Lesson 28

The Perfect Match

        Text A

    I walked into the office and shook hands with a smiling man named Mr Bleaucher. He was dressed very well, compared to me. He shuffled a pile of papers like they were so many pancakes.

    "I'm sure you'll be very pleased with her," he said. "She was picked by our compatibility computer out of over one hundred ten million eligible women in the United States. We categorize by race, religion, ethnic and regional background. . . "
    I sat there interestedly, wishing I had taken a shower before I came. It was a very nice office but the chair wasn't too comfortable.

    "And now . . . " he said. He flung open the door to the next room like a magician. He needed a cape , though. I was expecting a rabbit but I got a surprise.
    She was pretty. Really, she was pretty.
    "Mr Walker, this is Miss Dunfield of Laughing Lake, Montana.
Miss Dunfield, this is Mr Franklin Walker of New York. "
    "Really Frank. Franklin is something else again," I said. I
was a little nervous. She was pretty, you see.
    Mr Bleaucher left and we were able to talk. "Hello. "
    "Hello," she said.

    "I'm ... I'm very pleased with the choice," I said. I was trying to be suave. Maybe she didn't like being called a choice. "I mean - I'm glad the way things turned out. "
    She smiled. She had a nice smile. Good teeth.
    "Thank you," she said. "So am I. " She was shy.
    "I'm thirty-one," I blurted out.
    "Yes , I know , " she said. "It's all on the cards. "

    It seemed like the conversation was about over. Everything was on the cards. So there wasn't really much to talk about.
    "How about children?" she said.
.   "Three. Two boys and a girl. "
    "That's exactly what I want," she said. "It's down on the file under `Future Planning' . That one there. "

    I suddenly noticed that sheaf of papers in my hand. On the first page was glued an IBM card with vital statistics about her. I guessed the thing she was holding was the same thing on me. I began looking through it and so did she. The turning pages made a lot of noise.
    It said she liked classical music. (This was in "Preferences and Habits". )
    "You like classical music?" I asked her.

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