THE FAMILIAR YOU, Written by Yvette Huntley

Copyrighted 2026

Ella stood scanning the room as she sat at the bar on the bar stool awaiting her blind date. After

being there a few minutes she felt foolish for agreeing to such a thing that her best friend

influenced her to do. She’d suggested that she needed to get out and meet someone. Ella threw

herself into her work, especially after Parker.

“ Moving on and forward is not forgetting”, her friend Cora would say. Three years since Parker

left, and still Ella strives through the waves of life in hopes of connecting with a love as deep as

theirs was. It was chaotic, but lovely at the same time. Ella laughed to herself as she tried not to

remember the way Parker would fold a napkin into a triangle and always place a napkin under

her glass or cup. She would say use a coaster, but he insisted on using a napkin.

“ You must be the beautiful Ella? She heard a man’s voice say. She looked up to see a slender

guy wearing a bright neon green Hawaiian shirt. She wasn’t sure who he was.

“ And you are?”

“ I am Lionel.” The man said and started doing what looked like to be a tap dance on the floor in

front of her! You got to be kidding! This is what she gets, the first time she steps out to try dating

again. She laughed. A few people in the lounge turned and looked at him.

“Please Lionel have a seat”. Ella said. Lionel slicked his hand over his thin slick hair then had a

seat on the bar stool.

“ What can I get you guys to drink?” The bartender asked as he prepped the tray of fruit,

orange, and lemon wedges, he looked downward as he spoke.

“ Yes..for me and my lady here will have two”, Lionel spoke and Ella interrupted him!

“ I am not your lady, we are only on a date!” Ella spat! She was kind of annoyed! Lionel had

some nerve to have her sitting waiting on him, thirty minutes late, tried to tap dance on the floor,

and then order for her; he had some nerve.

“ I apologize.” He said. Ella ignored his gaze.

“Yes can I have a martini on the rocks please.” She told the bartender. Lionel ordered a beer.

The bartender fetched their drinks.

“ Is it okay to say that you look beautiful?” Lionel asked. Ella wore a pale yellow capri dress with

gold hoop earrings, classy casual she called it.

“Thanks for the compliment, you don’t have to ask.”

“ I wasn’t sure what to say after ordering you a drink.” Lionel pouted. What a way to start off a

date, Ella thought.

“ So what made you want to talk to me when you saw my profile on the app?” Ella asked. She

was trying to diffuse the arising annoyance she was feeling.

After almost three years of grieving trying to heal from losing the love of her life, she was trying

to at least give online dating a chance, but the experience she was having was proving her

reasons for not wanting to get involved with it! She sighed.

“ Of course your beautiful picture grabbed my attention.” Lionel replied. That's about the best

thing he said all night Ella thought. Ella’s shoulder relaxed a little and she began to sway to the

music a little, unwinding may be on the menu after all.

“Thank you for the compliment, your picture grabbed my attention too.” She replied, although he

looked different from the profile picture, he was average. Just that moment the bartender came

and sat their drinks down on the bar. He first put down Lionel’s beer, then Ella’s drink. He

folded the napkin in a triangle and sat my martini down on it. Ella paused. She hadn’t seen that

since Parker used to do the triangle napkin fold for her drinks. It triggered her back down

memory lane. Lionel went rambling on about her eyes, showering her in compliments, while Ella

drifted off into some place else.

Her and Parker sat under the shelter of a bus stop while the rain poured down. They’d gone to

the movies for their first date, they were waiting on the city bus to arrive so they could take it

home. They turned their heads, looking face to face. Parker cupped Ella’s face in his hands, and

smothered her lips with a soft, passionate kiss. Ella sat in awe with her eyes still closed,

savoring the moment, as the rain had become a light drizzle.

“ Told you I was gonna have you by our first kiss.” Parker said with a confident, cocky attitude.

Ella playfully punched him in the arm! At that moment the city bus rolled up.

“Nothing better than the first real kiss.” Ella explained.

“ There will always be a first kiss”, Parker said with a look of seriousness in his brown eyes.

They got onto the bus to go home.

“ Calling Ella, back to earth, back to our date!” Lionel said as he waved his hand in front of Ella’s

face. Ella blinked her eyes, coming back to the present time.

“ I asked, 'Did you want to dance? I love this song.” Lionel asked. Then got off the bar stool and

extended his hand to her to help her up and off her stool. Wow major flashbacks. Another piece

of Parker she sees, he did that as well, but those are all common things. After she got up, she

decided to guzzle down her drink! What the heck, she thought, might as well make the best of

it. Hopefully a light buzz would help her loosen up a little.

“ That’s what I’m talking about!” Lionel shouted with a loud hand clap, some people looked over

at them. Finally some sort of momentum was starting and there he was to say something stupid,

Ella thought.

“Don’t get it twisted! I finished my drink because I don’t like leaving it sitting, and don’t think

anything is gonna happen between us tonight, so let me burst that bubble.” Ella spat. A couple

people laughed at her comment.

“You’re blowing this out of proportion.” Lionel whined. The bartender was chuckling as he

grabbed the empty drinks from them. He still looked downward.

“ I take it that you’re getting a kick out of this.” Ella said to him.

“You have to admit dude is quite a character.”, the bartender said as he finally looked up with a

sly smile. Ella froze! Her eyes locked with his brown eyes. She’d seen those eyes

before…Parker…wow was she seeing Parker everywhere!

“ Are you alright Miss?” The bartender asked. With that same intent gaze. Attentive..endearing

gaze. Maybe the grief thing had gotten the best of her. She suddenly grabbed her hand purse

off the bar!

“I have to get some air!” Ella said, breaking herself from the bartender’s gaze. She headed

towards the front door!

“Hey I thought we were gonna dance?” Lionel shouted. Ella didn’t respond, she kept on rushing

to the front door!

“Wait Miss, you forgot your…”, the bartender called after her, but Ella kept on out the door!