Treacherous Waters, Part 1

Heathcliff Manning was a gentlemanly sort of character.  He filed his nails to perfection, held doors for women, and always meticulously ironed every article of his clothing.  He was neat and orderly in all his ways, storing his cherished label maker in the top side drawer of his desk.  Despite all of these obvious perfections, he had yet to woo and marry.

Heathcliff sat in his paisley arm chair stirring his morning cup of French Roast coffee.  He had exactly two minutes and forty-five seconds to stir before his beverage would reach his optimal drinking temperature...plenty of time to contemplate the life plan which lay before him.  He eyed the typewritten document with hazard, knowing the contents of what he would read even before he dared to glance at the pages.  He passed the two minute mark, and leaned over to grasp the file.  The title page was before him, written in bold ,"Plan of Action: The Premeditated Goal Timeline of Heathcliff Manning".  Planning had always brought him comfort.  He checked his watch with a smile...fifteen more seconds.   He flipped to page three in the timeline, feeling the gratification of accomplishment as he perused the bullet points.  Under "Section III: Early Adult Life" he had already fulfilled subpoints A-E completely on schedule.  Yet there it was, the ominous subpoint F.  It had been so simple to earn his degrees, gain employment, begin his investment portfolio, and learn to make homemade doughnuts, but this...where was he to start?

He read aloud once more,  "Subpoint F: Find a mate.  Accomplishment date: May 15, 2010."  Forty- three, Forty-four, Forty-five.  Ahh, it was time.  Heathcliff tenderly sipped his coffee, so as not to corrupt the tidiness of his freshly combed mustache.  "I can do it," he thought, "I must do it!  I must!...or I'll never finish Section III and progress to Section IV: The Middle Ages."  Determination fueled his spirit, for after all, Heathcliff was orderly in all he did.  Having a plan of action was at the very core of his being.