by Tiana Laveen
“Awww, man! I never get over this place, Dr. Vangelis! Your house is so cool. This is soooo awesome!” Chi practically ran towards the display case and leaned in close, his salt and cheese covered hands pressed against the glass.
He wanted to scream, ‘Get your hands off of there!’ but he controlled himself. He’d promised himself months ago he’d try to control that knee jerk reaction to such things. After all, a bottle of Windex and a towel would take care of it after the boy’s departure.
“I love this red one…” He pointed to a small red crystal globe. It was rather pretty, unusual but unassuming.
“I got that one from an antique shop in San Francisco about four years ago. I believe it was made in the 1950s, in Italy.”
“One day, Dr. Vangelis, I’m gonna travel the world… just me and my big assed girlfriend.”
“That’s a nice aspiration,” he stated with a smirk as he crossed his arms over his chest. Chi turned and faced him, his hands still planted against the glass.
“Are you happy?”
What an odd question…
“Why are you asking me that, Chi?”
“Why do you answer most of my questions wit’ a question? I mean,” the boy said with a shrug, “it’s a simple question, really. You think too much.” Chi chuckled, but he wasn’t convinced the kid was actually amused. He kept studying the globes, as if he were no longer curious to receive an answer.
“I think happiness is fluid. It comes and goes, Chi. It’s not constant or promised to us, but we can achieve it, even in trying times or unprecedented conditions.”
“You use big words with me. I like that. Shows you think I can understand them, just as though I were a grown man.”
“You give me too much credit. I honestly don’t know how to talk to children well.”
“Really? You don’t like kids?”
“Now that’s a silly question. I like you, don’t I? I like kids a whole lot actually, but I’ve always had difficulty speaking to children on your level… so…” He shrugged. “I no longer try. My way seems to be working just fine. Glad you enjoy it.” He smiled.
“Every Sunday my father would give my mother roses…” Chi said the words out of the blue as he stared at the red globe with great intensity. “My mother, I think she likes them… but she expects them, ya know? See, these globes are all different and even though I’ve seen them, they never look the same to me. I don’t think my mother cares about the roses anymore, and I think my father only still gives ’em to her ’cause he thinks she expects them now.”
“Hmmm, that’s an interesting theory. You might be right. What made you think of those roses right now?”
“This red globe… I see it all the time, but I still appreciate it as if it were the first time. I think it’s sad, ya know?”
“What’s sad?”
“To see somethin’ beautiful all the time and not appreciate it just ’cause you’ve seen it before. What if parents treated babies like that? Like, ‘Ohhh, I’ve seen my kid already so I just expect him to be here.’” The boy’s voice shook in a way that was born from the very depths of a young, tender and bruised soul. “Some people just take stuff for granted… little things, and big things, too. It’s too bad. That’s why I say it’s sad.”
“I can understand what you’re saying, Chi. It makes a lot of sense.”
He walked up to the kid and placed his hand on his shoulder. Chi looked up at him with his shining, dark brown, almond shaped eyes. His yellow hood slid slowly off his head, and his mop of jet black hair covered more of his face.
“But you know what’s funny? My father is still gonna get my mother those roses, probably until the day she dies. And my mother is still gonna expect them, until the day she dies, too. I guess that’s just how adults are, you guys don’t make any sense. I don’t feel sorry for my mother, Dr. Vangelis. I don’t feel sorry for my father, either. I feel sorry for the roses…”
Sahara sat across from Vangelis inside Juniper & Ivy on Kettner Boulevard. The man had a gut-splitting sense of humor; it was so relaxed and lazy the way he spoke of the most humorous things, making them all the funnier. She tried to push aside how damn sexy he was, sitting there with his gorgeous dark hair, a bit of it teased up in the front, and his perfectly trimmed short beard. He sported a white polo shirt that allowed her a peek at some ample chest hair. He wore a thin silver chain, but if it had a pendant, she was unable to make out what it was.
