Story: A Perfect Match, Every Time - part 1

A Perfect Match, Every Time
by Varian Milagro


Chapter 1

Cassidy Prentice shielded her eyes from the sun as she exited Grace church along with her mom and best friend, Penny, glad for the service to finally be over. She didn’t have anything against church, except that the pastor loved to talk and tended to run long on his sermons. Today was kind of special since her mom had attended with them. She normally worked on Sundays and hadn’t been to a service since the divorce and she’d had to start working full time. Church was mostly Penny’s idea. It was her way of pleasing her own mom.

Penny’s mom was a religious nut, making Penny go to church three times a week since she was five. She’d been living with her mom ever since her parent’s divorce when she was five, but when her mother moved to Orlando last year she decided to move in with her dad, rather than leave her friends behind. She’d reduced her church attendance to Sundays only, but she hated going alone and her dad wouldn’t go with her, which left her best friend since third grade to pick up the slack.. So, Cassidy came to church every Sunday, even though it was more of Penny’s thing than hers.

Many people assumed that the three of them were a family. Penny and Cassidy could pass for sisters; both had light brown hair which they usually wore in ponytails. They were pretty, but not beautiful and had the slenderness of youth. Penny wore a yellow dress with white trim and black Mary Janes. Cassidy wore slacks and a peach colored blouse. The only time she wore a dress was when forced by her mom. She’d prefer to wear jeans and a hoodie, but Penny said it was disrespectful not to dress up at least a little bit for church.

Helen, Cassidy’s mom, had her brown hair cut into a bob and was quite heavy, having put on a lot of weight since her husband had left her five years ago, nearly a pound for every month that he’d been gone.

“It was so good to see you at church today, Helen,” Pastor Doug Jones said. “It’s been a pleasure having Cassidy in our midst this last year. Will we be seeing you more often, too?”

“I’d like that. It has been too long.” A smile grew on Helen’s face as she spoke. “I’ve been angry with my ex-husband ever since the divorce. Your sermon today made me realize that I’ve been angry at God, too. I now realize that it’s time to stop being angry and to do something about my circumstances for a change. Charles found someone new. I can too.”

“That’s the spirit,” Pastor Jones said. “God helps those who help themselves. And remember, if you ever need anything please let me or one of the church elders know. We’ll do anything in our power to help you. That goes for you too, Cassidy.”

Cassidy was hoping that the conversation with the pastor wouldn’t last too long. Not only was it hot out, which was hardly abnormal for Pasadena in mid September, but she and Penny were also starving. Sometimes her mom liked to get in really long conversations with people she hadn’t seen in awhile. It seemed like the hungrier she was or the worse she had to pee, the longer the conversation lasted. Luckily this one ended quickly.

“Mom, can we get a pizza on the way home?” She knew it was a long shot, her mom was always trying to save money, but she didn’t want to make lunch and no one wanted her mom’s cooking.

“That’s not in the budget, kitten.” Helen said, despite having been told many times by her daughter how much she hated that particular term of endearment. “I can make you some lunch before I go.”

Noticing the look of horror on Penny’s face, Cassidy whispered, “Don’t worry. I’ll make us some grilled cheese sandwiches after my mom leaves.”

When they arrived at the house, Penny sat down at the dining room table and pulled out her school books while Cassidy raced to her room to change into a pair of jeans and a hoodie quickly, she wanted to get to the kitchen before her mom started making lunch, but couldn’t stand wearing her church clothes a moment longer.

Instead of starting lunch Helen called her sister, Lynette. At first it was mostly small talk and some catching up, but then Helen went into her bedroom and Cassidy could hear her mom practically shouting. After that it was quieter, but her mom didn’t come out of her bedroom for a long time. When she finally did she was wearing her coat and had her purse slung over her shoulder. She announced that she had a couple of errands to run and that she’d be gone for several hours.

“Your mom sounded really annoyed on the phone,” Penny said as soon Helen left the house.

“Yeah, that was weird. At least she didn’t try to make us lunch.” Cassidy dipped the corner of her grilled cheese sandwich into her bowl of Campbell's tomato soup before taking a bite.

“I like your mom; she’s really sweet.” Penny blew on her soup, trying to cool it down. “I wish she’d start dating my dad. She’d be an awesome step mom.”

