Very Modern Love - Episode #3 - Getting To Know You

A chance meeting. A small spark…and then, the natural, time-honored journey of slowly getting to know someone new begins afresh. Just like in those Hallmark movies.

Mike studied the organic produce aisle for several minutes. Whole Foods always had everything, so why not today? He pivoted his little black cart for the umpteenth time in mild frustration. Then his eyes landed on a young woman by the lettuce. He’d seen her in here before. Pretty. And always by herself.

“Excuse me.” She turned in his direction. “I’m trying to find the kohlrabi. I’ve gotten those in here before. Right about here, I think.” 

“How funny.” The young woman placed two bags of organic iceberg lettuce in her sparsely filled cart. “I bought some of those maybe a month ago.” They both reflexively looked around for one of those overqualified employees who knew a lot. “I’d just get the regular turnips. The taste isn’t really all that different, at least I don’t think so.”

Mike studied the pretty stranger, suddenly unbothered by unfindable turnips. She was short, not much above 5’ if at all, with cute brown hair that didn’t seem to need a plan. She looked like she was fighting to suppress a sincere smile. And she had nice hands. Mike always noticed that about women.

“I’ve seen you here before.” He caught himself right after saying it. “I’m not a stalker, seriously.” They both laughed, as the thought hadn’t seemed to cross her mind. 

“Yeah, I swear by this place. They usually do have everything.” She decided on one bag of lettuce, then returned the other one to the shelf. Mike picked a handful of turnips and tore off a thin plastic bag from the reel. 

Her cart was pointing away from him, but she lingered. Mike thought quickly, working to keep this chance conversation going. “Would you know where they have Cheetos in here?”

“No idea.” She laughed. “But I’ve heard they’re cage-free. I mean, it’s Whole Foods.”

He laughed and waved at her, their carts already moving in opposite directions. Mike made a final pass through the store, even perusing the snacks aisle and spotting Cheetos on the shelf. No organic offerings there unfortunately. 

That girl had a great sense of humor, he thought.

********

Kelly paid the checkout guy and steered her cart toward the exit. She maneuvered around someone, then looked up. And there was Turnip guy, standing just a few feet in front of her, putting away his credit card. Tall, lean and square-jawed, he didn’t seem her type. But he was kinda nice to look at.

“You again.” She let a smile out. “My stalker.” The expression on his face was like that of a kid who’d just been given an unexpected gift. He excitedly reached into his bag and pulled out a bag of trail mix.

“You lied. This was the only thing close to organic over there.” He tossed it back in the bag, never taking his eyes off her.

“Hey, you’re on your own in the snack section. That stuff’s terrible for you.” They both pushed their carts through the glass doors that automatically opened and closed. As they stared out into the parking lot, there was no longer any reason to linger. Kelly knew she sported no ring on her finger, nor did he. She was single and not really looking, but not really not looking either. But she was old-fashioned. She would let him make a move, or, well…that would be that.

“Hey…you see that Starbucks over there?” He pointed to the opposite side of the parking lot. “Would you consider having a cup of coffee with me over there sometime?”

Kelly smiled. He’d stepped up, and in such a simple, charming way. “Uh…sure. But I’m kind of a tea person, but…why not?”

Mike seemed surprised by his luck. “How about tomorrow morning?”  

She turned to face him directly. “How about a name, handsome turnip guy?”

He laughed fully now. She really had a quick sense of humor. “Mike…Mike Caldwell.”

She assertively put out her small hand to shake his larger one. “Kelly…Rayburn.” They studied each other, that wide-eyed study one does when encountering an exciting new frontier, the beautiful mystery soon to unfold. 

“I can do 9.” It was Sunday, and Kelly considered her morning plans. Nine with this guy and a Chai Tea…sounds like a winner.

“Hey, 9 works for me, too.” Turnip-Mike started aiming his cart toward whatever car he owned. “Should I take your phone number?”

Kelly smiled. “Let’s see how coffee goes.” She could see he wanted to do something more to express joy, luck, something he was feeling, but he kept it in check. She felt it, too. “It’s nice to get to know someone slowly, right?”

