by H. T. Night
“No, tonight is good.”
“Yeah?”
“Yeah!” she confirmed.
“Great! Text me your address and I’ll pick you up around 8:00.”
“Okay, I will do that.”
“Awesome. I’ll see you in a couple of hours then.”
“I’m looking forward to it,” she said.
“And Maya?”
“Yeah?”
“One more thing.”
“What is that?” she asked.
“Tell Josiah I think his sister is pretty hot herself.”
Maya laughed, embarrassed. “Okay, I’ll tell him,” she said, and I heard her smack him again.
“I’ll see you tonight at 8:00.” We hung up.
I walked into my bedroom and Patrick and Sasha were sleeping on my bed. Sasha had apparently woken up at some point and decided to lie next to Patrick. They were kind of close. Their heads faced each other, about two inches apart. They were either kissing or talking before they both fell asleep. Considering Patrick was about as smooth as a drunken sailor on leave, I didn’t think he got any action. A part of me almost wished they would hook up. Now that I had met Maya, there was no way I’d be doing any random makeout sessions with Sasha, ever again.
It was 6:00 pm. I had about an hour before I needed to leave for my date with Maya. I decided to go into the cage and do a workout. I banged out 500 pushups and 500 sit-ups. After my sit-ups, my abs felt like they were about to explode. I stood up, walked out of the cage and peeled off my shirt.
I tightened up my six packs. I hadn’t been eating much of late, so my abs were out and about. It doesn’t matter how big my chest and arms became, I knew the ladies liked stomach muscles and that is why I always worked them double-time. My abs were ripped. Abs weren’t going to get me through a conversation at dinner with Maya. For that, I would have to depend on my conversation skills. Tommy, my boy, get ready for the date of your life.
Chapter Fourteen
The sleeping beauties were still slumbering when I left. I left them both a note that said I had gone out for the night, and I could be back real late. I liked the fact that I was accountable to someone. I hadn’t felt that since I’d left home.
It took a half hour to get to Josiah and Maya’s house. They lived near Cal State San Bernardino College in the better part of town. I pulled up to their house and I felt as nervous as I’ve been in a very long time. I parked my Mustang next to a giant tree in their front yard and jumped out. I was in semi-casual date mode—a fitted black, short-sleeve button-down shirt with a pair of black jeans. I had on my best pair of loafers; they looked good and were comfortable for walking.
I checked myself in my driver’s-side mirror, making sure that my fly wasn’t open and I had no boogers in my nose. Then, casually, I walked up the driveway and knocked on the door.
A silver-haired man with a spectacular handlebar mustache answered the door. He was fit for his age, and I was guessing that he was about fifty years old.
“Hello, there,” the older gentleman said to me.
“How are you doing, sir?” I said, completely thrown off by the fact that a dad answered the door. It was always a mom or a sibling, but never a dad. The dad usually was usually sitting in an easy chair, eyeballing me like a king on his throne.
“I’m good,” he said. “Tommy? Is it?”
“Yeah, that’s right,” I said, a bit awkward. I didn’t want to sound too confident out of respect for the fact I was taking his daughter out and didn’t want to appear to be a smooth customer.
He stuck out his hand and I gave him a firm handshake. “Nice grip. I’m Daniel, Daniel Reign. Come in. Maya is almost ready.”
I entered their house and looked around. It was like something out of a Norman Rockwell painting. The house fit every description of a good, old-fashioned country home. There were paintings of cowboys on the wall, a throw rug in the middle of the floor, and all the furniture looked to be handpicked from an antique shop. There was even an apple pie aroma in the house.
And sure enough, a short, buxom woman came out of the kitchen wearing an apron dusted with flour. She had blonde hair and blue eyes and was probably the most beautiful 50-year-old woman I had ever seen. I was a little thrown off by how pretty a mom could be. I definitely saw where Josiah and Maya received their good looks.
“Hi, Tommy,” the curvy woman said.
