by Tina Martin
Edith nodded. “Bryson has a point, Kalina.”
Bryson? A frown ripened in Kalina’s forehead. “You know this guy, Edith?”
“I know Ms. Edith well,” Bryson answered before Edith could respond. “I’ve been a patron of this café for years, but I’ve only been coming here at around this time for the last three weeks. Have you not seen me here before? I’m not difficult to miss.”
You arrogant… “No, I haven’t seen you here before, but it’s not like I was looking for you either.”
“I wasn’t looking for you, but I see you here every evening around this time, talking to your laptop. You know, I’ve never heard anyone refer to a computer as their best friend…” He looked amused before his lips grew into a smile, one that showed off a mouth full of blindingly white teeth – like the sun rays reflecting off of a fresh snowfall.
“And on that note,” Kalina said, turning away from Bryson and back towards her laptop, “I have work to do.”
“Speaking of work, that’s why you haven’t seen me before,” Bryson said. “Your eyes are glued to your computer screen twenty-four, seven.”
Edith quickly hurried from behind the counter when she saw Kalina’s frown deepen. Standing next to her niece now, she said, “Um, let me properly introduce you two. Kalina, this is Bryson Blackstone. Bryson, this is my niece, Kalina Cooper.”
Bryson stood up, walked to Kalina’s table and extended his hand to her. “Nice to meet you, Kalina.”
“I don’t shake hands,” Kalina said snippily. “And since my eyes are glued to my computer screen twenty-four seven, I better get back to work.”
Bryson smirked, lowering his hand. Her attitude certainly didn’t match her beautiful face and that silky, chocolate skin tone of hers. And her eyes – those gorgeous, black, almond-shaped eyes nearly quieted him – they almost stole his voice by making him lose his train of thought. And while he was standing there, stricken by her beauty, he’d forgotten what his next plan of action was. Oh yeah, that’s right – he would way something to get under her skin. So finally responding to her, he said, “You mean, you have to get back to answering an email on a topic in which you obviously know nothing about?”
“Excuse me?” she asked, her head cocked to the side.
Well that didn’t take long, Bryson thought. Even the frown in her forehead couldn’t distort her natural beauty.
Edith sauntered on back behind the counter when she saw a new customer come in. Besides, she wasn’t about to get in the middle of this argument.
“Marriage,” Bryson said. “You don’t have a ring on your finger, and I don’t see any indication of one ever being there, which tells me you’ve never been married. So what advice are you going to give this poor woman who’s on the brink of ruining her life and marriage to a man she’s probably head over heels in love with, simply because he’s changed his mind about wanting children?”
“Okay, first of all, I didn’t ask for, nor do I need your help, advice or opinion on—”
“So what’s your reply?” he interrupted, inviting himself to her table by taking the empty chair across from her. “What are you going to tell this woman?”
The nerve of this conceited, self-centered…
Kalina leaned back in her chair, staring at the self-satisfied look on his face. Who did he think he was, barging his way into her conversation like he had a right? And who was he exactly? Some creepy coffee shop stalker? He did say he’d been coming there for three weeks. How did she not remember him? And how on earth was her aunt on a first name basis with this jerk of a man?
“I’m waiting,” he said, then crossed his arms over his chest.
The motion had her glancing at his hand. He wasn’t wearing a wedding band, so what did he know about marriage? Or maybe he was married, but kept his ring in his pocket…one of those men. And if he was one of those men, how was he in any position to offer anyone advice about anything.
“Okay, then,” Kalina said, sitting straight up in her chair again. If this Bison, Bryson or whatever his name was, thought he was going to have the upper hand with her, he had another thought coming. “How would you respond to the woman?”
“How would I respond?” Bryson asked.
“Yes, since you’re an expert on marriage and all. The private conversation I was having with my aunt has somehow intrigued you enough to interrupt us, so tell me, Bison—”
“Bry-son,” he corrected.
“Whatever…what would be your perfect response to this woman. I’m dying to know.”
“I’m not sure,” Bryson responded.
“Well, would you look at that?” Kalina said with raised eyebrows. “Now you’re not sure.”
“Only because this is not something I can answer on a whim. Sensitive topics such as this requires careful consideration.”
Kalina nodded and flashed a phony smile. “You’re right. It does, which is why I’ve been stuck on this question all day long, and the reason why I was discussing it with my aunt. But, I tell you what Bry-son…” Kalina took one of her business cards from a side pocket on her laptop bag. Handing it to him, she said, “Since you don’t think I have what it takes to answer the question, you do it.”
She watched him smile wide, his teeth a stark contrast to his dark chocolate skin tone. He took the card from her grasp.
“My email address is on the card. I will expect your email reply by tomorrow night.”
Bryson scanned over her business card, then looked up at her again. “You don’t include a phone number on your business cards?”
She smirked. “Sure don’t. There are a lot of crazies out here.” Case in point…
With a smile on her face, Edith, watching from behind the counter, shook her head. Kalina had no patience for men, she knew, but Bryson Blackstone wasn’t just any man and he seemed to have taken an interest in her.
