Page 3 of Passion

“Honestly, I would go anywhere if I was feeling him that much. However, I like private moments. Being out on the town is nice, but it’s something I can do without. I do like watching movies and seeing plays at the theater. I definitely love good food, whether it’s an upscale restaurant or a hole in the wall.”

She giggled as she nodded and typed a few things. “How important is sharing core beliefs or interests with your partner? You said that it was very important. Why start off unequally yoked? That could only lead to future arguments that can take a devastating turn.” She glanced up at me and said, “That was worded perfectly.”

I smiled slightly. Opinions about small issues didn’t matter, but as far as religious preferences and major issues… we had to be in agreement on that. I could be very argumentative when it was something I was passionate about.

“I’m going to cover two questions in one this time, like it is on the questionnaire. How would your closest friends describe your personality? What is one quirky or unique quality about yourself you embrace? You said, I really only have one true friend, and he tells me that I’m bossy but kind, argumentative but passionate, no-nonsense but kind and loving. I’m somewhat petty and sarcastic too. However, I love hard. Someone would have to stab me in the back and twist the knife for me to step out of character.”

She nodded. “That means you’re not hot headed.”

“Only when it concerns my kids. I don’t play about them.”

“Understandable. For the second part, you said you’re very organized. You alphabetize things, put your books on the shelves from tallest to shortest, and can’t stand to leave the TV or lights on if no one is in the room.” She giggled. “Is there anything else? Like mannerisms?”

I shrugged. “I don’t know. Umm… I like things done a certain way, but I think that comes with living on my own for a while.”

“I’m more than sure. Would you be willing to do things differently if someone suggested it?”

“If I think it makes sense, yes.”

She laughed. “So you can be stubborn.”

I rolled my eyes. I’d heard that a time or ten, mainly from my mama and Clayton. If it wasn’t broke, why fix it? That was my motto for everything I did. Unless I could see the sense in changing it, I stuck to my decisions. Period.

“What are your love languages, and how do you prefer receiving love? Your response was acts of service and words of affirmation. At some point, all of these could be my love language. My needs change with situations. Sometimes I may crave physical touch or want a gift that shows how much I’m appreciated. I believe as we age, our primary needs tend to change a bit. Acts of service is big for me because I’m always so busy.”

I nodded and lowered my head as she stared at me. “You need help, but you won’t say it. Does Clayton know?”

I shook my head. “I show them that I don’t need it… that I have it all together. If I want something done, I do it myself, because I know it will be done how I want it to be done.”

I took a deep breath and exhaled. I knew that wasn’t a good way to be, but I didn’t like being disappointed or upset that something wasn’t done to my liking. Kerri nodded and moved on to the next question. It almost seemed like she wanted to be my damn therapist.

“How much time do you ideally like to spend with your partner versus alone? You said, I haven’t had a partner in years, so I would probably be clingy at first. I rarely get alone time, but when I do, I’m always busy doing something for the kids or cleaning.”

She looked up at me. “I would probably be clingy for a while. Let’s just go with that.”

She smiled. “Okay. Last question. What three adjectives would you use to describe your ideal partner?” She paused and smiled. “You said respectful, loyal, and trustworthy.”

I nodded. “If he’s all those things, then I have nothing to worry about.”

She nodded and smiled again. I watched her type a bit on her laptop, then she stood from her seat. I did the same as she extended her hand. “Well, we are done here. I will forward your information to the next department that will match you with your ideal partner. They will reach out to you when they find a match. That could be as quick as a couple of days or as long as a month, but hopefully, you will hear from them soon.”

“Thank you so much, Kerri.”

I smiled and left her office, heading to my vehicle. I was anxious and nervous but ready as hell to leave the place I was in to start a journey with someone who would be my forever.

“Shit! I gotta get out of here. You got the last one?” I asked my assistant.

“Yeah, I got it. Get out of here.”

I still had to run home and shower. There was no way I could go to the interview smelling like dog shit. I’d been super busy today and had seen at least ten dogs. One was severely injured, her organs practically hanging out of her. I had to take my time to save her. Her owner was a mess. Her little poodle had been attacked by a rottweiler and was barely hanging on.

A veterinarian was something I always saw myself being. I’d been loving animals for as long as I could remember. My maternal grandparents had a farm, and I was able to spend a lot of time there. My dad was a gynecologist and was always at work, whether he was in his office or at the hospital. I spent more time with my mama since she was a homemaker. More often than not, we ended up at her parents’ house.

Those visits shaped my future… my career, anyway. It seemed because I was so dedicated to it, I didn’t have time for much else. That was the reason I paid to have Arranged Hearts find a woman that would be compatible with me. I went out from time to time, but the pickings were slim. I was always running into ghetto, ratchet ass women, thanks to my boys always wanting to go to some club they frequented or a party.

They liked that shit. Hell, I used to like it too. After all those years in school, it taught me responsibility and made me grow up hella fast. I wasn’t mad about that. I was thirty-three years old and ready for something real. I’d been ready. After starting my own clinic two years ago, I knew I was ready. My parents had baby fever and were pressing me at every turn to find a woman to marry. So when I brought up Arranged Hearts to them, initially, they were excited.

After more thought, they were questioning whether I knew what I was doing. Hell, I was questioning that shit too. This entire thing could be risky, but at this point, I didn’t have anything to lose, other than the money I used to pay for the service. I had a prenup agreement ready for just in case, but I wanted to believe that the company vetted people thoroughly. The questionnaire I filled out last week covered all the bases as far as to what type of woman I wanted, so I could only hope they were just as detailed with their background checks.

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