between a small restaurant and a bar, with light contemporary music playing in the background. Matt ordered two beers and nachos with cheese.

“Hey, I saw your former student today.”

Jorden looked up. “You must mean Nora.”

“Right,” Matt replied.

A smile lit up Jorden’s face.

“I helped Eloise and her daughter move into the Buena Vista Apartments today.”

“How nice of you.”

“It wasn’t just me. Major Hawkins and two other men from the office also pitched in. The major seems to be in our office a lot more since Eloise joined us. Rumor is he lost his wife a number of years ago.”

“So sad. Does he have children?”

“I don’t think so.”

Their server appeared with a tray of drinks and their order. The aroma of the hot cheese drifted toward Jorden.

Matt lifted his glass. “Cheers.”

“Cheers,” Jorden replied. Hungry, she dug into the chips and drank her beer. Customers were lined up for tables; the noise level peaked, making it difficult to hear.

“Shall we leave?” Matt stood as he picked up the bill. Jorden followed behind him, trying to avoid the rush of people who wanted their table.

“Whew! What a stampede.”