by Autumn Gunn
“That’s child’s play.”
“You’re joking me?”
“So is this sitting position making your legs as numb as mine?”
“Nice deflection. No, I’m used to it. I like to curl up like this and read books in the evening.”
“Any recommendations?”
“Wherever You Go, There You Are. By Jon Kabat-Zinn. About mindful meditation.”
“Sounds right up my alley. I’ll give it a look.”
“And it could also be a good thing for the kids.”
I had started to take a drink of my tea, but stopped. Returning the cup to the small table just off the floor. I held eye contact with Carissa the whole time.
“You really love kids, don’t you?”
She stared at me deeply. Also setting down her tea.
“I do. Kids and animals. Those things in this world that can’t always fight for themselves. That and those among us that might just need a little push to get going in the right direction.”
“And you’re really committed to helping.”
“It’s why I became a teacher. The proof is in the pudding.”
I took a sip of my tea. Reminding me of it’s crisp yet calming effect once again. The sharp taste. The rich woodsy aroma.
“I hope people come to your gym, Cole. You can really do a lot of good around here.”
“It’s not mine yet. I waiting on the rental agent to make sure I get the place.”
“When will you hear back?”
“I was expecting by today, so I guess it could come at any minute.”
“Are you checking your phone non-stop? You must be excited.”
“I am excited, but my phone is off right now.”
“Ut-oh. You’re not undercover right now are you? You’re not going to kill me and bury me in the backyard?” Carissa winked.
“I was hoping to keep it a secret, but since you asked, I really hope you enjoy your last tea on earth.”
We laughed.
“Actually I always turn off my phone before I sit down with someone. Old habit.”
“That’s a nice habit. I wish more people had it.”
“And you?”
“What about me?”
“I haven’t heard any beeps from your phone this evening.”
“Let’s just say great minds think alike.”
“Your phone’s off?”
“That, or I’m a Russian spy working under cover.”
“You can’t be a Russian spy?”
“Why not?”
“Because you’re not Russian?”
“All the better for my disguise.”
I bent over nearly horizontal I laughed so hard.
“What you think I’m joking?”
“Either way, you’re doing a good job.”
“Ok, I have to admit something.”
“Which is?”
“I’m not actually a Russian spy.”
“That’s a shocker.”
“Because I’m a former Soviet bloc spy. I spy on Russia and the U.S.”
“And what have you learned so far?”
“That the U.S. has much hotter service men.”
“All that work and that’s all you’ve learned?”
“That’s the most important thing.”
“And by service men do you mean all branches?”
“All branches are sexy in their own way, but one stands out.”
“Hmmm…the Air Force? You like pilots?”
“I do, but since I was a girl I preferred swimming to staring at the sky.”
“So that would mean the Marines?”
“Well, they are a division of the Navy, but there was another Naval division I had my mind on.” She winked.
“You know SEALs don’t domesticate well.”
“Why? Because you need to buy a swimming pool and a beach ball and they can’t live in cold climates.”
“That and they’re always gone. You can’t find them above water or below. It’s like they don’t exist.”
“Like if I go to the bathroom right now and come back you might not be here?”
“Who said anything about me? You’re the Russian – Former Soviet bloc spy. It’s you I should be worried about.”
“You’re very quick Mr. Cole.” Carissa said in her best Russian accent. I tried not to laugh, but couldn’t contain myself.
“Let’s make a deal.”
“And that would be?”
“We both use our powers for good. In this case to help kids get on the right track.”
“I can’t even joke about that,” Carissa said. “It’s something I really want to do. You’ve got a deal.”
We shook again in the kid’s agreement manner.
“And if there’s anything I can do to help, please let me know.”
I noticed our tea was almost finished.
“It looks like we’re almost done with our tea. It’s probably best to call it a night, but let’s exchange phone numbers and we can plot and plan our next moves. I think an engagement at the school would be a good step once the gym is locked down.”
“Agreed, but there’s no reason to wait when you can start making a difference right away.”
I paused. “You know what? You’re right. If you can set up the event at the school we can get started right away.”
“I like your spirit soldier.”
