“How about grabbing a coffee while the kids are at training?”
Oh God. Lame. Coffee? At six in the evening?
What a brilliant way to make a fool of myself. I might as well pull her hair and then giggle as I hide behind a tree in the yard. She probably already has plans for this hour and a half anyway. Maybe she uses the time to go shopping or… who knows what. Still, if I don’t try, I’ve got no chance.
But coffee feels like too much. Asking her to go for a walk sounds way too romantic. I don’t want to come on too strong. Especially since we don’t even know each other. I mean… she doesn’t know me. I’ve been watching her for a while, though.
But I can’t just walk up and say, “So, I’ve kind of been noticing you since the beginning of the school year… loved your sense of humor. Wanna grab a raspberry soda while the kids train?”
Ugh. Pathetic.
What if I asked where she buys her son’s sports gear?
And then she says,
“Oh, same place you do. Our boys have matching logos on their shirts.”
Great.
Then I could laugh and say,
“No way! Where’s my brain today?”
She’d smile politely and walk off, and I’d be left standing there, kicking myself for blowing it. Maybe I could offer to carpool to the next out-of-town tournament. No point taking two cars, right?
And then she’d say,
“Sure, thanks! I can’t go anyway, but you’re so sweet for taking my kid too!”
Right before the trip, she’d give me this long list of instructions—what not to feed him in case we stop for food, what to do if he gets carsick, how to handle him in general.
Not bossy, just… enough to make me realize she’s actually not that cool.
And then I’d be stuck driving her annoying kid around.
Who, by the way, gets carsick.
Maybe I should ask her for a little favor.
But what?
I could make something up…
Oh! I’ve got it. I’ll ask if she knows of any houses for sale in the area. I’ll say I’m asking for a friend. Nobody needs to know I’m the friend. Technically, that’s not even a lie. I do know myself, right?
Yes. That’s it.
That’s good.
It’s simple.
Effortless.
The perfect conversation starter.
Can’t believe it didn’t occur to me earlier!
Now I just need her to be as funny and kind as she seems. If she’s not… well, that’s going to suck.
Seriously, how is making friends this dramatic when you’re a grown-up?
As a kid, I played with whoever lived closest. Didn’t matter who it was, as long as they knew the rules of tag and hide-and-seek. Even if they were whiny. I didn’t care.
Maybe that’s my problem.
I never actually learned how to make friends.
And now here I am, looking at this woman who seems genuinely nice—another mom of two, about my age—and I still can’t bring myself to say hi.
Honestly?
It’d be easier to ask one of the dads out.
Not because I want to—but because somehow, making a new female friend feels even harder.