Call This Kismet

By Kelly Esparza

Kismet Andrews walked around the farmer’s market on one Saturday in June. She had sellers call out to her, “Hey there, do you want some blueberries?” Or, “Miss, look at these flowers! Brighten up your place with some daisies!” Kismet gave them a half-smile, but she wasn’t really paying attention. She kept checking her phone.

No calls.

No texts.

She groaned. She’d “matched” with a guy named Elijah on Bumble, and she thought they hit it off. He was cute, he liked trying new coffee shops, reading, and writing poetry—just like Kismet did. The plan was to walk around the farmer’s market together, but Elijah was now twenty minutes late to their first date. She shot him a text to make sure they were still meeting…but she didn’t receive an answer.

Kismet sighed. She began to think she had been stood up. She waited a bit longer, but as the minutes passed, her hope dissipated. She looked up to the sky and gave a dry laugh. Oh well. She quietly unmatched with Elijah on Bumble. Anyone worth her time wouldn’t stand her up. Still, she decided to wander the different booths at the farmer’s market. After all, she deserved to have a fun time, even if Elijah was a no-show. When she turned to her right, she saw a tent with various rings on display. She wandered over to the stand, looking through the cases.

“Can I help you?” a voice asked. She glanced up, and her breath was taken away. In front of her was a tall man of medium build, dark blue eyes, and dark, scruffy hair. He wore dark blue jeans and a collared green shirt.

“Uh…uh…I-I was just looking,” she stammered. Sarcastically, the words, “Very smooth,” came to her mind.

“I see. Well, hi. I’m the jeweler here. My name is Theo.”

“I’m Kismet.”

“What a beautiful name,” Theo said, his voice earnest.

“Thanks.” A new warmth pricked her cheeks, and she tucked a piece of her chestnut brown hair behind her ear.

His smile showed both rows of his teeth. “What type of rings do you like? Ones with diamonds, pearls, symbols?”

“I don’t really know,” Kismet replied, shrugging.

His eyes watched her like he was contemplating something. Then he spoke. “Well, how about this? I’ll try to pick one out for you. And then you can tell me what you think. I feel like you can tell a lot about a person by the type of ring they wear,” he said.

Her lips curling upward, Kismet tilted her head and said, “Why not? It could be fun.”

With a nod, Theo’s eyes looked away from her and instead, began to assess and scan the different displays of rings. He’d pause, and then his eyes would continue, reaching each row. After a few minutes, he picked out a ring, holding it in front of Kismet. It was a silver ring with a heart-shaped diamond on top. It was small, yet delicate. Little diamonds hugged each other along the band of the ring. Each diamond glimmered in the sunlight, each a work of art in themselves.

“This is my choice for you. You seem like the type of person who doesn’t like a lot of attention but values subtle, intricate designs. By the way you dress and wear your makeup, you’re classy with a dash of natural beauty and modesty,” he told Kismet, crafting his words in a thoughtful manner. “Plus, your necklace and earrings are simplistic, yet beautiful in a quiet way.”

Subconsciously, Kismet’s fingers clutched her starry silver necklace. It reminded her of the ring, except there were five mini stars pressed together at the center. Her earrings were of two suns with squiggly rays on her earlobes. Today, she was dressed in a simple light blue sundress, with a jean jacket over it.

She nodded, the corners of her lips turning upward into a thin-lipped closed smile. “Wow, good observation. That…was pretty dead on.” Then, feeling a bit bold, Kismet added, “Is this what you tell all the girls?” She chuckled.

But he only shook his head. “Nope, I only did this today because nobody has stopped by this afternoon. Plus…” His voice trailed off.

“What?”

“I saw you pass a few times earlier. You looked…anxious, even a little sad. I thought maybe you could use some cheering up.”

Kismet’s eyes widened a little. “Oh…yeah, that was because I had a date, but he stood me up. So…thanks.”

“God, that’s terrible. I’m so sorry. I know I don’t know you, but you didn’t deserve that,” he replied, forming a frown.

Kismet shrugged. “It is what it is. Upward and onward, right? How much is the ring?”

“That’s a good attitude to have. Let’s see here…it’s $1,080.”

Her heart sank. That was like the price of an engagement ring. “Ah…out of my price range, so I’ll have to pass. Sorry. A-anyway, I should get going.”

“Oh, that’s too bad. But wait. Before you go, in case you ever find yourself in need of a ring, you can have my card.” He turned, pulling out a drawer at his work desk behind him and quickly fumbling through a stack of papers. He took out—what Kismet assumed was his business card—and wrote something down before handing it to her.

“Thanks,” Kismet replied as she took it. They both said goodbye, and as she walked away, she looked at the business card with the company name and address, Theo’s full name, and email address. Then, she noticed something written in Sharpie bleeding through, so she flipped the card over: “I would love to take you out sometime. Please feel free to text me at (713) 329-1982.” The message made her heart skip. So, it wasn’t just her who was attracted to him. The feeling was mutual.

Should she text him? Oh, what the hell, she thought. It was the whiplash of life. She started the afternoon with someone standing her up, and she would end it by talking to some new guy. If she didn’t keep putting herself out there, she might never meet and know the love of her life.

***

“I have something to give you, Kismet,” Theo says, smiling widely. It’s their fifth year anniversary, and they’re at their favorite fancy restaurant to celebrate. Theo wears khaki pants and a collared red shirt, and he’s holding Kismet’s hand, rubbing his thumb over the back of her hand.

Kismet, on the other hand, is dressed in an elegant blue dress. “What is it?”

Theo separates from her, getting on one knee. Kismet’s heart speeds up, as Theo takes out a black box and opens it, revealing that heart-shaped diamond ring he showed her on the day they met. “I think we can both call this love we have kismet, since the day you walked into my tent at the farmer’s market. Since then, I have been hopelessly, madly in love with you, and I want to spend forever with you. Will you marry me, Kismet?”

Tears well up in Kismet’s eyes, and she nods emphatically. With the biggest grin, she says, “Yes, absolutely. Forever starts now.”

🩷🩷🩷

Kelly Esparza is an editor and writer who holds a BA in English and a BA in Creative Writing from the University of Arizona. Her romantic short fiction has appeared in Analogies & Allegories Literary Magazine and Dwelling Literary. Her YA romantic short story, “Destiny Says,” was nominated for a Pushcart Prize, and her YA romantic short story, “Take the Jump,” made the longlist for Voyage YA Journal’s Anthology Contest. Find out more on her website: kellyesparza.wordpress.com and follow her on Twitter: @Kelly_Esparza7 and Bluesky: @kellyesparza.bsky.social.