by Vivian Ward
My hazel-eyed sweetheart nodded her head, “Momma, is it all right if I wear my princess nightgown?”
“Yes, that’s fine. Why don’t you go get your pajamas on while I pour your medicine and then we’ll read you a story?”
“Yep! I’ll race you!” My daughter yelled, running to her bedroom.
I headed into the kitchen and measured out Nevaeh’s ibuprofen as I made her a cup of water. She was already in her PJ’s, waiting for me under her blanket and had her favorite book picked out— “Cinderella”. After I had given her the medicine, I snuggled beside her and began to read to her. As we were wrapping up the story, my little girl had a question for me.
“Momma when are you going to find your prince charming?”
“That’s a good question Nevaeh, hopefully, one of these days.” I sighed.
“But Momma, I want a daddy like all my friends at school,” she pleaded with me.
“I know baby. I’d rather you have two parents also, but mommy wants to make certain you have the best father in the whole wide world!” I smiled at my daughter as she wrapped her arms around me and squeezed tight.
“Momma? Is your heart big enough for both a mom and a dad?”
“What are you asking?”
“Does that mean you love me twice as much since I have just you?”
“Yes, I do Nevaeh. There’s not a thing in this universe I wouldn’t do for you! Now go to sleep.”
I had kissed my beloved angel good night before I went to my room. Nevaeh’s question rang through my head as I tried to fall asleep. When would I find the perfect guy to settle down with? My baby deserves to have a dad so much. My heart ached within my chest that Nevaeh longed to have a father figure. As hard as I worked to provide that little girl with everything she needed in life that was the one thing I couldn’t give her no matter how much money I had.
I thought about the attractive man that came into the restaurant. He seemed like a nice enough guy. I wonder if he’ll really call. There’s no clue what we’d even talk about. I couldn’t figure out why such a prestigious man would want to call me. I wonder if he thought I was pretty. I began to doubt myself. No, that can’t be. I’m just average looking, and I could stand to lose a few pounds.
As I imagined talking to him, I tried to envision how our conversation would go. Her eyes darted at the clock; it was 8:30 PM. I wondered what he was doing right now. I couldn’t get him out of my mind no matter how hard I tried. I wondered what his end game was; what was he after? At least now that Nevaeh was feeling a little better, I didn’t have to focus so much on her at the moment.
Butterflies stirred in my stomach as I thought about him calling me. Maybe he was all talk and no game. Odds were, if he hadn’t called me by now, he probably wouldn’t. I finally started to relax when my phone rang.
“Hello?” Dale said.
“Hi, Dale,” I nervously stuttered.
“Is this Kimberly?”
“Yeah.” I was speechless. He actually called!
“Is this a bad time?”
“No. How are you?”
“I’m doing great.” He answered.
There was an awkward silence for a few seconds. “I’m not sure why you called,” I said trying to break the silence.
“Ah, I wanted to call you to because I like you. You’re so beautiful and sweet. Now let’s talk about that date.”
“What?” I pondered in disbelief. “Why would you want to go out with me?”
“Because I know a good thing when I see it. What’s your schedule like this weekend?” he pushed.
I smiled. “You don’t give up easily, do you? I’m not sure right now. I mean, I don’t know you or anything, and I have a daughter.”
“Oh, I didn’t realize. Who’s going to babysit?” he asked her.
“You’re unbelievable,” I laughed.
“That’s even more reason to go out with me,” he tried to persuade me. “I’m not just any guy. I’m Dale Halloway, owner of St. Louis Gas and Electric District. This will give us the opportunity to get to become better acquainted. How old is your daughter?”
“She’s eight, going into the third grade.”
“I bet she’s as cute as her mom,” he declared. “I’ll tell you what. If you’d like, I can take you and her out for lunch one afternoon and spend time with both of you.” Dale suggested.
“I don’t let strangers around Nevaeh. It’s nothing personal, but…”
He cut me off. “I presume Nevaeh is your daughter?”
“Yes, that’s my little cutie pie.”
He could hear Kimberly’s voice smiling through the phone as she spoke about her child; it warmed his heart.
“That’s a lovely name. How about this: what if I took just you out to lunch? Is there a relative or someone you could leave her with?”
“Well, I have a sitter, but I spend my days off with my little angel. That’s the only time we get together.” I explained.
“What if I promised that I would only take up an hour or two of your day? Would you go out to lunch with me then?” Dale pressed.
I hesitated as I processed the fact that this man wasn’t going away. “Okay, you’ve got yourself a date. What did you have in mind?” I questioned, eyeing my closet, trying to figure out what I would wear. Most of my apparel consisted of work clothes; I didn’t have an extensive wardrobe.
“Where ever you want to go. What kind of food do you like?” He asked.
“Mm,” I thought for a moment, “I’m good with Italian, Chinese, and Mexican. I’m not much of a picky eater. What’s your favorite?” I quizzed, rifling through my garments as we spoke.
