At an hour into her blind date, Lorraine makes a silent resolution that from now on she’ll be more methodical about where she and her next date will meet. That way, right off the bat the ground rules are clear. They’ll be no need for flimflamming around. No wishy-washy excuses. For instance, no matter how glowing the recommendation, she won’t agree to another first date dinner. So far, they’ve run through movies, music and college without hitting on anything meaningful. During the interminable wait between the entrée and dessert (his choice, not hers) Lorraine asks her date what house he would want to be in at Hogwarts. She had heard the question asked on a sitcom last night and thought it was a funny, disarming ice breaker. When he answered Slytherin, her toes went numb. Her mouth went dry. She gazed deep into his eyes. Sensing a meaningful connection, she muttered, “me too.” A significant silence settled between them. Neither was in any rush to fill it with more jibber-jabber.

(Photo Concept: Tim Duch)