“Oh my god, would you quit with that?” Cassidy said, good naturedly. Thinking of dating always reminded her of Tommy Fogle, the boy she’d almost gone out with and he reminded her of the time that she’d kissed Penny. Tommy had dared them to kiss last year during her one and only game of truth or dare. Penny had laughed it off afterwards, but Cassidy thought about it often. “My mom is not going to marry your dad. No offence, but he’s kind of creepy.”

“I know, but it would be perfect. He’d stop bringing all of those slutty women home and we could be BFFs and sisters. We’d be BFSFs.”

“It’s never going to happen, so you can stop dreaming.” Sometimes, late at night, Cassidy dreamed about living in the same house as her best friend, constantly near each other, maybe sleeping in the same room. Since neither of their parents made a lot of money they’d have to shower together to save money. They’d wash each other’s hair followed by the rest of their bodies.

“Earth to Cassidy.” Penny waved her hand in front of her friend’s face.

“What?” Cassidy’s face felt hotter than the soup. She hadn’t told anyone about her feelings for her best friend. She wasn’t really sure if she was gay, bisexual or just really curious. All she knew was that while kissing Tommy had been pretty awesome, it hadn’t made her heart feel like it was going to burst right out of her chest like it had when she’d kissed Penny.

“We’d better start studying.” Penny opened her Mesoamerican history book. “If we’re going to get scholarships to UCLA we’ll need to get an A in every one of our honors classes.”

“Yeah, that’s a good idea” Cassidy knew that it was never going to happen with Penny; she was as straight as straight could be. But she’d heard that college girls sometimes liked to experiment and she planned on being there for her best friend if it ever happened.


Ninety minutes later and 25 miles to the west, Helen was seated across from her sister at the Comfort Cafe on the west side of Santa Monica. She’d prefer to sit inside to avoid the sun and secondhand smoke, but Lynette always insisted on sitting outside.

“Are you sure you want to go through with this?” Lynette held a folded up piece of paper in her hand, just out of Helen’s reach.“I’ve heard strange rumors about the woman who runs this service.”

“You told me that she’s a miracle worker when it comes to matching people together.” Helen tossed her napkin onto the remains of her BLT and then slid the plate to the side. Meeting in person had been Lynette’s idea. As far as Helen was concerned the less interaction she had with her sister the better. The woman was married to a lawyer and rolling in money, yet when she’d asked for a small loan after Charles had left, she’d insisted not only on charging interest, but also eight points above prime.

“You remember Rosalind, don’t you? She used this matchmaking service a few months ago and ever since then she’s been a different person. If I didn’t know better I’d swear she was ten years younger.”

“Probably surgery. Besides, what woman hasn’t changed for a man? It isn’t like they’re going to change for us. Just give me the address. I’m a big girl. I can take care of myself.” When she noticed the smirk on her sister’s face she nearly lost it. Lynette could still fit into her wedding dress from twenty years ago. Helen could no longer fit into the size 14 dress that she’d bought last year.

“Oh, very well.” Lynette slid the piece of paper across the table, holding it down with her left ring finger, the one that held her 2 carat diamond wedding ring.

“If you’ll excuse me, I need to make a call,” Helen said as she stood. “We should have lunch again real soon.” She didn’t bother with offering to pay. The least her sister could do was pay for lunch after making her drive across town for something she could have provided in an email.

The address led her back to Pasadena. She’d been down Walnut Ave recently and she didn’t remember seeing any signs for a matchmaker. When she arrived she found out why. Anderson Travel resided at the address her sister had given her. None of the shops in the vicinity made any mention of matchmaking services.

She wanted to scream. Half her day wasted driving around LA and talking to her sister.

She found a parking spot and then sat, listening to Frank Sinatra Jr. sing “My Way” on the radio, trying to get her emotions under control. The matchmaker had sounded too good to be true. Was she ever going to meet someone? She didn’t like the idea of using the internet to meet men and it wasn’t like anyone was knocking down her door to ask her out on dates.

After a few minutes she’d calmed down to a mostly normal level and it occurred to her that someone at the travel agency might know if the matchmaker was still in business and if so where she’d moved.

