Wednesday at Noon

by Teneka Woods

  At work, and two hours into her shift, she was still fuming, pissed that she’d answered Eric’s phone call in the first place. Just who did he think he was? Badgering her as if he was God’s gift to women and she the dunce for not recognizing the blessing sent her way?

  She wasn’t in the mood to socialize with anyone, so she worked in the storage room unpacking the shipment that had come in Thursday afternoon—the shipment which the sales clerks claimed they never got around to unboxing because the store had been so busy. But Tora knew the real reason was because Candace—the most stern of the store managers—had the past couple days off work and not around to enforce the clerks to do anything.

  It was the reason why Candace frowned, looked at her questioningly when she finally made it in for her shift and found Tora hanging and tagging trousers. “Okay… why are you doing that and not Brittney and Lupe?”

  “I don’t mind,” Tora waved her off. “It’s best I work back here with the way I’m feeling right now.”

  “Girl, what’s wrong?” Candace asked after she’d stepped into the office to lock her purse in the desk drawer.

  “I canceled my Soul Meet account. For real this time. I am done with the online dating crap.”

  “Really? Why? What happened now?”

  Tora gave her the rundown of Eric’s shenanigans over the past few days.

  Candace’s mouth hung open as she listened. “Oh my god,” she spoke finally, “how fucked up is that?”

  “Exactly,” Tora agreed.

  “He is definitely crazy. Good thing you blocked his number.” She grabbed a security tag from the bucket sitting between them and pinned it to a trouser leg. “I’m sorry you had this experience.”

  “There is nothing to be sorry about. It’s not your fault.”

  “Yeah, well, this guy seems like a psycho for real. I was hopeful you would meet someone as beautiful and loving as my Ruki. Maybe you can try again in six months. Take a break from it.”

  “Girl, are you crazy? Didn’t you just hear me say I am done with online dating?”

  Candace shook her head sympathetically. “Well… Ruki has a couple single friends, but I’m afraid they won’t measure up to your standards.”

  Tora detected sarcasm in her voice. “What are you trying to say?”

  “That they are not six-foot-five even, with perfectly-proportioned faces and model features.”

  She rolled her eyes at Candace.

  “Seriously… they are some very nice men though. Both of them. And they have good jobs. One’s a nurse and the other is in banking.”

  “Okay… what’s the catch?”

  “Well, one is about five-nine, the other one five-six, maybe five-seven on a good day.”

  “Forget it!” Tora laughed out loud.

  “See what I mean?” Candace sighed. “You’re so quick to write people off over something they have no control over.”

  “Please. Don’t be fooled. I’ve been discriminated against by men too, y’know? For being too tall, or not having enough ass and small breasts. Why is it that they can have their preferences, but we’re labeled as shallow and too picky when we do it?”

  Candace exhaled sharply. “I don’t know why there’s a double-standard when it comes to that, Tora, but I just hate the thought of you passing up a decent guy over something as trivial as his height.”

  Tora tossed their trash and grabbed another box to unpack. “Well… it’s not something I like to think about, but… I dated a short guy once.”

  Candace sucked her teeth. “Yeah, right.”

  “I’m serious. He was the last guy I was truly in love with. If it wasn’t because of him I would probably still be in Tennessee.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “I had to get away from him. We were crazy in love.”

  “Isn’t that the whole point? To be crazy in love with each other?”

  “No. We were crazy in love, but not in a good way.”

  “Huh?” Candace frowned, looking at her.

  “He was so jealous and insecure I couldn’t do anything without being accused of wanting to be with someone else. We were together for three years and it was the best time of my life. I had never felt so sure about anyone else. There was nothing he wouldn’t do for me, and I felt the same about him. Then… for some reason, things changed… and I couldn’t understand where his attitude was coming from. But I loved him and stuck with him thinking it was a phase he was going through. He became too controlling, calling to find out my every move, wanting to know what time I got off work so he could calculate the exact time I should be home. We could be out having a nice date—or out anywhere—and if I just happened to notice a tall guy walking past us he would ask me if I wanted to be with that guy instead since he was taller.”

