Chapter 14: Introducing
They agreed that he would come over and pick her up for dinner and a movie. Nicole was not one to let men come to her home on a first date, but it was just something about Alex that she felt she could just let her guard down with. She somehow convinced herself that he wasn’t like any of the other guys she had met that tried to take her out, he was unique. One of a kind and because of that, she was willing to open herself up to him completely. Michael asked to stay with Taylor the night she went out. He had known that she was going out with other guys and even though he objected to it, there was nothing that he could do to stop her. He knew she wasn’t interested in him in that way, but he figured that if he just kept being consistent that he could show her that he was the one.
“I don’t see why you need to go out with this new guy, anyway. He is not going to be any good for you, I already know.”
“And how do you know this, Michael?”
“Because…I… I had a dream about it.”
“A dream?”
“Yes, a dream! You know, the things you get while you’re asleep? I had one of them! It was about this guy and… and actually, you were wearing the same thing you are wearing right now. That sexy red dress with those,” he began fantasizing about her, “sexy, sexy red heels and the dress was real tight just like that. It showed off,” he glanced at her, “all of your curves and pushed your breasts up just right. It was-”
“Michael!”
“Oh,” he snapped back into reality, “my bad. Um, what was I talking about again?”
She shook her head, “nothing at all. You weren’t talking about anything.”
She left the bathroom and went into the front room as Michael trailed behind her like a sad puppy. Minutes later, Taylor came out of the room and joined both of them, “so, who is this new guy, mom? You must like him if you’re letting him come here.” She grinned, “yes, I do son. I do. I work with him.” Michael stood up, “What? You work with him!? Since when do you date people that you work with?” She took a small mirror out of her purse, “since I became a grown woman and made my own decisions, Michael!” She put on her lipstick the best she could before she realized she needed a bigger mirror. She left them and headed back to the bathroom, “you guys get the door if it rings because most likely, it’s him.”
Michael folded his arms across his chest and pouted as Taylor sat next to him, flipping through the channels on the television. “I don’t even know why she needs to look anywhere else; it is clear that I’m the man for her. Your mom is tripping!” Taylor laughed as he looked towards Michael, “Bro, she doesn't like you,” he said bluntly.
“Whatever! She does like me; she just doesn't know that she does. That’s all. Stop bein a hater before I make you go to bed early!”
“It’s the weekend; I can stay up as late as I want.”
“That’s why Santa Clause ain’t real!”
Taylor lowered his eyes, “Bro, do you know how old I am? I stopped believing in that man when I was 4-years-old.”
“Whatever, man,” Michael said with his arms still folded across his chest.
Moments later, the doorbell rang. Michael stood up, “I’m going to answer this door and shake this man down. He doesn't know that this is MY woman he is messing with!” Taylor turned towards the door as he chuckled, watching the interaction. Michael swung it open as Alex stood on the other side. He was dressed in an all black tux, and the top of his hair was gelled back, looking as if he was a much more mature version of Zack Morris.
Henry looked at his watch as he peered at Alex from behind the screen door, “it’s a little late for yall Jehovah's witnesses to be comin’ around here, ain’t it?”
Alex looked confused, “I’m sorry, I’m not a Jehovah's witness.”
“Oh, my bad, man. Aye, Taylor, what’s them boys that be riding around here on the bicycle with the little Bibles in their hands?”
Taylor walked up to the door, “Mormons?”
“Yeah, whatever they are, my bad man. But, listen, we don’t want none of what yall are sellin’, and we believe in God and everything already so I’ma just need you to slide on to the next house or something. We are waiting for somebody to show up and trust me, you don’t want to be here when he does.”
“Why not?”
“Why not? Oh, because its… going… DOWN! You hear me?” he began shadow boxing, “Some fella thinks he is going to come here and take my woman out on a date without going through me first? Oh, no sir! He got another thing comin’!”
Alex thought back to what Jerry said about Nicole’s friend, “Oh, you must be Pichael!”
Michael stopped mid-swing, “Who in the hell is Pichael?”
“Nicole’s friend.”
“Nicole’s friend? Wait a minute, how the hell you know Nicole? What the fuck is going on?”
“Pichael! Pichael, I am Alex,” he said, extending his hand to Michael.
Michael peered back at Alex’s hand as it dangled in front of him, “My name ain’t no fuckin’ Pichael! Aye, who’s man is this?!” he yelled outside, looking around as if somebody else was with him, “who’s man is this?!”
Alex looked around curiously, “Well, Pichael, I’m just here to pick Nicole up for our date.”
“Man, if you call me Pichael one more time, I’ma-”
“Michael!” Nicole shouted as she stood just behind him, “Move out of the way and let him in! I told you to answer the door, not interrogate him!”
Michael reluctantly stood to the side as Alex nervously walked past him. Nicole took him by the hand and brought him into the front room as Taylor sat on the couch with his mouth hanging open. Not only did she invite a date to her home but the one man she invited happened to be super tall. Up and to this point, Taylor had never seen her mom with a man of his size. “Taylor,” Nicole said with a smile, “this is my friend Alex. Alex, this is my son, Taylor.” Taylor repositioned his glasses as he stood up to shake Alex’s hand, “Nice to meet you, sir,” he said with a perplexed look on his face. “Likewise, my man,” Alex responded, trying to imitate a youthful jargon.