“SEAL or Cole. We don’t really like being called soldier.”
“OK, Cole. I like that name anyways. It’s masculine and rugged. Like how a man should be. I bet you even have callouses on your hands.”
“You were sneaking some peeks?”
“I didn’t need to. With your name and line of work it’s almost 100% guaranteed.”
“A man’s going to get roughed up a little if he’s going to get any real work done these days.”
“I wish more men thought this way.”
“What do you mean?”
“It’s hard to find real men these days. Those in the mold of my grandfather. That World War II generation. Men who build things with their hands. Men who open doors. Men who support their women. Shoot, at this point I’d almost settle for a guy who helped me bring in the groceries.”
“Why haven’t you?”
“I can’t settle. I know there’s someone out there for me. Someone I don’t have to compromise for and who doesn’t have to compromise for me.”
“You think?”
“I know. You don’t?”
“I agree. I was interested in your conviction. Seems pretty strong.”
“It is. I’d rather be an old lady with 57 cats then settle. Eventually it’s not going to work out if you do that. First you’ll be mad at the other person, but ultimately you’ll be mad at yourself.”
“Sounds like you’ve thought this through.”
“It’s psychological decision making and compromise. There are a million ways to approach it, but when we’re talking about a soul mate it really has to be your soul mate. Each other’s soul mates. Not the guy TV and advertising tell you to like. Not the guy your friends want for you. Not the guy your parents want for you. The guy you want for you. They guy you need for you. The guy you can’t live without. And he can’t live without you.”
“I couldn’t agree more. Except of course change the word guy to girl.”
We both laughed.
“I think the only thing we should settle on is the tab. Let me pay and we can continue this conversation another time.”
“Agreed. How much was my part?”
“Are you joking? It’s on me.”
“I like to pay my half or what I’m responsible for.”
“I’m glad that you’re a responsible person, but I’m old fashioned. A man pays and that’s that.”
“But––“
I lifted my index finger close to her lips in the sssh position.
“Thank you.”
“You’re welcome.”
I paid and we left Takumi with a handshake
and a bow. I walked Carissa to her car parked just down the street on a small side street with no streetlights.
“I had a great time.”
“Me too. Was really cool to check out this place and have such an enjoyable conversation.”
“My thoughts exactly.”
She had pressed the door unlock on her keychain but didn’t seem to be in a hurry to get in. We gazed into each other’s eyes. Part of me, ok most of me, wanted to grab her and lay her out on the hood of her car and do things to her I’d wanted to do to her since last Saturday. Another part of me was thinking long term. Not that some passion on this perfect evening would cause any issues with the long term, but I just didn’t want to pull the trigger. As much as I wanted to grab her and take her right then and there, the bigger part of me had so much respect for her and I wanted to soak in her presence for a few more seconds.
“I should get going.”
“Is your car nearby? I can give you a lift.”
“Thanks, but it’s OK.”
“Are you sure? It’s no trouble.”
“I appreciate it, but I’d like to take in the fresh air.”
“OK, but if any bad guys, or should I say Russian spies, sneak up on you I won’t be there to protect you.”
“That sounds pretty dangerous, but I think I’ll take my chances.”
We both smirked.
“Good night, Carissa.”
“Good night, Cole.”
I turned and didn’t look back. I could hear her car pull away safely so I continued walking towards the direction of the house. I had a lot of steps in front of me. Steps that would help me reassess everything that had happened this evening. Not that I really needed to. Everything had been perfect.
Chapter 9
I was sleeping like a log when I heard my phone at exactly 9am.
“Hello.”
“Good morning, Cole. This is Rachel. Sorry for taking a bit longer than expected to get back with you but I have news regarding the rental.”
“OK.”
“Congratulations. You got it!”
My head was still spinning from waking up in the middle of REM sleep so I stopped and pinched myself to make sure I was awake. Affirmative.
“Great news. What’s the next step?”
“We can meet today to sign the papers and collect the first months, last months, and security deposit. And of course give you the keys.”
“OK.”
“What time’s good for you?”
“How about 10:30?”
“Perfect. There’s a great spot downtown we can meet and grab a coffee.”