“No, I’m serious.” He laughed lightly. “My mother is like a walking stereotype… it’s crazy. She spoiled my brothers and me, but talks about us horribly. Still, it’s all in love, ya know?”
“I think Greek moms are so much like Italian and Jewish moms. Some of the similarities are uncanny.”
“Yeah, I’ve heard that before. I imagine Black moms, too.” She smiled and couldn’t help but nod in agreement. “So, what about you and your family? You and Leonard seem particularly close.”
“We are.”
She sipped from her glass of red wine and savored the rich flavor. No expense had been spared. Vangelis knew how to wine and dine a woman, that was for sure. He’d ordered an assortment of appetizers, salads, two different wines and told her to save room for dessert after they completed their entrées. There would be many, for the restaurant focused on small plate dishes, and he was hellbent on her trying all of his favorites, along with her choices. Now on their third plates, she’d ordered the tuna Wellington and he ordered the prawns. She was having a damn good time, and he was the reason for it.
“Leonard has always been quite protective over me. That’s the reason why I came to see you in the first place. He’s been trying to get me to see you for a while, actually.”
“And now you’re glad you did, right?” He winked at her as he plucked his glass of wine from the table and took a taste.
“I most certainly am. So, tell me, have you ever been married?” The man looked suddenly as if the drink had gone down the wrong pipe. “Are you okay?” She sprang into action, not certain if she’d need to administer the Heimlich Maneuver. The guy burst out laughing, set the glass down, and patted his mouth.
“Yeah… it’s just that when a woman brings up marriage on a first date, it is scary. Like a horror film.”
“Oh, cut it out!” She laughed. “I wasn’t asking like that. It was just that—”
“I know, I know…” He waved her off. “I was just kidding. To answer your question, no, I haven’t been married.”
“Not even close?”
“I mean, I’ve thought about it, naturally, but it’s just not something that was really ever on my mind. It seems, for the longest, everyone wanted me to get married with the exception of me. In my culture, marriage is very important and understandably so. I mean, I wouldn’t want to have children, for instance, without being married first, but I don’t know.”
He crossed his arms, sliding his hands beneath his armpits and rocked in his seat. “It’s just not something that appeals to me, but it doesn’t turn me off, either, if that makes sense. I’m indifferent to it, I guess you could say.”
She nodded in understanding, though she actually didn’t understand. Regardless, there was no use in trying to tell a man to reconsider such a thing. At least she knew what was going on in his head upfront; he was honest and there were no gray areas regarding the matter. Therefore, there would be no need to invest valuable time in Dr. Vangelis Alexopoulos… what a shame.
“You don’t like that answer, do you?” He smiled ever so slightly, and she smiled back.
“It’s not that I don’t like it, because I really do appreciate your candor, but it’s just that I feel differently.”
“Understandable.” He took another taste of his wine and set it down. “I am a monogamous person however, despite my views on the whole marriage thing. I like to date one woman at a time, and I like for us to be committed. I think, you know, with the whole marriage thing, it’s like I—”
“Vangelis, you don’
t have to explain anything.”
“No.” He raised his hand and shook his head. “It’s not that I’m making excuses or trying to explain. It’s just that as different ideas come to me, I’m sharing them with you is all. So, as I was saying, it’s like, I enjoy my alone time, right? My biggest problem has been trying to find a woman who likes her alone time, too. I don’t need to be under the same roof with a woman to love her and show her affection and devotion. I’d much rather see a woman I’m dating and in love with a few times a week and have quality time, than to see her every day and we are just sitting there, fucking around on our phones… excuse me… messing around on our phones, not even talking. What’s the point in that?”
He shrugged. “That’s what couples are doing nowadays. It’s silly to me. I am fully capable of appreciating a lady without cohabitation. I like my own space…” He waved his hands about as the glass of wine before him caught his reflection. “I like to maintain my surroundings. It’s not to say that I don’t enjoy company, or having parties or anything—I do, but I like—”
“For when it’s all over, to be alone.”