“Alex, I just wanted you to meet the man in my life before we went or did anything together.”
“Oh, no problem at all! I know that we will have a great relationship,” he paused as Taylor wrinkled his eyebrows, “I mean, if you and I decide to take things further, you know?”
Nicole smiled, “I get where you’re coming from, Alex,” she said, playfully tapping him on his chest.
“Ah-hem,” Michael said as he remained by the door.
“Oh, and this is Michael,” Nicole said nonchalantly. She turned back to Alex, “You ready to go?”
“Absolutely.”
Nicole grabbed her purse from the table and kissed Taylor on the cheek, “I’m sure I will be back home before you’re asleep but if I’m not, I love you and don’t give Michael a hard time, alright?”
“Yes, Mom,” he said, still completely taken back by the height of Alex.
The two of them walked past Michael, and as she went on ahead of Alex, Michael grabbed his arm, “Listen here, man. I don’t know what kind of spell you put on her or what kinda voodoo you or your Mormon people sprinkled on her, but I’m going to find out, and when I do, I’m going to…” he paused, “I don’t know, I’ll think about that later! But for now, you just better know I’m onto you… like white on rice!” he paused for a moment. “Oh, my bad, man, that was a wrong choice of words. I’m not racist or nothing, I just, um--”
“Michael, leave him alone so we can go!” Nicole barked from the sidewalk.
Michael jumped and released Alex’s arm, and he squinted his eyes as Alex walked to the door that Shaun held open for them. Just like that, they were off. Taylor watched them as they drove down the block, “Man, Michael, have you ever seen Mom with anybody so… tall? I mean, he was really, really uh.... tall,” Taylor said as the car disappeared around the corner. Moments later, Michael closed the door, “I mean, he wasn�
�t that tall to me, but I know one thing, he was white as hell!”
Chapter 15: First Date
Alex took her down to Laruen Babier’s, one of the fanciest restaurants in the city. He wanted to pull out all of the stops for her since he only had a month to persuade her that he would be a good choice for her, without having to use the spray. On the way there, they laughed and joked with each other as if they were best friends. She had even grown accustomed to his corny sense of humor and his horrible jokes. With that, he continued enjoying the ride and her company downtown, ignoring the stares that Shaun gave him that seemed to have given life to his conscious. He would eventually block that out as well as they arrived at Laruen Babier’s. It was a restaurant in town that only the wealthiest of people went.
“My goodness,” Nicole said, “I’ve always wanted to go here. I’ve heard that their steaks are to die for.”
“Oh, yes. I’ve died once already and brought myself back to life so that I could eat another one and die again.”
Nicole laughed, “You know what, dear. Now, don’t get me wrong, ok because you are funny. It’s just that; I find myself laughing at your corniness more than laughing at what you said. I know that you're just you, and it is fine, I mean, I don’t mind it. I just wanted to let you know before you think you’re Jim Carrey or someone.”
It stung a little bit, but he brushed it off with his corny smile, “Oh, no! I know I’m not that funny, I mean sheesh! I was wondering why you were laughing so much because I knew I wasn’t a funny guy, you know? Not purposely, anyway.”
She placed her hand inside of his, “It’s fine, though. Like I said, I like it.”
They smiled at each other as the host met them at the front door, “So, we have two under Alex Rawlings? Right, this way.” He led them into the restaurant and seated them in their own, personal booth with walls to block out the other patrons in the restaurant. It was set up that way; every table was arranged to be a private booth for intimate dinner dates. A candle flickered on their table when they arrived, and a bouquet of Blue Strip Shrub Roses was on her side of the table. She smiled, “Oh my goodness! How did you even know that these were my favorite?” she asked, picking up the roses near her nose. She inhaled as her eyes rolled back into her head, “Thank you so much! Thank you!”
Alex eventually did take his father’s advice and find out a few specific details about her to help win her over. The roses were something that Jerry was able to find out about her, and his plan was to continue giving her the small things that would hopefully help her see that he was the one for her. The waiter came to their table with a pleasant countenance and stood right in front of their table, “Can I get you two anything to drink? Perhaps, wine?”
Alex spoke up, “Chateau Montelena, please.”
“Very good choice, sir. I will have it right out and give you two a chance to review the menu.”
Alex smiled as Nicole looked at him in bewilderment. That was her favorite wine, and she began to feel an eerie connection to him, it was almost as if he knew her from a previous lifetime and he just seemed to remember every minute detail about her favorite things in life. She thought to herself, if he somehow gets the musicians to play sentimental mood music for us, then I don’t know what I will do. Within the restaurant, a small trio of musicians went booth to booth, playing the music of the customer’s choice. There were two violinists and a saxophonist perusing throughout the establishment playing at a rate that was low enough so that it wouldn’t disturb anyone else.