“Alright. I’ll send you an email then, boss lady.”
Short of rolling her eyes, Kalina said, “You do that. Now if you would excuse me, I have to glue my eyes back to my computer screen.”
“Right.” Bryson stood up tall, towering over her table with a set of long legs and broad shoulders like that of a football player. He slid her business card into his shirt pocket. “It was nice meeting you, Kalina.”
Ugh. Go away already…
She flashed him the phoniest smile she could muster and returned her attention back to her inbox. She had a hundreds of emails to answer and she wanted to get through at least fifty of them before the shop closed, especially since she needed to get some sleep tonight. She was going to visit her mother in the morning and that experience was tiring enough in itself. She didn’t want to arrive exhausted and quick-tempered, so sleep was a must. It was going to be a long day.
CHAPTER 2
Bryson stepped inside the foyer of his home, looking around like it was his first time at his own house. He was tired of being here, being reminded of his ex-wife, Felicia, and her infidelity. Seemed everywhere he turned, something reminded him of her – the Persian rug in front of the fireplace, the chandelier they picked out together hanging above the dining room table and the blank space on the wall where their wedding picture used to occupy – there was always something.
He shook his head and continued upstairs to one of the guest bedrooms where he’d been sleeping for the two years he’d been divorced. The master bedroom was off limits. He couldn’t bring himself to sleep there. They’d shared that room and even after having all the furniture replaced – the bed, nightstand and dressers – he still didn’t want to spend any significant amount of time there. Memories of woman who cheated on him needed to cease, even if it meant he had to inconvenience himself to make that happen.
He often thought about the day he found out about Felicia’s infidelity. After dinner one day, Felicia had gone to the gym with his sister-in-law, Calista. He ran upstairs to change into some workout clothes since he wanted to go for a jog through the neighborhood. In the walk-in closet they sh
ared, he saw a sheet of paper hanging out the top drawer of her dresser. Her panty drawer. Thinking that it looked odd, because Felicia was a neat freak and she for sure would’ve fixed this herself, he walked over to it, pulled the paper out and realized it was an email Felicia had printed out – an email she had anonymously sent to a woman named Kalina Cooper, an editor at The Cooper Files, whatever that was…
From: Anonymous
To: Kalina Cooper
Subject: Torn
I hope you can help me. I’m 35 years old and have been married to my husband for 6 years. I’m a housewife, taking care of the bills, scheduling, shopping and basically running the house while he works full-time. When I’m not at home, I’m usually at the gym, getting facials, manicures, pedicures and massages. My husband and I have shared some good times together and I love him dearly, but lately, I’m feeling like the romance isn’t there. I need excitement. Adventure. That’s why I’ve been seeing someone else. We’ve only been on a few dates, but I feel a level of excitement whenever I’m with him. Still, I don’t want to leave my husband, but even though my husband spoils me, I don’t get excited to see him anymore. I don’t know what to do at this point.
--
Confused in Wilmington
_____
Felicia’s email hit him so hard, he had to take a seat to keep from falling over. His wife of six years was on the verge of cheating, or since the email was dated months ago, maybe she already had. She’d given him no indication that she thought he was boring or that she didn’t feel excited to see him. How was he supposed to know she’d been feeling that way? Who was this man she’d been dating? And where was the reply from this Kalina Cooper person? Did she reply at all?
Frantically, he walked back over to the dresser, tossing her panties around, looking for another email. The response email. He grabbed another paper, a folded one, and unraveled it. It had been exactly what he was searching for:
From: Kalina Cooper
To: Anonymous
Subject: Torn
Hi Confused in Wilmington,
I can’t say I understand exactly what you’re going through, but I will say this. You’ve been married to this man for six years. That has to count for something. All too often people, men and women, are so quick to walk away from their relationships when they think that someone else can give them what they’re ‘missing’ in their current situation. And guess what…a few years from now, you’re going to be feeling the exact same way about this strange man you’ve been dating. If you’re bored within your marriage, you need to look within yourself, not into the eyes of another man to give you a feeling of excitement. Why don’t you try to go away with your husband? You said you manage the household finances, so schedule a trip together. You better believe there are plenty of women out here who would want a man like you have. Why not take the time to show your husband that you appreciate his hard work – providing you with the financial stability that enables you to get massages and manicures whenever you want? When was the last time you cooked a meal for him? Or surprised him at his office with lunch? Better yet, when was the last time you had an actual conversation with him, looked into his eyes and really asked him if he was okay? When was the last time you told him you loved him? Try it. If nothing else I said has struck a chord with you, remember this – don’t throw your marriage away because you think someone else can make you happy. Happiness starts within.
All the best,
--
Kalina Cooper
Editor | CEO
The Cooper Files
_____
The response from this woman had come a couple of weeks after Felicia had sent her email. Obviously, Felicia had read it, even though she hadn’t taken any of the advice that was clearly laid out in the email. She still cheated.