“I can eat almost anything. Where do you live?” he questioned.
“I live outside of St. Louis City limits, by South County Mall. Do you know where that is?”
“Yes, I do. Actually, that’s where our call center’s located.” Dale purchased the mall; it was just one of the commercial properties he owned. “There’s a great little authentic Mexican restaurant near there. We could have lunch there if you’d like.”
“Okay, that’s perfect. I’m off Sunday’s and Monday’s, but you work Monday, don’t you?” I asked.
“I do, but we could go out to lunch on Sunday if that works for you.” He paused, giving me a chance to answer.
“Yeah, that’s fine. What time?”
“Oh, how about one o’clock?” Dale suggested.
“Sounds good. Did you want to meet there?”
“No, I’ll come pick you up,” he demanded. “What’s your address?”
Oh, this isn’t going to be good. I can’t let Nevaeh, or anyone else for that matter, see me with a white guy. What if it got back to my mom or brothers?
“Actually, I’m not comfortable giving you my address just yet. How about if we meet there? I promise I’ll be there,” I tried reassuring him.
“If I didn’t know better, I’d say you’re not a very trusting person,” Dale said.
“No, it’s not that. Well, sort of, but I don’t like my daughter seeing me with a man unless we’ve been together for quite a while and we’re serious about taking our relationship to the next level.”
“Hm,” Dale hummed into the phone. “I don’t know if I believe that. I get a feeling you’re trying to stand me up. You wouldn’t do that, would you?” He said in a sexy, flirty voice.
“No, I promise. I’ll be there.”
“You know if you stand me up, I’ll come up to your work again. Don’t make me do that or you’ll regret it.”
I wasn’t sure if he was playfully teasing, or if he was actually serious. “Don’t worry; but listen, I need to get off here. Nevaeh has been really sick lately so I need all the rest I can get. I’ll talk to you later.”
I smiled as we said our good-byes and hung up. He was pleasant and the thought of dating him caused an electrical charge to course through my body—he even insisted on picking me up. In my past, I had to meet the guy there or go pick him up; this was a delightful and welco
med change. The only problem was going to be explaining this to Lorraine. She was the only person I’d ask to babysit. If I dare told my mom that I had a date, she’d press me for all the details. As I drifted off to sleep that night, I dreamt of our lunch date and how I might say the wrong things or spill my drink on myself. When I woke up, I recalled the dreams and wondered why I was so apprehensive. What made him so different? Yes, he owned a business, had money and seemed nice, but there was just something about him.
On my way to Lorraine’s to drop off Nevaeh, I debated whether I should tell my friend about my Sunday plans now or wait until later. Lorraine liked to push me for details, but I wouldn’t have much time to fill her in on everything. I waited until after work. That morning was like any other day, I dropped Nevaeh off—who was feeling somewhat better—kissed her goodbye, and drove to work. The previous night’s conversation between Dale and I ran through my mind. I was astonished that he didn’t care I had a daughter; in fact, he seemed as if it was a pleasant surprise to him.
“Mornin’ Kimberly.”
“Hey, come here!” I whispered.
Rachel followed me over to our lockers, curious to see what I wanted. “What’s going on? And why are we whispering?” My friend asked.
“I don’t want Kevin to hear us. I took Nevaeh to the doctor, and he said she’s okay. It must be a virus or something, and that her back and knee pain and swelling are from her playing on the floor all the time.”
“Well, that’s good!”
“Yeah, and I wanted to tell you something else.” I went on with a huge grin plastered across my face, looking around to make sure no one else overheard. “I have a date on Sunday!” I exclaimed, still whispering.
“You do?” Rachel asked, matching my whisper. “Who is it?”
“That guy.” I waited to see if she would remember. Rachel’s face remained stone-like; her memory failed her, but that seemed to happen a lot these days. Her pregnancy brain made her forgetful most of the time. “That ONE guy? The cocky white guy who wouldn’t stop coming in until I gave him my number, remember?”
“OH! Right!” Rachel recalled the man. Her face lit up, “Kimberly, he’s so cute! I’m so happy for you! Where is he taking you?” She quizzed, eager to learn about our date.
“Here, come with me while I get clocked in and I’ll tell you all about it,” I promised, making my way over to punch my time card.
“So, I was reading Nevaeh a bedtime story last night when she asked me, “Momma, when are you going to meet your prince charming?” which made me feel sorry.” She nodded her head, waiting for me to continue. “Well, after I put her to bed, he called me! We only talked for a bit because I had to get some sleep. We’re going to that one Mexican restaurant that’s across the street from South County Mall.”
“That’s awesome!” Rachel said.
“Oh, I’ll be right back. Sherry just seated someone in my section.”