“Shoot.”
“Fiesty Fido’s. Do you know it?”
I laughed to myself. I guess a little louder than I thought.
“Yeah, I’ve heard of it.”
“Great. See you there at 10:30.”
“See you there.”
I rolled over and sat on the bed. Jax had left a note on the counter last night that he’d be out running errands all morning. I looked over at the corner of the room. Yep, my boots were still there. They were about to take me back from where I had just come.
After a quick shower I reached into my backpack and pulled out the necessary cash. I put it in my front pocket and was out the door and on my way.
I arrived early, but went inside anyways.
Takumi greeted me with an “Oh!” and a bow. I returned the bow.
“You really like here?”
“I do.”
“Please. Choose any seat.”
“Thank you.”
I tried a different part of the teahouse. Partly out of curiosity and partly to avoid the weirdness of Takumi seeing me with a different girl barely 12 hours later in the same spot. I’m not that guy and I definitely don’t need to cultivate that type of reputation.
He could see from my body language I was waiting on someone and left me to myself. About 10 minutes later Rachel arrived. She spotted me immediately.
“Congratulations, Cole.”
“Thanks, Rachel.”
“Have you ordered?”
“Not yet.”
“Ok, great. It works a little differently here.”
“So I’ve heard.”
Takumi came by and gave a big bow to Rachel, which she returned. They both smiled and began speaking in Japanese. I could tell from the pacing and intonation of their conversation they were very familiar with each other. After a minute Rachel turned to me.
“Coffee?”
“Perfect.”
She said a few more things to Takumi and he quickly left to begin preparations.
“You speak Japanese?”
“English teacher in Tokyo for three years. Loved it.”
“And also the culture?”
“Everything. Culture, food, formality and informality, style…I love it all.”
“And it seems like you’ve been here before.”
“Definitely. I met Takumi in Tokyo. He told me his dream was to come to small town American and open a place like this. I asked him why not L.A. or New York or somewhere like that. He said coming from Tokyo the last thing he wanted to do was live in another huge city. He was also very fascinated with Americana. Diners, drive-ins, little league games…those kinds of things. We kept in touch over the years and when I became a real estate broker he asked if I could keep an eye out for him. I knew he was serious. I kept an eye open for over a year and then I saw this place. I knew it could convert to something that would work for him so I sent him some pictures and details. Three days later he was on a plane.”
“Wow. Now that’s a story about friendship.”
“Definitely. He’s the most loyal and kind friend anyone could ever have.”
“And he was able to get set up over here?”
“Yes, he got the green card for this place. Obviously you need a Japanese guy to make this place work. They determined he wasn’t going to take a job from an American so they awarded it to him. He’s been here ever since.”
“Those are the kind of foreigners I really like. Positive about America. Interested in the history and culture and then when they come here they make positive contributions and really become a part of a community.”
“Couldn’t have said it better myself.”
And then, right on cue, Takumi approached our table with two cups of coffee. We thanked him and he scurried off.
“Are you ready for this?”
“What do you mean?”
“This is going to be unlike any coffee you’ve ever had.”
“You’re really building this up.”
“You know how there were musicians, bands, and so forth and then Jimmy Hendrix came along with The Jimmy Hendrix Experience.”
“Of course.”
“Well this is an experience.”
“Well let’s get experienced.” And with that I brought the coffee to my mouth. The smell was incredible. I felt like I was on a Colombian hillside lying in a bag of fresh coffee beans. It smelled deep and warm. It reminded me of my grandmother’s chocolate milk on a cold winter’s day, but different. More adult. More masculine. I took a sip. It was like an explosion in my mouth. I sloshed it around and it felt like the inside of my mouth was fighting for possession of this liquid perfection. I swallowed and it warmed my throat. I could feel a tingle all the way down.
“Heavenly?”
“I don’t even have words. Experience was right.”
Rachel smiled.
“So. Ready to sign the contract?”
“Sure. Let’s take a look.”
Rachel handed me the contract. It was a very simple one pager. Very straight forward and just a few don’ts.
“I like the way this guy operates.”