He smiled at her and nodded.
“Exactly.” They sat there for a while, eating and chit chatting, but she found it interesting that he double backed to the topic at hand.
“I hope that doesn’t eliminate me out of the way of possible dating prospects for you… I messed this date up tonight, didn’t I?” They both chuckled. “You don’t have to answer, but ya know, you asked me a question so I wanted to be honest.”
“And again, I thank you.”
“So, tell me what you’re looking for?”
She looked at him for a spell, while running her fingertip along the edge of her glass.
“Something real. Something tangible, solid. Something at times predictable… and something that’s unpredictable, too, but only during the right times. I want the love that comes from seeing a Japanese cherry blossom tree for the first time in person. Bursting passion, flourishing beauty, tender sweetness and Godly divinity. I want car doors opened, kisses on the side of my neck. I want to hold the world together, the both of us, grasping at each other’s dreams and trying to deliver our greatest wishes as we go on our individual journeys, every now and again, crossing paths and sharing our discoveries.
“I want no more broken bones, only healing and walking straight with confidence as we travel down winding roads and up vast mountains, picking up herbs and spices to flavor the days of our lives. I want jogs in the park, family barbecues, a game of chess, making love under the bright stars, getting drunk from expensive wine and singing clichéd love songs. I want commitment on a higher plane… I want to define my own happiness in the lowest valleys. I want marriage and a child, Dr. Alexopoulos, and believe me, I say this with all sincerity, it’s okay that you don’t… We can still be friends.”
She winked in his direction and he smiled bright, but then turned away, as if his heart were a little broken.
“I want God’s promise to me and the joker’s wild. I want it all…”
“I have to re-address this matter now.” His smile slowly faded.
“Please don’t. You said what you said, and you meant it. Don’t muddy up the waters. You’re a truth seeker and giver. Stay that way. Seriously.”
“You underestimate me, Sahara. The truth is always changing, whether we like it or not. I asked you a simple question, and you asked me a simple question, too. Never in my life have I been struck by the scent of a woman, but when you came into my office that first time, your aura lingered and I felt curious about you. A woman who makes me wonder what she’s thinking and doing is my weakness.
“A woman who can hold her own, isn’t needy but wants me, is what I like. I didn’t tell you that because I didn’t have to. No, nothing has changed—I am still very much on the fence regarding marriage. I see pros and cons in it. But I never said I didn’t want children. I said I wanted them in the confines of marriage… that aspect I still haven’t figured out yet. I guess that’s why my nickname amongst my closest friends is ‘The Forever Bachelor.’ I don’t have these conversations on a regular basis. I don’t open myself up like this, especially not on a first date. But when you came to my office, you held yourself together, even though inside I could tell you were hurting, and not just physically. Leonard talks too much.”
At that, she burst out laughing, but the man wasn’t smiling or laughing with her. There was such an intensity in his eyes, it took her off guard.
“I’m serious. He’s talked about you so much, I felt like I almost knew you by the time you walked into my office. I knew a lot about you actually, but not how you looked … so when I saw how beautiful you were, it knocked my socks off. But looks aren’t everything. Compatibility is. I’m extremely picky. And to sit here before you, and hear you tell me what you want from not only a man, but out of life in general…” He shook his head as if in disbelief. “I just… I just can’t believe it. I hope we can continue to see one another, in spite of it all, Sahara… because I really, really like you.”
“I like you, too…”
“Good. Because if I can be frank, never in my life has someone come before me and matched just about everything that I have on my mental checklist for an ideal mate. My dream woman, basically… I feel like I can share with you, even if it’s not something that makes you happy… or even me for that matter. Do you know how refreshing that is? That I can take that risk? You didn’t freak out, you didn’t react in a fashion that caused tension. You simply let me know that we may not be on the same page, and you did it with such class, such beauty, such… perfection. This is just too good to pass up and I refuse to allow you to just fade away. Thanks to Leonard and our conversations, and this time together with you, I know what’s going on now.”
