The Heart is a Lonely Hunter

by Unknown

  Stunned, Terrance was breathless. He hadn’t had a date in more than six months. Now just like that here was Laura looking absolutely delicious almost edible sitting in the living room and Sylvia on the phone requesting they meet for a drink. When it rains it pours. The gods were obviously smiling on him tonight, he thought smiling to himself. Yet, something was amiss.

  “Mr. Daniels, are you there?”

  “Why, yes, Mrs. Stanton, I’m still here. Are you okay?”

  “Couldn’t be better,” Sill lied, masking her voice, pretending to be upbeat, in an attempt to save face.

  Terrance was tempted to comment on the fact that it had been quite some time since the offer had been extended making him a wee bit curious to know what had prompted her to call now. No sooner than he thought to ask he heard the toilet flush and remembered that Laura was waiting on him and decided to curtail the conversation. ‘A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush’, Terrance thought to himself as he pictured Laura patiently awaiting his return in the living room.

  And then almost as if someone had taken control of his vocal capacities he heard himself ask. “Dante’s on Fifth and Lansing?” knowing full well where it was.

  “That’s the one,” Sill replied.

  “Give me about forty-five minutes,” he said. “I need to make a stop first. And though there was no longer anyone on the other end, Terrance sat there on the edge of the bed stunned, still clutching the receiver, wondering what had just transpired. Much as he hated to admit it, Laura’s visit was a pleasant surprise. Their past made him comfortable in her presence. And then out of the blue enters a woman he hardly knows and...

  Terrance lit a cigarette, took a swallow of wine, lay back on the bed and tried to put everything in proper perspective. His days, which only this morning appeared relatively simple had suddenly become rather complex. Reaching over the side of the bed, Terrance felt around for the bottle of Seagram’s he kept on hand purely for medicinal purposes such as this and poured himself a shot to calm his nerves. The whiskey sent shivers through him.

  What could be he possibly tell Laura? He’d waited for Sylvia’s call for months. As sensational as Laura looked tonight, he had no choice but to excuse himself. The only thing that really mattered tonight though was that he be dressed to the nines and on top of his game. The shot of Seagram’s relaxed him somewhat but there was still the matter of Laura.

  “Everything alright, Terrance?” Laura asked as she stuck her head in the doorway “Mind if I come in?”

  ‘”No, not at all, come on in,” Terrance tried to remain cool, somber, unchanged. Lord knows he wanted her to come in. Or did he? A half an hour or so ago, he would have begged her to come in. Now he was torn between meeting Mrs. Stanton and just leaning back enjoying the pleasant glow of the fireplace and Laura in all her splendor.

  Laura made her way to the easy chair opposite him. “Is everything okay, Terrance?” repeated Laura. She knew him well enough to know when something was troubling him and this certainly seemed to be one of those times. “Laura, a situation’s come up. I’m afraid I’m going to have to leave for awhile.” Terrance wondered if he was doing the right thing.

  “I understand, Terrance. Is there anything that I can do?” She was visibly upset. She obviously had plans too. Plans that included him. “Want me to stick around until you get back? We can order out. Have you eaten? Or I could run out and get us some Chinese, another bottle of Chardonnay some candles while you go out. We could make a night of it. I don’t meet my lawyer until nine a.m. and I’ve got so much to show you, darling,”

  “You don’t know how badly I want to say yes, Laura. But with students you never know how long these things will take,” Terrance lied.

  “I understand.” Laura drank the last of her wine, fumbled in her purse, kissed Terrance on the cheek and headed for the door. Staggering slightly, Laura smoothed her dress and pulled her pantyhose up just enough to let Ter-rance know what he was missing. “You owe me, Terrance Daniels.”

  “I’m already paying,” Terrance replied, sarcastically.

  “Dearly and with interest.” Laura smiled, closing the door behind her.

  “Need for me to walk you out?”

  “No thanks, babe, I’m parked right in front. Call me when you’re free. I should be finished by noon tomorrow. I’ll be looking forward to hearing from you.”