“Totally agree.” She got an over-the-moon vibe off of him as he started pushing his cart away. “I’ll probably be over there early, reading the paper…so…just sayin’. See you then, Kelly.”

Whole Foods does seem to have everything, Kelly thought. She walked to her car.

********

Mike laid grocery bags on the kitchen counter and opened the patio slider door. He could hear loud activity outside.  

“Bro, y’er back. Get out here, need one more for 3-on-3.” His uninvited brother and four of his uninvited friends were shooting a basketball around on his backyard mini court.

Mike put his groceries away, pulled an energy drink from the refrigerator, and sat down at the kitchen table. He quickly fired up his laptop, clicked off the pop-ups, then tapped into the Google Search…Kelly Rayburn…..

Kelly Rayburn in US (58), New Jersey (6), Kelly C. Rayburn - Age 26, Paradise Court Condominiums, Bldg 7, 156 Broadleaf Drive, New Brunswick, NJ, phone 732-548-5207…

May be related to Jim J. Rayburn, Margaret Rayburn, Diane L. Rayburn…..

Instagram.com - Kelly Rayburn, 117 profiles…

LinkedIn - Kelly C. Rayburn - Buyer’s Agent - Keller-Williams, New Brunswick, NJ…. 

COMPLETE LIST of Executive Pardons - January 23rd 2025…1,569 individuals charged with trespassing at the US Capitol building on January 6th, 2021…….New Jersey (27).....J.Randolph, D. Rayburn, B Reynolds…..

Obituary for Margaret Rayburn, 57, New Brunswick, NJ….went home to the lord on Saturday, March 29th, surrounded by friends and family, after a short but courageous battle with pancra…

SOUL *  PURPOSE  Restorative Yoga  - Instructors -  Kelly Rayburn, “I didn’t come to yoga, yoga came to me” - Kelly completed her 300 hours with Yogi Marashiniva Dami, and brings to….

https://www.spotify.com/kellyrayburn12/80sworkoutmix  Sharing my fav workout jams…

Home News Tribune

June 12th, 2021 - Diane L. Rayburn, 28, was arraigned in US District Court yesterday and charged with 1 count of trespassing and 1 count of assault of a Federal employee for her……

Home News Tribune

May 29, 2021 - Diane Rayburn, 28, of 501 Maple Court, New Brunswick, was arrested yesterday in connection with the January 6th protest at the US Capitol, Washington, DC, arraignment scheduled for June 11th in US District Court…

Rutgers University - 2018 Student Ambassadors…Kelly C. Rayburn, junior, Philoso…. 

Patch.com - April 27, 2015

New Brunswick H.S. production of Guys & Dolls will be performed Friday through Sunday at the Main Auditorium, starring Kyle Quigley (Sky Masterson), Kelly Rayburn (Miss Adelaide) and…

*

She was younger than Mike would’ve guessed. Certainly young to be having a widower dad living in, and a pretty modest looking condo for a girl who sells houses. A deeper look revealed she’d lived in her own apartment, then moved in with dad probably right after her mom died. The mom’s obit said the cancer was quick and debilitating, it must have been tough to manage that. Mike didn’t know what the hell vinyasa was, but that instructor profile picture of her upside down made him want to find out. Pretty chill lifestyle for a fancy Rutgers grad. The sister was a crazy Trumper who apparently helped smash out the windows at the Capitol. Mike wondered what dinner conversations in that household must have been like. Mike hated 80s music, but that Spotify mix of hers could double as his mother’s favorite songs. He already knew his mother would like her, she was so different from Soph. 

So different……. 

********

Jim Rayburn sat at the kitchen table, his Sunday Home News Tribune already crinkled up and worked over, he was already onto the crossword puzzle when his daughter came through the front door. Kelly dropped her yoga mat, towel and water bottle on a kitchen chair.

“Hey dad, good morning. Can I get you anything?”  Kelly went to the sink to wash her hands.

“Got everything I need right here, honey. And I set up your teapot on the stove.” Jim put his pencil down and took a sip of coffee.

“Actually…I’m meeting someone in a little bit, over at Starbucks.” Kelly checked her reflection in a kitchen mirror.