That was two years ago…
It wasn’t until a few months ago that Bryson stumbled upon this email again, reread it and wondered who this Kalina Cooper was, and what The Cooper Files were all about. So, sitting in his office one day during a quiet period in an otherwise chaotic office building, he pulled up her website and started his research on her, reading about how she studied and analyzed people and offered relationship advice. And she was stunning, absolutely breathtaking in his opinion, but what caught him by surprise was her admission in her biography that she wasn’t in a relationship, wasn’t married, had never been married and had never planned to marry. Her purpose was to help other people in this space, not herself.
And that’s what she did with her white laptop, her friend – sat in Edith’s Café every night and helped people with their relationship issues, one email at a time. That was her purpose.
His purpose was getting to know her better. The email she sent to his now, ex-wife had been on point. It came from a woman who knew and appreciated the traits of a good man. A real man. And he was a man who appreciated the intelligence of a beautiful woman. Yes, he had pretended she wasn’t capable of giving advice about marriage since she had never experienced marriage, but that was just to get his foot in the door, to stare into her dark brown eyes. It had been a way for him to meet her, ruffle her feathers a bit and make himself a permanent entry into her memory bank. Once she got to know him, she’d see what kind of man he really was. He would make sure of it.
CHAPTER 3
Kalina managed to get seven hours of sleep last night. It wasn’t enough to catch her up from the little sleep she had during the course of the entire week, but it was good enough to make her alert to the point where she could sit quietly without nodding off. That’s what she was doing now – sitting quietly in her mother’s bedroom, watching her sleep. Madeline had been a resident at this assisted living facility for years. When Edith realized she couldn’t properly take care of Madeline any longer, she filled out the necessary paperwork to get Madeline an apartment here and footed the money, over thirty grand a year, to keep Madeline here – safe, cared for and protected.
Kalina was grateful for the success of her blog, especially since the money she made allowed her to pay her aunt back every cent. And now, she takes care the monthly bills for her mother’s residency. The prices were absurd. It was like paying a mortgage, but at least there was a team of nurses at the facility who could help her, give her medication and make sure she had everything she needed at any given time.
As for the apartment, it wasn’t bad. It was all her mom needed – a small kitchen that was open to a spacious living room, one bedroom and one bathroom. Simple. That made it easy for Kalina to clean up and organize some things while she was there on her Saturday visits. Before she sat down next to her mother’s bed, she’d dusted, mopped the kitchen floor, wiped down the counter and thoroughly cleaned the bathroom. Afterwards, she disinfected the place with Lysol.
Kalina sighed and shook her head. She couldn’t wrap her mind around how her mother had gotten Alzheimer’s disease. Where did it come from? She was thirteen when her mother, then forty, was diagnosed, but she didn’t know what Alzheimer’s entailed as a teen. She only knew that her mother was changing – forgetting little by little every day. She began losing things – a red flag for Kalina because since when does the queen of organization lose things? Her mother was always on point with everything, but suddenly, she began misplacing her keys nearly every day.
One day, Kalina came home from school to find her mother, sitting in a pile of laundry on the living room floor in tears, upset that she couldn’t fold a shirt. She’d forgotten how, didn’t have the coordination to perform the task. Kalina scooped her mother in her arms, then folded the clothes while her mother watched on. Sometime after that, her father deserted them…
Madeline moved a little, readjusting herself on the bed. She opened her eyes wide, staring at Kalina and said, “Hi.”
Kalina smiled warmly. Most words her mother said were hard to understand because she was also losing speech among everything else. But her greeting was something clearly understandable. “Hi, mom.”
Madeline fr
owned.
Every Saturday was the same routine. She would have to tell her own mother who she was. The doctors and nurses encouraged her, and Edith, to talk to Madeline, and if they had to explain who they were in relation to her, then so be it. So, taking her mother’s soft hand, Kalina said, “It’s me, mom. It’s Kalina. Your daughter.”
Madeline looked confused.
Kalina spoke up a little louder and said, “It’s Kalina. Your daughter.”
Madeline sat up as best as she could on the bed. There was a mess of pillows behind her back.
“Do you remember who I am?” Kalina asked.
Madeline frowned. “Uh…ye…ye…you.”
Kalina smiled. She’d been having this exact conversation with her mother for years. Not once had Madeline got it right. “I’m your daughter, Kalina. Remember?”
Madeline chuckled loudly, completely out of place for the conversation they were having and said, “Oh.” She then stood up from the bed, taking a moment to stabilize herself, then stiffly began walking towards the closet, like a baby taking its first steps.
“Mom, where are you going?” Kalina asked, when she saw her mother attempting to take a coat from the hanger. The weather was nice today, in the mid-seventies. Even if she was capable of going somewhere, she wouldn’t need a jacket.
“Tine go,” Madeline said. “Tine go.”
Tine go…
Kalina knew what she was trying to say, so she asked, “Time to go where, mom?”
“Go…yee…ye…go,” Madeline said, attempting to point her index finger, but she couldn’t do that either.
“Okay, mommy,” Kalina said, taking her mother by the arm and guiding her back to the bed. “We’re not going anywhere today. That’s the good thing about living here. You have everything you need right here, and these good people working at this facility take good care of you.”
