“You think I’m crazy, huh?”
“No, I think this is a great idea. You’re a genius.”
She elbowed me playfully. “We’re gonna get along.”
Once we were inside the blood bank, everyone behind the counter recognized Grace and smiled or waved at us as we stood in line.
“You come here a lot?”
“That’s such an old pickup line, Matt. I think you need new material.”
“I’m really into girls with big platelets.”
“Much better. Now you have my attention. You’re in luck, because I’m really into guys named Matthew.”
“It’s Matthias, actually.”
“No shit?” She cocked her head to the side. “I’ve never heard that name before. Is it biblical?”
“Yep. It means God-like.”
“Stop.”
“No, I’m serious. It means God-like appendage.” It took her a second to comprehend what I was saying. I tried not to smile.
Her mouth opened in a perfect O. “You are...” She shook her head, and then seized my hand and pulled me toward the counter.
“What? What am I?”
“Shameless!” She turned her attention to the receptionist.“Hi, Jane. This is my friend, Matthias. He has excellent blood and he’d like to sell you some.”
“You came to the right place.” She gathered some forms from under the counter. “What’s your last name again, Grace?” she said as she riffled through a file.
“Starr.”
“That’s right, how could I forget? And you’re giving just plasma today, Matthias?”
“Yes. And it’s Matthias William Shore, if you need my full name.”
Grace looked at me sideways. “Well, Matthias William Shore, I’m Graceland Marie Starr. Delighted to make your acquaintance.” She held her hand out to shake mine.
I kissed the back of it. “Pleasure is all mine. Graceland, is it?”
She blushed. “My parents are Elvis fans.”
“Lovely name for a lovely lady.”
The woman behind the counter put an abrupt end to our courtly exchange. “Just blood, Grace, or platelets, too?”
“Today, I’ll be selling my enormous, lush platelets.” She leaned in and whispered in my ear. “Are you turned on?”
I laughed. She could be brazen, but that didn’t mask her sweet, shy side. Something about her made me want to get to know her in every possible way.
After the forms were filled out and the blood checks done, they took us into a big room where there were ten other people getting their blood drawn. We lay across from each other on inclined beds. Grace watched me with a smile as they inserted a line into my arm. She was hooked up to a machine that took the blood from one arm, removed the platelets, and then returned the plasma to theother. I chomped on the pretzels and waited as my blood dribbled into the plastic bag. She held her juice in the air and said, “Cheers.”
I started feeling lightheaded, almost drunk. Black nothingness began filling my vision from the sides. “Best date ever,” I said woozily, holding my juice box up to her.
She smirked, but there was compassion in her eyes. “Who said anything about a date?” I gave her a lethargic shrug. “Let’s make a deal. If you make it through this without passing out, I’ll let you take me on a real date,” she said, before everything faded to black.