“Hello, Mrs. Reign,” I said, blushing. I was never very good at this, but this was highly awkward, considering how normal everything was. For crying out loud, I had a werewolf and a vampire spooning in my bed in my apartment.
“Have a seat, Tommy,” Mrs. Reign said. I walked over and sat on their brown couch. As I sat, my entire body sank into it like a hammock.
“Wow, this is probably the single most comfortable couch I’ve ever sat on.”
“Exactly, Tommy!” Daniel stated, with an exclamation point. “Margaret wants me to get rid of it.” Margaret was apparently Mrs. Reign’s first name.
“It’s ugly, Dan. And it’s filthy,” This was obviously a daily argument. I couldn’t help but smile at how cute they were.
“So, Tommy, what do you do? Are you in college?” Daniel asked as he packed himself a pipe.
“Actually no. I’m a professional athlete.”
Daniel’s eyes grew large. “An athlete? What kind?”
“I’m a fighter.”
“You mean like a Sugar Ray Leonard kind of fighter?”
“Well, not exactly,” I said. “There’s a new professional fighting sport called mixed martial arts.”
“Oh, MMA,” Daniel said. “Josiah and I watch that all the time. I just took him to a match a couple weeks ago at the Staples Center.”
“He mentioned that to me.”
“Wow, do you know any of those guys?” Daniel looked at me and his pipe seemed to be ready.
I smiled and said, “I was one of those guys.”
“You were? Which fight were you?” Daniel was as excited as I wish my own dad would have been to find out this information.
One of the hallway doors opened and Josiah came walking out. “He was the first fight, Dad. You didn’t see it. You were too busy getting nachos.”
Daniel looked at me and grinned. “I do love my nachos. Especially the ones at the arena! It’s like the cheese is more heavenly.”
I smiled because I could see where Josiah got his love for food. “I wouldn’t know. I haven’t had nachos since the third grade.” I looked over at Josiah and said, “What’s up, man?”
Josiah came over to me and I stood up to shake his hand, but instead, he gave me a bro hug like we’d been pals for years. Damn, I liked this kid.
“Dad, Tommy is only 22 and he is already making a living in the sport.” Josiah was trying to convince his dad of something.
“And that’s fine, Josiah. You can do whatever you want after you at least try out for the 2008 Olympic team. Son, you haven’t lost in 25 fights and the only reason why you lost your first one was because we didn’t know how to tighten your gloves right.” Daniel looked at me and laughed. “They kept slipping during the fight. It threw off the poor kid’s rhythm. He was only 12.”
“Wow, you haven’t lost in 25 fights! That’s amazing.” I looked over at Josiah and he seemed to care less that his dad was gushing over him. He had no idea how lucky he was, how I would have given anything to hear my biological father talk about me that way.
Suddenly, a hallway door opened and Maya walked out. She came walking down the hallway looking spectacular. She was wearing a white blouse with light blue jeans. She had done her hair in an up-do and it took everything I had to keep my jaw from hitting the floor.
“Wow, you look great,” I said.
“So do you,” Maya said back to me.
Maya and I were locked into each other and as far as I was concerned, there was no one else in the room.
“So, where are you two kids planning on going tonight?” Maya’s dad asked.
“I was thinking about taking her over to Irvine. There’s a spot called Irvine Spectrum. There are a lot of shops and a giant movie theater.”
“Oh, that sounds like so much fun,” Maya’s mom said.
Daniel looked at me and nodded his head. For the first time, he gave me that ‘you better look out for my daughter’ look. I smiled and told them how wonderful it was to meet them. Josiah seemed a bit jealous that he wasn’t invited but I knew he and I would hang out eventually.
I walked over to the door and was still mesmerized by how great Maya looked. I had a quick moment of clarity when I remembered that I had something for Josiah.
“Hey Josiah, come here.” He walked over to me and I reached into my pocket and pulled out a card to the gym where I work out.
“What’s this?” he asked.
