They sat on the couch. They talked about movies. She had seen Sideways on cable and enjoyed it. He asked if she would like some wine. Yes, she said. That would be nice.

While he was getting the wine, she thought about the couch. It looked like a craft project. Had it come from a kit? Maybe he had found it online. Why not, she thought. She had found him online.

The couch reminded her of firewood which reminded her of her childhood. And of the time her father had gone to get firewood from the porch and chased away a strange man who was lurking there. She remembered her father telling her mother what had just happened. Throughout her life she thought about the man on the porch. Who was he? What was he trying to do? What would have happened if her father hadn't gone outside for the firewood? Often her imagination assigned celebrity faces to the man on the porch. During her high school years he was frequently Duff from Guns and Roses. With their talk just now of Sideways she started to picture the man on the porch as Paul Giamatti.

Her date returned with the wine. She thought about how her life had led her here, to the man with the wine and the unusual couch. They toasted. She drank, thinking about the future and about the couch, her father, the man from the porch, Paul Giamatti and Duff.

JAMES URBANIAK