  Terrance walked her to the car despite her objections then watched Laura walk the final few feet to her car, thought of the great future she had behind her and cursed himself for letting her walk away. Lord, she was built but Sylvia Stanton was—well—Sylvia. And whereas he knew Laura would be there, Sylvia was unchartered territory. A whole new world just waiting to be explored. He just wished he hadn’t had to accept her one and only offer. Not that he wanted so much to be with Laura though she certainly had matured from her days as a dancer. He just didn’t want to seem too anxious.

  Terrance selected a pair of charcoal gray trousers, a black mock turtleneck and a pair of burgundy penny loafers with tassels. By the time he got in the shower it was seven thirty. He took another swig from the bottle of Seagram’s and was gone. Less than five minutes later, he arrived at the ATM machine. He would be late he knew but it would be good to keep the ever so punctual Mrs. Stanton waiting a few minutes. Terrance hoped this would bring her down a peg or two, let her know that she just wasn’t that important in the whole scheme of things. He hoped it would knock her off her high horse and put them on the same plane. After all, she had a lot of nerve calling him after this long.

  Easing into the parking space in back of Dante’s, Terrance got out, checked his profile in the side view mirror and headed for the back door. He’d hoped to go in the back and steal a quick glimpse of Sylvia before she had a chance to see him. He was trying to get the drop, size up her mood, atmosphere, and anything else he could use to his advantage. As soon as he spotted her, he was glad he’d done just that. Awestruck, to say the least, he had to admit he’d never seen her with her hair down or in such provocative attire. He stepped into the men’s room to gather himself. ‘Here goes nothing,’ he told himself before making his way to her table directly in front of the three piece ensemble. The trio consisted of a bass player, pianist and drummer, playing Duke Ellington’s, In a Sentimental Mood. The mellow music mixed with the Seagram’s and the fine assed woman in front of him made him quickly forget Laura and had him thinking he’d died and gone to heaven.

  Sylvia Stanton, on the other hand, sat there drink in one hand, cigarette in the other, nodding her head ever so gently to the music hoping to forget her evening and that simple husband of hers, as Terrance made his way to the table.

  “Evening, Mrs. Stanton.”

  “Mr. Daniels.”

  “I was wondering if you were going to show,” she confessed, self-consciously. “Do you know how difficult it is for a middle-aged married woman to get a date on a Thursday night?”

  Now, why did she have to throw the married bit in there?, he asked himself. Was she setting up parameters for the evening? If she thought this little tête-à-tête was going to be purely platonic, she’s sadly mistaken. Hell, he could have stayed home. He was in no mood for games. Animosity and anger had been building since he’d asked her for a date months ago and she hadn’t had the common decency to respond and the alcohol made his patience shorter than usual.

  “Let’s not play games, Mrs. Stanton. You’re neither middle-aged nor very married, if you’re here with me.”

  “Sylvia Stanton was chilled to the bone by this observation, but maintained her composure by sipping her drink and staring at the band. Terrance knew what he’d said was risky, but he was not starving having just left a beautiful woman who wanted to be with him for one who was yet unsure of herself.

  “Come here often, Mr. Daniels?”

  “Not as often as I’d like, and please call me Terrance.”

  “Likewise. Call me Sylvia.”

  “Nice to finally meet you, Sylvia. Very n
ice, indeed.”

  As they shook hands mockingly, the waiter approached.

  “You okay ‘ma’am? Can I get you another of the same?”

  Sylvia, already tipsy didn’t want to appear too cordial. “I think I’ll wait. I’m still feeling the last one.”

  Turning to Terrance, the waiter’s expression took on a completely different cast.

  “What’s up, Tee? Haven’t seen you in a month of Sundays. Where you been keeping yourself?”

  “Working man, working. How you been. Jazz?”

  “Coolin’, you know, just takin’ it easy,” Jazz said. “I called you a couple of weeks ago to see if you wanted to fly down to New Orleans to see Roy Ayers and Boney James. Man, the card was jam-packed and I had two free tickets and the rooms were paid for.”

  The club was starting to fill up, now. Young men in suits and sport coats, women in pretty floral dresses and Jones of New York suits paraded through the doors. Young Black professionals streaming in like so many rays of sunshine. Good lookin’ Black people parading in looking like The Ebony Fashion Fair. The little trio was in a groove now; playing a piece by James Moody that sounded almost too good and the noise level was rising.