  “Oh my god. Are you serious?”

  “It was crazy and sad. So then I started going out of my way trying to appease him, to make him understand that I was genuinely in love with him.”

  “But I don’t get it,” Candace said. “What made him all of a sudden doubt your love for him?”

  Tora sighed. “I think his friends were putting things in his ear. He told me they were skeptical of me from the beginning—a lowly department store clerk as they put it—and thought I was only with him because of who he was. You ever heard of Mike Stack?”

  “Of The Mike Stack Morning Show?”

  “That’s him.”

  “Are you serious? I love that show! I listen to it every morning. His show is one of the most top-rated in the country, right? How on earth did y’all cross paths?”

  “At an industry party in Memphis. I was invited by a friend who knew someone working there. He came over and introduced himself, and we just started talking. It was the weirdest thing because I had never heard of him, so he was shocked about that. He asked if he could call me later, and the only thing that crossed my mind was the audacity of this itty-bitty man to ask me for my phone number.”

  “I’ve only seen head shots of him,” Candace said. “He’s a good-looking guy from what I can tell, but I never imagined he was short. How short?”

  “Five-five.”

  “Nooo. Are you for real?”

  “Yes.”

  “And you—Ms. I-refuse-to-date-a-man-that-is-not-taller-than-me-with-my-heels-on—actually went out with him? Unbelievable.”

  “He was really cool the more I talked to and got to know him. I decided to give him a shot. It was a true whirlwind romance. I traveled all over with him, met some famous people in the music business. We had a lot of fun together. In the beginning, I sometimes wondered why he chose someone like me when he had connections with gorgeous women all over the country.”

  “Well… maybe it was the fact that you didn’t know about him. You are gorgeous, too, y’know, and men like gorgeous women.”

  “It got to the point where I was doing things out of character. I quit my job and moved in with him, becoming the trophy girlfriend who just sat around all day dolled-up waiting for him to come home, or went shopping with his credit card. For a whole year I was not myself. My mom would’ve killed me had she found out how I was living.”

  “You mean she didn’t know? How did you keep that a secret?”

  “She knew I was dating a radio show host, but I didn’t tell her who he was. I wanted it to be a surprise when I took him home to meet her and my dad. We never got around to it. I was done once he accused me of fucking his groundskeeper—a tall Dominican guy.”

  “What the hell? You have got to be kidding!”

  “Absolutely not. What’s even more crazy about that is he had security cameras everywhere. Why would I cheat on him if I knew there were cameras on me?”

  “Exactly.”

  “I asked him the same question and he said it was because I knew where the cameras were and how to avoid them.”

  Candace shook her head. “I’m sorry, girl, but it sounds like something else was going on with this guy for him to be so paranoid.”
>
  “After that experience I said I would never ever again get involved with a man shorter than me. I cannot deal with them and their insecurities.”

  “Well that’s no reason to dismiss them all. He just had his own issues. But I’m truly shocked you dated him in the first place. A five-foot-five man at that. He must’ve felt like a midget walking next to you with your heels on.”

  “That’s another thing. I didn’t wear them as often when we went out so our differences in height wouldn’t be so jarring. It was bad enough the stares we got whenever we held hands in public.”

  Laughing, Candace said, “I feel like I needed to see it with my own eyes to believe it. The way you talk about them I was under the impression you were absolutely repulsed by men shorter than you.”

  “He was the first and definitely my last that’s for sure.”

  * * *

  Tora laid the throw blanket across her legs and Silk jumped into her lap. It was only six o’ clock in the evening and she was already dressed for bed, stretched out on the living room sofa with the television geared up to play one of her old favorite shows: The King of Queens. She needed comedic relief after that phone call from Eric nearly twelve hours earlier. His malicious words still bounced around in her head and she was having trouble dismissing them. She’d blocked his number, but a part of her wanted to call and cuss him out for good measure.

