DEAR PRUDENCE

 

I was given the challenge

Well in truth it was a bet

And the bet was to get a date

With Prudence the librarian

Whose coldness was legend

It would be a tall order

But I picked up the gauntlet

And headed to the library

I walked up to the desk

And there she stood

She was short in stature

But imposing nonetheless

Her countenance was severe

Thick chestnut hair

Pulled back off severely off her face

Her make up would best be described

As minimalist

And she peered at me

Over thick framed spectacles

She wore a chunky beige sweater

Two sizes too big which hid her shape

And a dark pleated skirt, knee length

Over thick black wool tights

And the not unattractive legs

Terminated into sensible shoes

I tried small talk

But she was not receptive

Her demeanor was positively frosty

Every enquiry she batted back to me in the negative

But despite everything

There was something about her that I liked

Something intangible

curiously she was not my type 

in any way, but still there was something

So I decided to persevere

But because I wanted to

Not because I had to

So firstly I paid off on the bet

I wasn’t doing it for a stupid bet

But because of that intangible something

An itch I couldn’t scratch kind of thing

Realizing small talk would get me nowhere

I thought I would try a different tack

And converse with her on her own terms

I had to engage her intellect

So each day I would go to the library

And ask her to recommend a book

Which we could then discuss each day

And each day she thawed a little

Then I posed her questions,

History, Geography, the arts

I found her to be both knowledgeable and interesting

And I found that I was becoming interested

In the subjects we were discussing

And looked forward to our time together

As each day she thawed a little more

I wanted to have more

Than just the few precious hours at the library

But I didn’t want to undo what I had achieved

Upset the status quo

And refrigerate her again

Then at the end of one particular day

Prudence asked me

 “Would you like to go for a coffee?”

I was speechless but nodded in the affirmative

Later she told me

She fell for me because I engaged her mind

And valued her for what was between her ears

And not what was between her legs
Or inside her sweater