  “Let me get to work, Terrance. People are spendin’ and I need to be earnin’. Whatcha gonna have? The usual? Killians with a twist of lemon and a double Jack on the side?”

  “You got it, Tee,” Jazzy responded.

  Sylvia looked hard at Terrance as Jazzy turned to leave.

  “My fault, Sylvia. Jazzy, this is Mrs. Sylvia Stanton. Sylvia this is my good friend. Jazzy. I’ve got to be careful introducing beautiful women to Jazzy. He has a way with women, you know.” Sylvia smiled, her eyes never leaving Ter-rance.

  Jazzy blushed. “He taught me everything I know,” replied Jazzy now on his way back to the bar.

  “You know, for some reason that does not sound surprising. Sylvia smiled. Jazzy returned to the table in a matter of seconds. “It’s getting a little busy in here T. Don’t know if I’m gonna get a chance to get back here but if I don’t, just tell the waiter that Jazz’s got it. “Are you ready for that drink now, Ms. Stan-ton?”

  “I believe I am. I’ll have the same as Mr. Daniels, uh, Terrance. Hold the Killians.” Turning to Terrance, she commented, “It must be nice to have friends in high places.”

  “That’s why I’m trying to get on your good side. Rumor has it that you have clout in the school system.” Terrance smiled broadly.

  “Let’s not talk about school tonight, Terrance.”

  “Not a problem, Sylvia.”

  “Care to dance?”

  “I thought you’d never ask.”

  When she stood up, all Terrance could do was gasp.

  “Mrs. Stanton? Are you the same Ms. Stanton who teaches at West Lansing?

  She smiled, acknowledging his feeble attempts to cover his surprise.

  “I do let my hair down on occasion, Mr. Daniels.”

  “It’s not your hair I was referring to, Sylvia.”

  They both laughed as they moved through the crowd and onto the dance floor. The music was hot now as several other musicians stepped up to the bandstand.

  Midway through the set, the band, which now numbered eight or nine members with Jazzy accompanying on sax, broke into the very up-tempo Mister Magic. Moving self-consciously, Sylvia tugged on Terrance’s sleeve in a feeble effort to get off the dance floor. Terrance pulled her gently back on and she responded nicely.

  One by one, the crowd of dancers gave way giving them the entire dance floor.

  The usually reserved Mrs. Stanton was almost in full swing now. Terrance followed her lead as she broke into one smooth jazz step after another. Terrance tried to keep up but it was clear that the ever so reserved Mrs. Stanton was no novice on the dance floor. The band members, now numbering nine or ten noticed the couple drawing so much attention and picked up the rhythm. The crowd suddenly broke into chants of, “Go girl, go boy, go girl.” When the tempo slowed, Terrance didn’t have to be pulled off the floor this time, he led the way, the crowd clapping in appreciation. Jazzy had ordered another round in their absence. Terrance smiled. Good ol’ Jazz. Always on time.

  Terrance, perspiring profusely after the workout, excused himself and headed for the john to freshen up, making it a point to thank Jazzy along the way. “Good lookin’ out, Jazz.”

  Jazz nodded. “You’ve really got something on your hands this time, Tee. Just hope you can handle it, baby.” He’d known Jazzy almost as long as he’d known himself and immediately knew Jazz was referring to Sylvia. This was Jazz’s way of complimenting him.

  “I’ll do my part, if you do yours,” Terrence replied.

  “Don’t worry drinks are on the house, but it’s gonna take more than a few drinks to get next to that. You got cash? Here, take this Benjamin just in case you hit pay dirt. When you gonna get a real job anyway? Everybody knows teachin’ don’t pay nothin’ and from the little I’ve seen of Ms. Stanton, you’re gonna need all the Benjamins you can lay your hands on. That right there is high maintenance, my brotha.”

  Terrance brushed him off. “I’m straight. All I have to give is me and if she wants more than that she’s playin’ in the wrong ballpark. Know what I’m sayin’? I sure as hell ain’t trying to buy no woman. Too many of them out there for free. By the way, guess who just got in town and stopped by the house?”

  “Who’s that?”

  “Laura. Remember the dancer?”

  “How can I forget? She was as fine as they come.”