  Her cell phone rang and she checked the caller ID before pressing the button to answer. She wouldn’t be surprised if Eric tried to reach her from an unidentified number.

  “Hi, Nate,” she said.

  “You know I’m calling to find out if you want to hang out tonight. What are you up to?”

  “Relaxing at home again. It’s been a stressful day.”

  “You wanna tell me all about it over dinner somewhere?”

  “Honestly, I don’t feel like doing anything. I’m in my pajamas sitting on my couch, but you are welcomed to come over here.”

  “Cool. Should I stop by the store to pick up snacks?”

  She laughed. “No. You never have to worry about that at my place. My pantry stays loaded with all the goodies. Just bring food instead. Your choice.”

  TWENTY-NINE

  He smelled Tora’s cat as soon as he stepped into the apartment. And there it was perched on the back of the sofa, its tail hanging and curled like the handle of an umbrella. Nate shuddered at the sight of it. He was allergic to cats.

  “That better not be a bag full of rabbit food you got there,” Tora said.

  “Naw. It’s fajitas. Steak and chicken.”

  “With all the toppings? Sour cream and cheese and guacamole, right?”

  “With all the toppings,” he confirmed and set the bag on the counter.

  “Thank you! It’s a perfect night for fajitas.” She grabbed plates from the cabinet while he unpacked the bag.

  “I forgot to pick up drinks, so… please tell me you have something here.”

  “Yep. I do.” She opened the refrigerator to a rainbow of juices and soft drinks. “I told you you never have to worry about anything.”

  He could only shake his head and smile. “Just give me a water.”

  The cat watched them intently as they loaded their plates. Tora walked over and took a seat on the sofa. Nate waited to see if she would shoo the cat away because he didn’t want to be anywhere near it. The only other seating in the living room was a chaise lounge, which looked uncomfortable and not fitting to relax and enjoy his meal. More than that he wanted to sit next to Tora.

  He reluctantly took a seat on the chaise when the cat hopped down from its spot and settled against Tora’s thigh. “Are you watching Power again?” he asked.

  “Not this time, believe it or not. I’m watching The King of Queens.”

  “I’ve never heard of that one.”

  “It’s old, but I still record and watch all the episodes. It’s great whenever I need a good laugh.”

  “Oh, okay.” It was definitely not his type of show he quickly realized. The humor was too corny for his tastes.

  At the third commercial break Tora got up to refill her drink.

  Nate said, “Tell me what made your day stressful.”

  “Oh,” she sucked her teeth, “just that stupid guy again. He called me, talking crazy and cussed me out because I want nothing to do with him.”

  “He cussed you? What’s up with him?” The thought of the guy disrespecting Tora—or any woman—ticked him off. He had a low tolerance for men like that.

  “He has a problem accepting no for an answer apparently. I blocked his phone number so he can’t call me again.”

  “That’s good. Hopefully he gets the hint.”

  She’d said she’d only gone out with the guy a couple times, but for Nate it was a couple times too many. He wondered why he couldn’t get a real date with her. The times they spent together so far were enjoyable, but he wanted a true date—the kind that ended with a passion-filled kiss followed by a night of heated lovemaking.

  She returned to her show and Nate was glad to hear her laughing, that she wasn’t letting the chump sour her evening. He settled back on the chaise and that’s when it began: along came the first sneeze.

  He knew the symptoms would show up eventually. He’d been there almost an hour and was surprised he’d gotten by that long.

  “Why are you sitting way over there?” Tora asked him.

  “Well… I see you and your kitten are pretty comfortable. I didn’t wanna take up space.”

  “This is my baby,” she drawled while running her fingers along the cat’s side. It stretched its limbs in satisfaction. “This is the spoiled one. He won’t let me out of his sight whenever I’m home. Right, Silk?”