“Well. When your dad thinks you’re ready, I’ll put in a good word at my gym and get you a membership.”
“Seriously?” Josiah looked at his dad for approval.
“As long as you continue to focus on boxing, I think it would be great if Tommy showed you a thing or two about MMA.”
Josiah stared at the card like a kid looking at a video game cover. “Thanks, man.”
“No problem. Until then, I’ll come back and we could work out together. We can do something more interesting than you running across San Bernardino.”
“That sounds great, Tommy.” Mrs. Reign said. I smiled, and opened the door. I said goodbye to everyone and Daniel told me to have Maya back by one in the morning. I said, “No problem.”
When we left the house, the first thing Maya said to me was, “I don’t have a curfew. I am twenty-one years old. My dad likes to think he can still make rules for me.”
“It’s okay,” I said, “I plan on having you back by then.”
We walked down the driveway, and I ran around my car to open her door. I let her in and closed the door behind her. I walked around the car and waved to her parents, who were looking out the window. I sat in the driver seat and looked over at Maya. She smiled. “I am so sorry that my parents and brother are such dorks.”
“You have no idea how awesome they really are,” I said, as serious as I had ever been.
“Really?”
“Yeah, really. They’re amazing. I mean that.”
Maya smiled and leaned back in her seat. I started my engine and made my way to the 91 freeway.
“Have you lived here all your life?” I asked.
“Born and raised in San Bernardino,” Maya replied. “What about you?”
“I lived in Southern California all my life, but I’ve been all over. I lived in Buena Park, Fullerton, Corona, I even had a stint in Garden Grove.”
“So, you said your grandmother raised you?”
“Sure did. Mother Teresa had nothing on my nana.”
“That’s cute.”
“I’m serious. She is one of those super religious people who actually lived the way she was supposed to, according to her faith.”
“How so?”
“She doesn’t judge. She just loves people. Even to this day, she finds the strength to go to the more needy areas of town and just gives herself to those communities.”
“She sounds wonderful.”
I looked outside my window and felt guilty singing my grandmother’s praises. I hadn’t seen my grandma in months and I had been feeling bad about that as of late. “Yeah,” I said. “She is wonderful.”
It took about a half hour to get to the Irvine Spectrum. The Irvine Spectrum is a giant block that had been turned into something that resembled a street fair. It had a variety of shops ranging from chocolates to novelty stores. There were street performers, tarot card readers, and a lot of places to eat, dance, and have a great time.
I pulled into the back parking lot and found a spot. It took about ten minutes but my grandmother had always taught me ‘patience is a virtue.’
We climbed out of my car and I looked up into the sky. I was seriously hoping for a normal night: no werewolves, no bloodsucking vampires, no drama.
All I knew was, I had planned on Maya and me having an old-school, all-American date. There are four necessities that make up a great first date. One, go to a cafe for an appetizer or a drink and have a conversation. Two, head over to a plush restaurant for a nice romantic dinner. You’re laying the groundwork to get comfortable with the person you’re with. The second half of the date is about having a great time. The third thing was engaging in a fun activity like batting cages or even a nightclub with great music and maybe some dancing. That’s where you let loose and showed your real colors. After all that, you have the grand finale. It actually isn’t that grand, but more of a mellow and introspective activity. Number four: Right before you drop off your date, you stop by a nice coffee shop and end the night the way you started, with great conversation. And how does a player like me know all of this? Hey, a player needs love, too.
After I parked, I jumped out and walked around my car to open the door for Maya. As I helped out Maya, she stumbled in the parking lot and fell into my arms. It was nothing major, but I caught a glimpse of the kind of intimacy to expect.
“I’m sorry,” she said. She was clearly embarrassed. “That was klutzy.”
I tried to make light of the situation by saying, “It’s okay, I’ll let it slide this time because you smell nice.”
“Oh, you will?” she said, flirting back at me. “That’s very nice of you.”
“What can I say; I’m a sucker for things that smell pretty.”