“And what’s that?”
“It’s settled. I want a woman just like you…”
CHAPTER SIX
Ass Cheeks and Olive Oil
It was two in the morning and Vangelis was in his library staring at the little red crystal globe. ‘Because I’m Me’ by The Avalanches played through the speakers of his home. He carefully unlocked the cabinet, reached inside and wrapped his hand around the cool, smooth object. It sat in his palm like a miniature world, a tiny crimson biosphere. So perfect… sharing a world…
After a few minutes, he placed it carefully back inside. It had definitely been a mistake to drink the Matcha green tea that late in the evening. Now he was wide awake, listening to music, poking and prodding around his digs, organizing his seasonings, and reading books about foreign wars and strange religions. He rose early most days anyhow and decided to make good use of the time, to be productive.
He’d spent the first couple of hours doing some research on lemon balm for a patient. Then, he watched a few videos on chakra clearing just for the hell of it and ran on his treadmill for forty-four minutes—one minute was spent checking out a text message from his brother who was clearly drunk when he wrote it.
Despite the sleep deprivation and the fact he had to be at the clinic in a few hours, he was filled with waves of electric excitement. He’d be seeing Sahara again. Since their first date, they’d been out a few more times, and each time he’d managed to unwrap another layer and learn a little more about the beautiful and confident woman.
He’d feared his honesty would have spurred her to cast him aside, but much to his satisfaction, she continued to see him, and they shared some wonderful moments. They would often meet up at various restaurants, poke around in cafés, but tonight, she’d invited him over to her home, insisting on cooking for them. What should he wear for this date? He’d figure it out later.
Pulling himself away from the glass globe display, he made his way to his master suite and began to get ready for his day. He paused and listened to the music playing… now it was ‘Bloodflows’ by SOHN. Walking into his bathroom, he removed his long white robe and hung it on a marble hook on the wall.
He opened a
cabinet below the sink and laid out his toiletries along the white marble counter, one by one, each razor placed down like a surgeon’s scalpel. Next to these, he lined up the shaving cream, two combs, his favorite brush, a smaller brush, and a bottle of Tom Ford, ‘Fucking Fabulous’ aftershave.
As he went about his morning routine, he began to sway a bit to the music, falling into a spell of utter relaxation. He caught his naked reflection in the vast mirror and ran his hand slowly across his jaw, covered with thick black stubble begging to kiss the lips of his razor. He scanned himself slowly, taking note of the Caduceus medical symbol tattoo on his right shoulder. The ebony ink still looked fairly fresh, though he’d gotten it while in medical school so long ago. On his chest he had another tattoo, partially obscured by chest hair, of angry Spartans in full combat armor, holding swords and shields. On his left shoulder was a detailed tattoo of what the inside of his upper arm would look like if sliced open.
Grabbing a hand mirror, he turned around and checked out the tattoo that covered his back—his favorite of all, a tattoo of the Greek gods, brothers Neptune and Zeus, fighting in an angry sky filled with ominous clouds and bright bolts of lightning. He placed the mirror down, got into the shower, and washed his body in his typical thorough fashion.
Milky Chance’s ‘Stolen Dance’ began to play and he couldn’t help but smile. He snapped his fingers a few times, then stopped when shampoo threatened to get in his eyes. He found himself smiling, laughing, and singing along with the lyrics. He fancied himself being able to keep a tune and stay on key…
I’m not too bad…
Head held high, baptized with suds and warm water, he was swimming in his mind, overdosing on joy…
Minutes later, he stepped out of the shower, dried off, meticulously shaped up his beard, and, still naked, ate some perfectly sliced avocado sprinkled with fresh lemon juice, paprika, red pepper, and a pinch of pink salt spread on a piece of wheat toast.