  “Silk?”

  “That’s his name,” she laughed. “Mink is around here somewhere.”

  “Wait… you have two cats?” Nate said.

  “Minky Pooh, where are you?” Tora cooed.

  And sure enough another white feline came trotting from somewhere around the corner and leapt into Tora’s lap. It was identical to the other one except for the string of blue pearls around its neck.

  Tora bounced and hugged and sweet-talked the cat as if she were handling a toddler. When she nuzzled its nose and the cat licked Tora’s lips, Nate wanted to cry.

  He sneezed again.

  “Preseason starts next week. Will you be watching any of the games?”

  “Of course I am,” she said. “The Steelers play the Cowboys.”

  Nate chuckled. “Are you really a fan of the game or just your team?”

  “I watch others every now and then. I like the Giants, too. But when my team is playing I’m front and center without question.”

  “And how did you become such a fan of the game? I mean… I’m not surprised because I can’t imagine there’s anything else to do in Pittsburgh. Still… I find it interesting.”

  She tossed him a sassy look before answering. “I had no choice but to be a fan considering my dad was a super fan. He lived for football. It was always on in our house and it’s all he talked about. We used to go to pro games. He coached Little League for a short while, too. When I first moved to Florida he would call me to see if I was watching the game, and we would be on speaker phone screaming and shouting together.”

  “For real?” Nate laughed.

  “Yep. We still do that sometimes to this day. He’s silly, but that’s my daddy.”

  “That’s cool. I see the merch you got around here,” Nate said. There was Steelers memorabilia throughout the apartment. “All I got is a few Texans and Astros T-shirts. Oh… and an Astros cap. Your collection puts mine to shame.”

  “Well… considering your teams’ records, I wouldn’t be inspired to spend my money on merchandise either.”

  Ouch! Nate was about to serve her a comeback, but two consecutive sneezes thwarted the plan.

  “What do you want for dessert?” She got up from the sofa and went to the kitchen, opening the pantry.r />
  His eyes began to water. “Do I get to have anything I want?”

  “Of course. It’s the least I can do since you bought the fajitas.” She stood looking at the shelves. “Something salty or sweet? I got all kinds of stuff in here. Name something and I bet you I got it.”

  “Tora.” He sneezed again.

  “Huh?”

  “That’s what I want.”

  “What?” She turned around to face him.

  Another sneeze. Fuck!

  “Are you coming down with a cold or what?”

  He coughed lightly to clear his throat. “Something must be in the air. I’m all right.”

  “I know what we should do,” she smiled.

  I know what we should do, too, he wanted to say.

  “Make root beer floats.”

  “I can’t remember the last time I had a root beer float. Or ice cream to tell you the truth.”

  “And that’s a shame. I’m going to make you one. I even got some whipped cream.”

  “Naw. I probably should skip dessert this time.” Unless it’s you topped with whipped cream, he thought.

  “Oh c’mon, Nate! I know you’re into eating light and healthy all the time, but it’s okay to live a little too, y’know? Have something good every now and then.”

  He chuckled. “I do. My mama cooks every Sunday and she usually makes a dessert. Sundays are my cheat day.”

  “Well… today is Saturday, and I’m making you a float.”

  “If you insist,” he winked at her.

  It puzzled him to see her put the container of ice cream into the microwave, but then he realized she only heated it a few seconds to soften it, which made scooping easier. She filled two tall plastic tumblers with vanilla ice cream, poured the root beer, and topped them with Reddi Wip.

  “I think I still have a jar of cherries, too,” she said, and opened the refrigerator. “It’s been in here a while though.” She studied the jar. “Aww, man! They expired a month ago.”

  “Trash ‘em.”

  “They should still be good.”

  “Naw. I wouldn’t trust it.”

  She twisted off the cap and sniffed. “They still smell good. And they look good. They’ve been in the refrigerator the whole time, so… I think they’re okay.”