The waiter came back with the wine and took their orders and with that, he was gone. She took a sip of the sparkling wine as Alex smiled in her direction. He reached his hand across the table and placed it over hers, and she didn’t pull back away from him, the thought never crossed her mind. Normally, on a first date, she wouldn’t have been this way. She wouldn’t have allowed so much touching even if it was just a brush across the hand but right now, none of her usual regulations were in place. Somehow, Alex had found a way to break through them all.
“So, Alex. What took you so long to speak to me?”
He took a sip of wine, “I did speak to you once before.”
“You did?” she asked, seemingly not able to remember. Alex worried that her memory was fading just after the first spray, but she remembered shortly after that, “Oh, right. You sure did. I don’t know what was going on with me at that time. I think I was just having a bad day or something. I’m glad you came back around, though.”
“Yes, so am I.”
“It’s crazy, though. It’s almost like, I don’t know, like something came over me and changed how I felt about you. One second, I was like, ‘Oh, here he comes again,’ and then the next moment, I just wanted to know more about you. It’s really abnormal, now that I think about it.”
“Oh,” Alex said nervously, “Maybe it was love at 3rd sight… or 4th sight instead of first sight like it normally is.”
She laughed, “you see, there is that corniness again. I don’t know, but it just fits you well. I believe if anybody else said it, I would be extremely annoyed but with you, I don’t feel that way. Not one bit.”
Alex was amused by what she said as the waiter brought their food back. Two medium rare, filet mignons with a side of mashed potatoes and asparagus. As they began to eat, Alex motioned the saxophonist over. Nicole was already prepared to melt if Duke Ellington’s classic came from the horn and before she knew it, the soothing melody went right into her ears. She stopped mid-chew and peered at Alex as he smiled at her from across the table. Her eyes began to water, and suddenly, the first date they ever had with each other became one of the most memorable moments in her life. The saxophonist played as she set her fork down on her plate and covered her mouth, allowing the tears to fall from her eyes. Who is this man, she thought to herself, how does he know so much about me?
The spray itself was fraudulent, but the small things that Alex had done for her thus far on the date were the things that he had done on his own. They were the things that he did while taking the extra step to win the woman he adored. At this point, he hadn’t had to do much to draw in other women but with Nicole, he wanted to make things work. He wanted to make everything special and not rely on the spray much longer. As she smiled in front of him with teary eyes, he couldn’t help but think about the small spray bottle that was in his pocket. Does she like me or is it just the spray, he began to wonder to himself as the music played behind them. He did his best to push the negative thoughts out of his mind and just enjoy the night, but the more he pushed them down, the higher they sprang back up.
Before they knew it, the night was over, and they were headed back to Nicole’s place. She rode back under his arm the whole time with the roses in her lap, stroking his hand. She still couldn’t believe that she was falling for Alex. The man at her job that at one point, was so annoying but the next, was causing tears to fall from her eyes on a date. For once in a long time, she felt special. She felt appreciated and on top of it all, she didn’t even make a big fuss when he paid for everything. She knew she was out of character but at the same time; she didn’t care.
Shaun pulled up to her home as she sighed, “I wish this didn’t have to end, but I guess even Cinderella only had until midnight.” Alex spoke up, “The only thing with that is that I know who my Cinderella is, so I don’t need a glass slipper.” She smiled, “See, now finally. Finally, you say something that is not corny! See, just one night with me and the corniness is just falling away from you,” she looked him in the eyes, “but don’t let it fall too far away because it’s not so much of a bad thing.” She gathered her roses as Shaun stood with the door opened. Alex walked her to the door as Michael peered from behind the curtain inside her house.
“Well, when am I going to see you again?” she asked as she smelled her roses.
“Tomorrow. Tomorrow is good with me if that is good with you.”
“Tomorrow? Tomorrow is wonderful.”
Right, then and there is
when it happened. He slowly leaned down and planted a kiss right on her lips and eventually, she reached up and held his head in place to kiss him back softly. The kiss only lasted but a moment but to them, it felt like an eternity. They released each other as she unlocked her door and Michael disappeared from the curtain, “Let me know when you get home safely, alright?” Alex nodded his head, “I sure will.” With that, she went inside and closed the door, and Alex walked back to his car with ambivalence flooding throughout his mind.
Chapter 16: Tomorrow
He showed up at her house the next day with plans to take her and Taylor out to a theme park for the day. He knew that Nicole had a young son and if they were to get serious in any fashion that Taylor would play a major part in both of their lives. He arrived just after 1 pm and rang the doorbell, fully expecting another encounter with Michael. To his surprise, he was nowhere around as Taylor opened the door for him. Alex grinned, “Hi, Taylor. Is your mom home?” Taylor stepped back to let him in, “Yeah, she’s getting ready to go. I guess you can come in and wait for her.” They walked over to the couch as Taylor sat down, flipping through the channels like he normally did. He flipped through each station until he landed on Keenan and Kel, an old throwback television show that played on Nickelodeon in the 90’s.
“You watch this show?” Alex asked.
“Yeah.”
“I used to watch this show all the time when I was your age,” he began to imitate Kel’s voice, “orange soda, I loooooove orange soda!”
Scent of Love Page 9