The travel agency was a tiny affair, most of the small space taken up with racks crammed full of brochures for exotic locations and advertisements for various airlines. Sitting behind the lone desk in the office was a cute blonde woman who looked like she was barely old enough to buy alcohol.

The woman’s face lit up with a bright smile. “Welcome to Anderson Travel, where you to like go?”

“I’m looking for a matchmaker named Olga. She’s supposed to have a store nearby.”

“I Olga. You in right place,” she said with a heavy eastern European accent.” The young woman stood to shake Helen’s hand. She wore a smart looking grey skirt suit and a pair of shiny black heels.

“You’re Olga?”

“Yes.” Olga stepped past Helen to flip the open sign to closed. “Follow me for your match.”

“You’re a travel agency and a matchmaker?” Helen said as she was led into a small room at the back of the office.

The room was bare except for two chairs, a laptop sitting on a small desk, and a large video monitor hanging on the wall. Olga motioned for Helen to take a seat in front of the desk while she sat down behind it.

“I tell you about business, but first we talk match.” Olga typed away on the laptop, her eyes never leaving Helen's. “Two type of match, pick or be picked? Which for you?”

“I’m not sure what you mean.”

“If you want be picked. I take your picture and ask many questions. After, I put you in computer and you wait for be picked. This much more expensive than pick and sometimes takes long time. Other way, you do pick and match made as soon as you pay modest fee for my time.”

“I see. How much does it cost if I do the picking?” Helen said, hoping that Lynette had been exaggerating.

“One thousand dollars. This sounds like lots of money, but not so much when considering this is perfect match. No need pick again, first match always works.”

“Or my money back?”

“If you like, but this never happen before. All clients happy every time.”

Helen laughed. “How many clients could that have been? You look like you’re barely out of high school.”

“Looks can deceive.”

Helen thought for a moment. She didn’t like the idea of spending a thousand dollars, but she didn’t much like the idea of waiting forever to get a response. Being overweight and on the wrong side of 45 she wasn’t exactly turning men’s heads these days.

“Can I look at some of the potential matches before deciding?”

“Of course. I put single males between 35 and 55 on screen for you. You can make change in menu.” Olga made a couple of keystrokes and then handed Helen a small remote. “Click arrow next to big button in the middle to bring up the next client.”

Helen clicked the remote and a picture of a man with salt and pepper hair appeared on the video monitors. His name was Gary and he was a 53 year old lawyer, reminding her of her pompous man her sister had married. She clicked to the next photo.

“You asked why travel agency and matchmaker,” Olga said while Helen scrolled through the photos. “I inherit the travel agency from parents. No one like Sokolov Travel so we change to Anderson. Parents able make money to raise family and visit relatives in Zoziv, Ukraine every year. Now with the Travelocity and the Expedia this not so easy. Luckily for me Babka Yanna was matchmaker and taught me the ways. I don’t get rich, but family eat and have vacation each year. This enough for me.”

“How do I see more information about them?” Helen held out the remote for Olga to show her which button to push. The photo of a man with a steely gaze and an iron jaw was currently on display. His name was Ryan, a 41 year old doctor with his own practice.

“I need a $200 deposit to go further. This applied to final purchase price. Without deposit, some come in every week and just look at pictures. This waste much time. With deposit people make decision and Olga can do other things.”

“Do you take anything other than cash?” Helen said as she picked up her purse.

“Credit card charge too much fees and checks come back from bank no good. Cash much better.”

“Don’t you worry about being robbed?” Helen counted out ten twenties onto the desk. Her sister had also forewarned her of the need for cash.

“No. I am good for defending myself,” Olga said stoically as she slipped the money into a small gray cash box. A smile spread across her face. “Plus bank is next door neighbor and Barry the security guard stops by twice a day to pick up deposits.”

“That must be nice. Is he cute?”

“Sadly, no.” Olga reached into the desk drawer. “Blood draw is final step.” She slipped on pair of blue surgical gloves and then slid a small glass tube into the back of a blood collection needle.

“Why on earth would you need my blood?” The urge bolt out of the office was nearly overpowering. Only Ryan’s smiling face kept her in her seat.

“I know this seem not normal, but I assure is vital to make perfect match. Bodily fluids kept always safe. Only used to give you man of dreams.”

“Fine.” Helen rolled up her sleeve and stuck out her arm.

