Page 34 of The Amazing Date

“Is that…” Roberto whispers, and I nod.

I recall the names from the guidebook. “A young Bill Gates.”

“That’s two,” I whisper. “Will you follow us?”

“And there’s number three.” Roberto points to a young black man dressed in a Seattle Mariners baseball jersey and ball cap. “Ken Griffey Junior, one of the most famous sports figures from Seattle.” He skips over to him with a wide smile on his face as if this was the real ballplayer. “Will you follow us?”

I pace behind them, scooting around the men and working my way next to Roberto, who is walking to the exit double time. “Are you sure?” I ask. I’m not much for sports, but I’m good with lists. I don’t recall seeing the Griffey name in the book.

He scoffs. “Over six hundred home runs. They’re going to build a statue of him someday here in Seattle.” He races up the stairs.

“Hold up a second. There are many other candidates I know for sure were born in Seattle. I read about them. Shouldn’t we—”

He stops at the top of the step, pivoting toward me, towering over me two steps up. “Did your list contain every person ever born in Seattle or just highlighted a handful?”

My eyes flutter at his aggressiveness. “It was only about twenty or so names. However—”

This time I’m interrupted by the just-arriving Thelma. “Hey, guys. Dear, look, it’s Sir Mix-a-Lot.” She taps me on the shoulder and disappears down the steps. Ronnie follows her with a wide smile, joy in just being around his beautiful wife. He begins to sing, “My hooptie, now let’s roll.” I don’t recognize the song, but most of their pop references are older than me.

I take the remaining steps two at a time to catch up to Roberto. The trio of characters strides several steps behind me. Roberto is standing by the turnstile, about to exit. “So, we aren’t even going to talk about it for a minute? If we’re wrong, we have to wait ten minutes before doing it all over again.”

“I just have one question.” He turns toward me once again, the joy on his face from spotting Ken Griffey a distant memory. “Is it possible your list doesn’t hold the key to every secret in the world?”

I jut out my hip and roll my eyes. It’s a rhetorical question he knows doesn’t deserve an answer.

“Exactly. Let’s go.” He pushes through the turnstile, and I wave for the characters to follow. We march in silence the two blocks to the massive Starbucks sprawling half a block and three stories high. Starbucks originated in Seattle, and I know from my guidebook this isn’t the address of the original store. There are plenty of Starbucks in the immediate area, and I wonder what makes this one special.

Roberto’s smile returns when he spots his favorite race staff member standing next to the It Takes Two poster. I bite my tongue. I’ve already said enough.

“Hey, Juanita. Great seeing you again. Here you go, all three safe and sound. We’re ready for our next clue.”

Roberto’s familiarity with the staff member causes the hairs on the back of my neck to wiggle. She’s very attractive, probably lives in LA, and is clearly Latinx as well. A pang of jealous heat sweeps through me, and I step into their private space to remind her he has a teammate.

Juanita’s warm smile in greeting Roberto slips away when she takes in our haul. She slowly shakes her head side to side. “Sorry. These are not correct. Please have a seat on the bench for ten minutes while they return to the Underground.”

Roberto looks at her as if she has two heads. I spin in two complete circles and chuck my backpack like an Olympic shot put, overshooting the bench by at least a dozen feet. “Damnit!”

My hands land on my hip, and I lower my chin to my chest, turning my back to them. I thought I had gotten control of my impulsive outbursts years ago. Of course Roberto would cause me to revert.

I pace in a small circle, knowing I shouldn’t, but I glance back at the two of them. Juanita is giving Roberto the is your partner going to be okay look. Roberto’s gaze locks on me, teeth gritted and a look of disappointment in his eyes.

I plop down on the bench as our three models disappear around the corner. It takes another few minutes before Roberto finishes up with Juanita. I’m sure they’ve exchanged contact information by now and probably made plans to connect back in LA.

Like a cheating husband slipping into the bedroom after hours, he attempts to sneak quietly on the bench, keeping distance between us. His eyes are focused on my legs as if he’s expecting me to hop up and attack him. “Sorry,” he mutters.

I don’t want to argue. I want us to get back to the peace we had on the train ride. I want us to get back to the joy experienced last evening. “It takes two,” I whisper.

He nods and stares at the poster. “Yeah. This game is harder than it looks. I’m sorry.”

I take a deep inhale. “Two heads are better than one. We have to find a way to work together if we’re going to win.” I twist on the bench to face him, his head in his hands. “My lists aren’t perfect, but they do help if you let them. You’re right, they don’t hold all the answers, but I have over two dozen guaranteed names. Why not match three from the list and not deal with guessing, guts, and speculation.”

“You’re right. Can I look at your guidebook?”

I pick up my backpack, unzip it, and flip the book to the proper page before handing it to him.

He shakes his head. “I could’ve sworn Ken Griffey was from here. Juanita said Wilma knew someone would fall for that one. Griffey is beloved in Seattle, and he’s closely associated with the city after playing so many years here, but he wasn’t born here. He’s from some hick town in Pennsylvania.”

I turn and stare at the Starbucks, wondering what other tricks Wilma has planned for us. The squealing of a man making guitar sounds captures my attention, and I rise to my feet. A rhythmic clapping of hands follows. I stand and spot Ronnie turn the corner. He’s playing an air guitar, wailing out the chords to what must be a Jimi Hendrix tune as the characters of Jimi Hendrix, Jean Smart, and a third woman with wide eyes and hair styled in a bowl cut swing their arms in a procession. Thelma leads the claps alongside her husband, encouraging the crowd. They’ve picked up half a dozen followers in an impromptu parade. They’ve already won first place for the team with the most fun.

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