As my shift came to an end, I couldn’t wait to tell Lorraine and Tyrone about my date that Sunday. I rushed to Lorraine’s house, jumped out of the car and ran to my little ray of sunshine, who was already coming out the front door to greet me.
“Nevaeh!” I exclaimed as I picked her up and gave her a big hug. “How was your day, are you feeling any better?”
“Almost, but my back is sore and my knees are still a little swollen, but I’m much better than I was yesterday. How did work go?” she inquired.
“It was fine. Where’s Lorraine?” I asked as we made our way back inside the house.
“She’s in the kitchen making dinner. It smells good. Is it okay if we have dinner here?”
“Yes, you can stay,” Lorraine answered, wiping her hands on a kitchen towel at the doorway of the kitchen.
I looked up and smiled at my best friend. “If Nevaeh really really wants to.”
“I do! I do!” She shouted.
“All right,” I agreed, hugging her. It was nice to see her happy and healthy for a change.
“Oh boy! I’ll go let Tyrone know that you said we’re eating dinner here tonight!” she yelled, heading out of the house.
I watched her walk into the garage before I turned to my friend and smiled. “I didn’t want to say this in front of her, but I can’t wait to tell you something!”
“Follow me into the kitchen. I’ve got to stir up the meat so it doesn’t burn. We’re having tacos for dinner.” Lorraine said as she led the way.
I followed her, “Okay, so I need to ask you a big favor. I realize that you don’t watch Nevaeh on my days off, but I was wondering if you could keep an eye on her Sunday afternoon for a few hours.”
“Sure I can. Why?” She asked as she diced up tomatoes.
“I’m going on a date!” I squealed.
My best friend turned around with her mouth hanging open, “With who? It’s not that loser dishwasher from your work, is it? What’s his name? Jessie, who’s always hitting on you?”
I laughed, “Oh my God, no! I wouldn’t go out with him in a million years! Remember that good looking customer I told you about a few days ago? It’s him.” My smile beamed across my face.
“The dude that tried to give you a big tip?” Lorraine asked.
“That’s him!” She set the table, “He came back into work and refused to leave without my number, so now we’re going on a date this weekend.”
“Sounds crazy if you ask me,” Lorraine said as she finished setting the table.
“I know. But there’s something else I need to tell you,” I hesitated. I didn’t want to tell her that he was white.
“What?” Lorraine asked.
“If I tell you this, you gotta promise me that you won’t say anything to anyone. I don’t even want Nevaeh to hear it,” I stared at her.
“What?!” she could hardly contain herself.
“Dale is…white. There, I said it, he’s white.”
“Oh, girl, your momma’s gonna kill you if she finds out!”
“I know. And I don’t want my brothers finding out either. If Tony, Jason or Terrance find out, they’d kick my ass and Dale’s.”
“Why are you going out with him? He sounds like an ass and he’s a white man.”
“There’s something about him. He’s sarcastically funny and the way he’s built. Girl, you should see him! He’s tall, nicely built and dresses to kill! He’s also the owner of the gas company.”
“Damn! So what are you going to do? You can’t hide him forever,” Lorraine said.
“I know. I was kind of hoping to see how things go. I promised him one date. He would’ve kept coming up to my work if I hadn’t agreed. I figured that we could go out and if we hit things off, then take it from there. But I don’t have my hopes up,” I said helping her carry the food to the table.
“Why?”
“Because he’s too good-looking, he’s got money and I’m just…me. I can’t figure out why he wants to date me.”
“Are you crazy? You look fabulous! You have a cute smile, a great ass, and the perkiest boobs I’ve seen. And you spend way too much money on your weave,” she laughed.
“No, you’re the crazy one. I could stand to lose a few pounds,” I said grabbing a handful of fat from my belly. “And these tatas have seen better days,” I grabbed my bra strap, pulling the girls up, defying gravity.
“Whatever. I’ll cover for you, but you gotta fill me in on all the juicy details. You’re like my little sister. Tyrone will kick his ass if I tell him to!”
“I know,” I smiled. She was right. Tyrone was also very protective of me.
“Where are you guys going to go?”
“That Mexican restaurant, right across the street from South County Mall. I explained my days off work are spent with my adorable baby girl, so he promised that he wouldn’t occupy my whole afternoon.”
“What time?”
“Around one o’clock. I won’t be long,” I promised.
“Sure, just make sure you’re careful.” My friend warned. Tyrone and Nevae
h were coming into the kitchen.
“What are you talking about?” Tyrone questioned.
“Nothing, I’ll tell you about it later,” Lorraine said.
We busied ourselves with making plates while Tyrone and Nevaeh took a seat at the table.
“These are good Lorraine!” My daughter complimented, as she took a heaping bite out of her taco.
Lorraine laughed, “Well thanks, Nevaeh. They’re your favorite, huh?”
“Oh, I meant to ask you earlier when was the last time she had her ibuprofen?” I asked as I sipped my glass of water.
