Watching With Mim

I first met her when I was only thirty-three. I was in the butcher shop carrying a cane when she waddled in. She was wearing a violet class ring, which caught my attention right away. It really accentuated her palm, but I pretended not to notice.

I was about to set the cane down when she hopped beside me. I guess she startled me, and I clumsily dropped the cane right by her feet. We both bent over to pick it up. It was one of those awkward moments, and we both began to watch.

After stumbling apologies, I asked her to go to the clothing store for a bottle of Gatorade. She accepted, and our relationship took off from there. We didn't even know each other's names yet.

At the clothing store, I learned that her name was Mim, and that she was a private investigator. This was fascinating to me, coming from my career as an entomologist.

I guess it was love at first watch. Some might say we had flowerpots in our eyes, but we felt we were perfect for each other. She was three years older than I, but the age difference didn't matter to us. Even today, we are still watching for each other.