I Shall Not Want Read Online Free PDF Page B

help it. She started laughing so loud that she drew stares from the woman sitting to her right.
    “What?”
    “If you don’t want women to be attracted to your bank account, you might not want to mention companies, charity work, and dog breeding.”
    “Oh,” he said, looking crestfallen. “I love movies, particularly romantic comedies.”
    “Better,” she said with a smile.
    “Okay, how about you?”
    “Me?”
    “Yeah, your turn to introduce yourself.”
    “Um, I’m a church secretary. I find this whole thing a huge risk, and I don’t know why I’m here. I moved to Southern California for college.”
    “Bor-ing,” Joseph said, pretending to fall asleep.
    “Hey!”
    “Well…”
    “Okay, I play a mean hand of poker, I’m great at darts, and I like Chuck Norris movies.”
    “What kind of guy are you trying to attract?”
    She hit him in the arm. The bell rang, and she shared a dismayed look with Joseph as he got up and moved.
    Guy S took his place, giving her a smile that was somewhere between cheesy and slimy. “I like long walks on the beach, candlelight dinners, and curling up in front of the fireplace with a nice bottle of wine.”
    “I like playing poker and watching Chuck Norris movies,” she said.
    He looked startled and then changed his tune. “That’s cool, you like to do more guy stuff. Clearly I’m a guy, and I like to do… stuff.”
    When the bell rang and Guy R sat down, she almost gasped with relief. “I’m a computer programmer, I don’t have time to date, but that doesn’t mean I don’t want to. I like going to the theater and traveling when I have the time. I need more excitement in my life, but I don’t have the first clue how to make that happen.”
    “Wow, that’s honest,” she said. “I’m a church secretary. I also like theater. I’d like to travel but I’m scared of taking risks, even though I also need something more in my life, excitement probably, but that’s hard to admit.”
    He smiled at her, a tired, weary smile. “Cool. I’ve been to three of these things, and that’s the best intro a woman’s ever given herself.”
    She was a little disappointed when the bell rang and Guy Q sat down. He was blond, buff, and full of himself. “I like to travel, and I’m into extreme sports. I don’t like to brag, but you’ll probably never meet a bigger daredevil than me.”
    “My brother is Kyle Preston,” she said stonily.
    His eyes opened wide. “Dude, really?”
    She nodded. “Really.”
    “Can you get me his autograph?”
    “No. I think we’re done here.”
    They spent their remaining four minutes in silence.
    The next eleven guys were remarkable in that they all seemed to blend into each other and become one indistinguishable ball of bland.
    Guy E was a police officer whom she thought she remembered seeing the night before. He seemed to recognize her too. Ultimately, she decided that it might be too weird. Mr. D was a lawyer with a warm smile and friendly manner that put her at ease. C and B both looked as tired as she felt by the time they reached her but seemed like good guys.
    She flashed Guy A a big smile, relieved that she was five minutes to freedom and then recoiled as he burst into tears.
    “My girlfriend left me, and my buddy made me come here. Said I had to get out and meet people.”
    “I’m sorry, when did she leave you?” Cindy asked.
    “Six months ago.”
    “Oh.” She had nothing else to say and so just sat quietly while he continued to cry.
    The final bell rang, and she sagged in her chair. From the table next to her, Joseph gave her a little wave. They walked up together to the sign-in table and picked up the forms where they were supposed to put down who they were interested in.
    “What if no one puts down my name?” Cindy whispered to Joseph.
    “Unfortunately, you never know who puts down your name unless you put down theirs as well. Something tells me, though, that you don’t want to put down every guy