  “And trust me, Jazz, ain’t a whole lot changed in that regard. But anyway, let me get back to her before she thinks I’m missin’ in action.”

  “Yeah okay but let me say this before you go. You know we’ve been friends a long time, Tee, and I’ve always tried to be on the level with you, dog. And from what I see, she’s either gonna be the best thing that’s ever happened to you or the worst. That right there is serious. I don’t think that’s anything to play with. I’ve seen men literally kill over women like that. So, go slow and be careful.”

  Returning to the table as composed as ever, Terrance wondered how prophetic Jazzy was. He’d had those same thoughts when he first considered talking to Sylvia, but right now he was just glad to be in her company.

  “Didn’t know you were such a good dancer, lady.”

  “There are a lot of things you don’t know, Terrance.”

  “Hopefully, you’ll give me the opportunity to answer some of my questions.”

  Before she could answer, he noticed someone approaching rapidly from through the crowd. The sight sent chills through him. From the midst of a rather large entourage of women, looking even more ravishing than when he’d last seen her, in a gold and white tunic, white slacks and gold sandals, standing all of six feet was Laura.

  Terrance swallowed the remainder of his drink, watching her intently as she approached the table. He could feel the beads of perspiration gathering on the bridge of his nose. At the table now, Terrance introduced the two women, took a swallow of beer and waited for the onslaught.

  For Laura it was a Catch-22. If this woman meant anything to Terrance it wouldn’t pay to cause a scene. If she made no comment he’d figured her to be at his beck and call. That was certainly not the way for her to renew a relationship. She’d let him slip away once. But Lord knows if she had anything to do with it it wasn’t going to happen again,

  “Will you join us, Laura?”

  “No thanks, Terrance. I’m with some friends.” Laura smiled graciously knowing her mere presence was making him uncomfortable, but decided to make him suffer just a little while longer.

  “Terrance honey, I didn’t know you were working with graduate students now.” Laura smiled, excused herself, and said, “Nice meeting you, Sylvia. You must call and tell me all about it sometime, Terrence. I may want to pick up a few credits.” She laughed before walking away, knowing full well that her attempt at sarcasm had hit home.

  All Sylvia
could do at this point was lower her head and grin.

  “Moonlighting, Terrance?” she asked. “I didn’t know you taught grad school either. She’s a very attractive woman, Terrance. I wish I had her height. Another member of your fan club?”

  “She used to be,” Terrance replied matter-of-factly. “Are you ready to get out of here?”

  “Whenever you are,” she replied still smiling.

  Sill slid out of her seat and Terrance escorted her out of the back door, nodding to Jazzy on the way, and making sure to circumvent Laura and her welcoming home party.

  “What about the bill, Terrance?”

  “It’s been taken care of,” he replied. “My place for a nightcap?”

  Shortly thereafter, Terrance pulled into a group of moderately priced town-houses off of Village Drive. Sill had always wondered what they were like inside. Now she would have the chance to see first-hand.

  CHAPTER 11

  Entering the townhouse, Sylvia’s heels sank deep into the plush, cream-colored carpeting causing her to lose her balance. Terrance caught her before she fell completely. Righting herself by grabbing a bookcase, she found herself face-to-face with Terrance. Facing him, she looked deeply into his eyes and felt a stirring for the first time in quite some time. There was little doubt that she found him physically attractive but.there were just so many buts. Terrance feeling no resistance to their closeness took this as a positive sign. Moving forward to kiss her, Sylvia suddenly turned away.

  “Nice, very nice, Terrance,” she commented purposely ignoring his advances. Terrance turned the light switch on. Along with the lights came an almost ephemeral sound. No doubt music, but like nothing he’d ever heard before. Dimming the lights, he excused himself.

  “Fix yourself a drink, Sylvia. The bar’s right through the door on the left. I’ll be there momentarily. You can change the music if you like. The remote’s on the coffee table.”

  “No, I like it. What is it anyway?”

  “His name is Andreas Vollenweider. He’s a German guy. Plays what they call New Age. It’s sort of a mixture of jazz and classical. I don’t know too much about it. I just know it’s relaxing. I can read with it on and it allows me to unwind after a rough day,” he said winking at her.