Maya laughed at my little joke and pulled herself together. Once she was situated, we headed up to the front of The Spectrum.
“Wow, this is pretty,” Maya said, looking at the lights.
“It’s no Las Vegas, but it’s about the best you’re going to get in Orange County.”
We decided to walk around a bit and scope out the various shops. We stopped in at an arts and crafts shop and Maya was like a kid in a candy store.
“I love this store!” she said. “If I could, I would buy the whole shop.” She went from item to item with eyes as big as gumballs. I couldn’t help but be amused at this beautiful woman who was so interested in miniatures, doll houses, and scrapbook items. “Tommy,” Maya said. “When I die, I want my ashes spread out in this store.”
“Well,” I said, “that might be hard for the cleaning crew to clean up and I’m pretty certain it’s a health hazard.”
“Oh, you’re no fun,” she joked.
“I hope you’re not planning on dying anytime soon.”
“For you, Tommy... I’ll live to be a hundred.”
I smiled and said, “I hope so. If you do, I’ll make sure your ashes make their way over here.”
Maya smiled and we left the store. We walked further down the street until we saw a palm reader. I tried to look away, but the damn gypsy-looking woman made direct eye contact with me and it was too late. Maya caught her looking at me and something told me that a palm reader was right up her alley. “Hey Tommy, the palm reader is making goo-goo eyes at you.”
“I can see that. I must have ‘sucker’ written on my forehead.”
“Sucker? Never! I have always had good readings when I’ve had them done.”
“Let me guess, they were generic things like you’ll find love, have some success the following month, and you will encounter something that you hadn’t anticipated.”
“More or less, yes.” Maya laughed.
“That’s because love is a big word and it could mean a variety of different relationships. And unless you’re the unluckiest person in the world, everyone is going to have some kind of success, month to month.”
“Okay, smarty pants, how did the last lady know ‘Fitem’ would accept me into their designer college?”
“She didn’t know unless she said, ‘Maya, Fitem, the designer college you are trying to get into, will accept you.’ It was just a generic shot in the dark. It could easily have been something as unexpected as finding a
beautiful puppy. These psychic people need to give you specifics and they don’t.”
“Okay, Mr. Skeptic, just give it one shot, because something tells me you have never done anything like this before. Am I right?”
I looked Maya and grinned, “No, I haven’t done anything like this before.”
“Wow, and you’re such an expert!” she mocked. “Come here!” Maya grabbed my hand and led me to the psychic. I had to admit, it was worth giving it a shot to be able to hold Maya’s hand for the first time.
“Hello,” the lady wearing the gypsy outfit said. She, apparently, had gone to a costume shop and found the most authentic layers of clothes she could find because she did look good. I’d give her an A+ for the first impression.
“Hello, to you, madam,” I said, smirking from ear to ear.
“May I take your right palm, sir?” she asked.
“Sure,” I sat down in the empty chair opposite her.
“May I have your first name?”
“It’s Kyro,” I joked.
“Kyro?” she asked.
“No, I’m just kidding. It’s Tommy.” I put out my right hand and she flipped it over and looked at my palm. Then something unexpected happened. When she touched the palm of my hand, I saw a flash of light. At first, I thought one of the outdoor cover lights had burned out, but I looked up and realized I wasn’t even under anything. As a matter of fact, there wasn’t much light around us.
“Oh, wow!” she said. “I can feel a lot of energy coming through you!” She paused and stared at my palm like it was a treasure map. “This line here,” she said, pointing to the longest line on my palm, “shows that you are going to live a very full life.”
“That’s good. I should, with all the exercise and nutritious food I eat.”
“No, Tommy.” And this is where it began to get very weird. This bizarre woman looked deep into my eyes as if she was trying to speak to my innermost self. “Tommy, you’re going to live a very long life.”
“A very long life? That’s good, right? Isn’t that the whole point to all of this, to try to live as long as possible?” I looked up and winked at Maya. Maya looked on, with as serious of an expression I had ever seen from her.
