The Birthday Reminder Service is a thumping success, what say? So was my Passover dinner! Read what happened there and how that turned things for me. Here it is…

The Passover dinner at Megan’s place was a huge success! If you remember Adrian’s prediction about Megan’s cooking, he was spot-on. Megan has actually come a long way since she burnt every dish that she attempted to cook. Most of her friends on the ecard dashboard showed up. And I can tell you for sure that none of them were disappointed in the least. For myself, I will remember this dinner for something entirely different.

I met Sarah after a long while. It has slipped my mind completely how she was great friends with Megan. Obviously she had to be there! I was taken aback when Sarah walked into the room in a red dress. It made her look even more beautiful since I saw her last. When she smiled across the room at me, the others at the Passover party seemed to melt and disappear beneath the carpet. It was like we were the only people in that room. The buzz of people talking came across like orchestra music.

The reverie was short-lived. Before long, Megan went up to Sarah and welcomed her into the room. After meeting some friends here and there, Sarah came up to me. “Hey, Bob!” she smiled, “Long time!” I said something that sounded like I agreed with her. Frankly, in times like these, even writers run short of words! I found myself staring at her like a star-struck teenager. I recovered myself quickly and asked, “Can I get you a drink?” She nodded. I hurried across the room.

The drink calmed my jangling nerves. Sarah made me comfortable. She spoke about her life in these months and slowly my senses clawed back. I asked her what she was doing this Easter. I said, “I’m planning a little party at my place. I was wondering if you can come over!” Sarah smiled and drew some random lines on the frosted glass she was holding. “Okay,” she said finally. I tried my best to conceal my relief and happiness. I don’t think I succeeded. But this is one Easter I’m really looking forward to!

To organize my Easter party, I’m using online invitations. It’s better to track RSVPs than keep guessing who’s showing up. You can try it out as well!

Back home, I kept thinking about my evening with Sarah. It came out of the blue and knocked me down breathless. The buzz of the phone cut through my thoughts. I jumped up to retrieve the phone from my jacket, hoping desperately that it was Sarah. No, it was not! You don’t get lucky so many times in one evening! I received the call, “Yes, Rachael!” After ten minutes of intense conversation, I disconnected the phone. Trust my niece to bail me out in the most unexpected way!

Rachael has volunteered to prepare a presentation on Earth Day. She needed some help with it because she couldn’t get some of the taglines correct. I agreed to help her out. I had little choice in the matter, of course, but I also wanted to do something to divert my mind away from thoughts about Sarah. Easter was still some days away. There was no way I could day-dream about possibilities that were probably not there in the first place. Rachael’s project would keep me occupied for the time being. I switched on the computer and went to work.

The next morning, I shared what happened at Megan’s party with Adrian. He couldn’t be there because he was seeing Cathy that evening. Yes, they are still talking it out on how Adrian can become more acceptable to Cathy’s disapproving parents. Adrian heard me out, his expression turning from boredom to excitement by the time I was done with the story. “This is your chance, mate!” Adrian jumped eagerly, “Make her fall in love with you again!”

It’s easier said than done. I admitted to Adrian how tongue-tied I was at the dinner. I also shared that I felt apologetic about the past. He brushed aside my reservations with a flick of the hand. “Don’t think about the past!” his voice had an infectious enthusiasm, but I felt quite inert to fall for it. It may be that because I’m at the center of it, I feel this way. Adrian was telling me something about not overreacting to mistakes, but I was not listening. Was this happening for real?

Robert Flatt gives hope to everyone on Easter: “The resurrection gives my life meaning and direction and the opportunity to start over no matter what my circumstances.”