The blood draw was quick and mostly pain free. Olga printed out a sticker with Helen’s name and stuck it to the vial of blood. Once it was safely in her desk she unlocked Ryan’s information. It was surprisingly thorough and all of it made Helen desire him all the more. He loved the opera, the ballet, listening to classical music live. He exercised regularly, but wasn’t obsessed about it. He even volunteered at the local soup kitchen.

“Like what you see? Ryan is real catch and visited first time yesterday. He not be here long. Gone maybe tomorrow at latest.”

“He looks perfect, which worries me. What’s wrong with him. He should be beating women off with a stick.”

“Ryan is able attract many, many women, but so many just want money or have little girl dream of marry doctor. He wants connection with woman, not just beauty. He want someone to share life with. He says too busy being doctor to date old fashioned way.”

“I’m certainly attracted to him because of those things. How does your service stop women selecting him for his money?”

“Let Olga worry about this. If you ready commit to Ryan I need signature on form and four more stacks of twenties.”

“What about what he wants? What is he looking for in a woman?”

Olga’s face fell. “If that is what you want.” Her expression reminded Helen of her real estate agent when she and her husband had been house hunting. They’d just asked to see the basement where it turned out there was substantial water damage. “Let’s hear it in Ryan’s own words.”

The picture of Ryan switched to a video of him in the very same room. “I’m looking for a woman who will be a friend, lover and confidant, a life partner if you will. I want a woman who is beautiful and will turn heads at the various conferences, galas and charity events that I attend throughout the year. I’m not looking for some young trophy that makes it look like I’m robbing the cradle. She should be near my age, maybe a little younger. And intelligent, I want someone I can have a conversation with. She has to know how to dress up and have the body and face to back it up. I want a real woman at my side who can give a man a serious case of whiplash if she wants, but can also start a fire and live off the land if need be. She should be into exercise, but not obsessed with it, maybe she’s a Yoga or Pilates instructor. She should also love the arts, be opened minded when it comes to religion and be an empathetic listener. I would love it if she shared my passion for the culinary arts as well. She should also be okay with anal and I like a woman who is very verbal in bed, a real screamer when she oragams.”

“I’m clearly not the woman he’s looking for.” Helen felt like crying. For a few minutes she’d envisioned a life with a man like Ryan, something she used to dream about when she was young, but it was foolish then and it was foolish now. “I love the arts and I’d like to exercise more, but I know nothing about living off the land.” She motioned to her body. “Look at me. I’m overweight and have a bad case of rosacea. The only direction I’ll be turning a man’s head is in the opposite direction.” She crossed her arms. “I’m not even going to touch the sex thing.”

“Let Olga worry about that. As the picker you don’t need worry about his wants. If you think he is to make you happy and you pay the money, I will make sure that it is a perfect match. This is guarantee.”

“I’m not about to participate in sodomy.”

“You don’t have to do anything you don’t want.”

“And if he wants to sodomize me and I say no, what then? Won’t he get mad? What if he never wants to see me again? Will I get my money back?”

“This not happen, but if it does and that is what you want, then yes, you can have money back.”

Helen counted out $800 onto the desk. Olga stashed it in the cash box and then excused herself out of the room, returning a minute later carry several Dolce & Gabbana bags.

“You have date with Ryan this Wednesday. This is the outfit he like you to wear. He pick you up at 6pm.

“That’s it?”

“That’s it. I’d wish you a happy life together, but I already know that you will.” Olga extended a hand toward Helen. “It has been pleasure doing business with you. Have nice day.”

Helen felt like skipping as she exited the travel agency, carrying her very own Dolce & Gabbana gown. She couldn’t wait to try it on.

Her joy lasted as long as it took her to get home and see the dress size. It was a size 6 and she was a generous 16. She immediately called Olga to complain about the mistaken dress size.

“There is no mistake. That is the dress you shall wear on your date. Guarantee,” Olga said and then ended the call.

She shook her head as she set her phone on the bed. The dress would look nice in her closet as would the heels, which were also too small. The Dolce & Gabbana purse and diamond jewelry didn’t care if she was overweight so it wasn’t a total loss. She wondered about Olga’s pricing model. The purse alone probably cost $2000. What was stopping her from selling it all online and making a huge profit for herself?