“Is that so?  Who is this someone?”

“Well I have a few minutes. I’m about to find out.” Kelly picked up her smartphone, clicked on safari, and tapped in two words….Mike Caldwell…..,

Mike Caldwell in US (121), New Jersey (9), Michael W. Caldwell - Age 31, 1504 Hamilton Street, New Brunswick, NJ, phone 732-512-6630…

May be related to….Joseph H. Caldwell, Beatrice J. Caldwell, Steven G. Caldwell, Sophia Murray, Ken J. Caldwell

www.facebook.com - Michael Caldwell, 151 profiles…

LinkedIn - Mike Caldwell - Information Technology Manager - Kellton Tech Solutions, Hillsborough, NJ…. 

2024 Trenton 5K Turkey Trot - Race Results - Mike Caldwell (New Brunswick) 162/1068 -  22:37  M 26-30 - 11/58….

Arrest Logs - New Jersey

August 7th, 2021 - Officers arrested Michael Walter Caldwell, 28, 1504 Hamilton St, New Brunswick for DUI - 1st Offense, BAC-Unknown and Refusal to Submit to a Chemical Te..

www.nj.com  New Jersey Army National Guard - NJ.gov  42nd Regional Support Group awarded Campaign Expeditionary Medals for Operation Inherent Resolve 2020…1LT Annika L. Coen, SSGT Michael W. Caldwell, LCPL Joseph P. Glennon, CW5 Eileen K. Mack,…

Home News Tribune

May 11th, 2020 - Mr and Mrs Gerald Murray of Yonkers, NY are pleased to announce the engagement of their daughter, Sophia, to Michael W. Caldwell of New Brunswick, NJ., a date.. 

Essex County Vocational Technical School - 2013 Class Graduates - With Distinction (>3.6)..Peter N. Billingsly, Michael W. Caldwell, Francis X. Kelley, Sarah B. Michcon,....

********

Kelly helped her father with a couple of crossword puzzle clues while she mined her phone for intel. Turnip Mike lived in a cute house in a decent looking neighborhood, according to Google Earth. Nice enclosed backyard with a basketball court. Zillow says $330K..with comps I could get $385K for it easy. Mom and Dad appear alive and well, they live elsewhere. He works over at Kelltron, their parking lot is always full. 31 and can still run pretty fast. His ex…a real looker, but apparently Sophia’s now out of the picture. And that DUI tracks with when he stopped updating his Facebook page, looks abandoned with some lingering pictures of them he never bothered to take down. Her instagram shows she just married some guy named Shane…ouch! He went into the Army reserves right out of school. Since his dad’s in the local VFW, must be a family thing. Brother Kenny’s a wildman from his Instagram pics, younger brother seems the Caldwell rebel. Something about his energy, his prana. He seems to do the right thing despite seeming like he’s quietly suffering. 

I could definitely work with that…   

********

Kelly collected her Vanilla Chai tea and walked slowly toward a room of cozy tables and a familiar face, his profile slightly obscured by an unfolded Sunday Home News Trib. Her girl radar registered that he detected she’d walked in five minutes ago. He was playing it cool. So cute.

“Hey, turnips…maybe I’ll start calling you Coffee Mike.” She watched Mike Caldwell lower his paper, the grin on his face unhideable. “You look like you’ve been here a while.”

Mike checked his watch. “I see you’re right on time.” He put down the paper, strewn about on the table just like her dad at home. 

Kelly sat down, then immediately picked up a refolded section with the partially worked crossword. She grabbed the pen and scribbled the answer to 16 across, then triumphantly placed it in front of him.

“S-h-a-v-a-s-a-n-a”  Mike spelled out the word aloud. “I just knew you would know that one.”

Kelly smiled. “Why would you think I would know that one?”

“Don’t really know, just a feeling.” Mike took a sip of coffee. “So, Kelly Rayburn…besides that you’re a tea person, I don’t know the first thing about you..”

“Besides a love of exotic turnips, I’d say the same about you.” Kelly sipped her chai taking in the warm, morning flavor.  “But it’s going to be lovely getting to know you.”