by Mark Carver
Cameron knew he was sending a pretty clear message to Mindy by bringing her here, but he didn’t care. After the way he’d bailed on her before, she deserved a little emotional pampering. And if he was honest with himself, he was excited to see where the evening would go. Mindy’s beauty was intoxicating, but even more rewarding was the smile on her face. Whatever ugliness had passed between them before was a forgotten memory.
But he still saw a sparkle of sadness in her eyes. She kept licking her lips as if she wanted to say something, but she would always change her mind at the last moment. Cameron was very curious, even impatient to know what was on her mind, but he knew he would have to let her open up when she wanted to. A flower can’t be forced to bloom.
He opened the double doors of the restaurant and ushered Mindy inside. She nodded with exaggerated courtesy and giggled. The pretty hostess inside the lobby looked up and smiled.
“Good evening. Table for two?”
She froze when she saw Cameron’s face. Her smile didn’t waver, however, and she quickly turned her gaze back to Mindy.
“Yes,” Cameron answered, forcing her to look at him again.
“Very good,” she declared with a high-pitched voice. She hurriedly gathered two menus. “Follow me, please.”
The restaurant wasn’t too crowded, which was fortunate since Cameron didn’t think to make a reservation. Most of the tables were occupied by only two or three people, and the conversations were low and light-hearted, peppered with frequent laughter. This made Cameron relax a little bit. This was the kind of restaurant that could be romantic or just friendly. A little bit of amorous atmosphere was okay but he didn’t want Mindy to be smitten before the salad arrived.
Come on, don’t flatter yourself. You’re not catnip or crack cocaine, you know. Just because a few women jump your bones doesn’t mean Mindy’s going to feel the same way with a little candlelight and soft music.
Cameron wasn’t listening. He was hypnotized by Mindy’s loose, athletic stride as she walked in front of him.
“Here you go,” the hostess said, keeping her eyes low.
Cameron pulled out Mindy’s chair and helped her sit down. The hostess stood to the side, surprised by Cameron’s chivalry.
When both of them were seated, she said, “Your server will be with you in just a moment,” and hurried away.
Cameron took a deep breath, savoring the dozens of delicious smells. He cast a quick glance around the restaurant. Everyone seemed absorbed in their food and companions; no one was taking any notice of him. It was a bit strange to be anonymous again. He’d gotten used to standing out wherever he went, weathering stares and gasps, but this was nice. They were just two people have a quiet dinner together.
Their server blustered over with such grace and fluidity that he seemed to be on roller skates.
“’Allo, my name is Francissss. It is my ‘onor to serve you tonight.”
His eyes flitted from Mindy’s face to Cameron’s, but his expression didn’t register any surprise.
“Can I start you off with something to drink? Wine, or perhaps champagne?”
“What would you recommend?” Mindy asked, hiding a smile with her hand.
Francis looked off into the distance, as if recalling a happy moment long forgotten. “Our 2003 DeSuisse Merlot is magnifique.”
“Sounds good,” Cameron said. He didn’t know a thing about wine, but he wasn’t about to look indecisive in front of Mindy.
Francis nodded and fluttered away like a leaf on the breeze. Cameron and Mindy exchanged glances and grinned.
“You like it here?” he asked.
Mindy looked around and nodded. “Yeah. A bit swankier than I’m used to.”
“Me too. My idea of splurging is three toppings instead of two.”
“So why did you bring me here?”
Cameron mulled his words before answering. “I feel really bad about forgetting about our dinner plans the other night.” He paused for a moment, then decided to go for it. “And you wanted to talk about something.”
Mindy looked down at the table, as if he had discovered a dark secret she kept hidden away.
“Yeah…” she said distantly. Her face brightened with relief as Francis returned with a bottle of wine and a white cloth draped over his arm. He poured a little bit for them to taste, then left the bottle at Cameron’s request. They told him that they still needed time to decide on their food and Francis left them again.
They looked over their menus in silence for a couple of minutes, and then Cameron ventured, “What looks good?”
Mindy pursed her lips like a professor examining a student’s paper. “The Chateaubriand sounds tasty, and I think I’ll add a side of mostaccioli. And I’m going to hate myself later, but the chocolate mousse cake is singing my song.”
She glanced up at Cameron over the top of her menu. “Um, I mean…is that too much? I don’t want to take advantage…”
Cameron waved her words away. “Come on, go nuts. I’m just glad that you’re not one of those girls who orders a side salad and then eats only half of it.”
Mindy snorted with contempt. “Those women make me sick. It’s simple: just burn more calories than you take in. I like to eat, and I like to exercise. Matter and antimatter. No diets, no ‘Eight Steps to a Thinner You!’ or any of that nonsense.”
She cocked her head when she saw Cameron staring at her. “What?”
“I’m sorry,” he said, blinking as if awakening from a trance. “You have no idea how nice it is to hear a woman say that.”
Mindy blushed, then looked down at her menu. “On second thought, I’ll just order a salad.”
“Don’t you dare!”
****
The food arrived and they dove right in. Cameron ordered a massive swordfish steak with all the trimmings, but Mindy gave him a run for his money. He actually ate quicker than usual because he was afraid she would finish before him.
Whatever was weighing on Mindy’s mind was lost in the food and wine, and they laughed and joked like old friends. Cameron hadn’t felt this happy in a long time, and all of his recent successes seemed trivial compared to the feeling of enjoying a nice meal with a lovely lady. There was something that bothered him a little bit, though. He noticed that a few of the other patrons had begun staring at him when they thought he wasn’t looking. When he’d glance their way, they would quickly avert their eyes. It was only one or two people at first, but it seemed to happen more frequently as the evening went on.
As Mindy attacked her chocolate mousse cake, Cameron sat back and let his full stomach settle. He watched her eat and savor each bite with an expression of pure joy illuminating her face.
What can be more beautiful than a healthy woman shamelessly enjoying a piece of chocolate cake? He had to laugh at himself. He wasn’t used to thinking like this.
After she had scraped her plate clean, she dabbed her mouth with a napkin and looked across the table at him. Her eyes shimmered in the candlelight, and Cameron saw a twinkle that made his blood race.
“Had enough?” he asked with a grin.
Mindy looked down in amazement. “Yeah. That was incredible. Orgasmic.”
Cameron gulped. Mindy stared at him intently for a few seconds, then laughed.
“You should see your face. I’m sorry, I’m terrible. Girls like to make guys squirm sometimes.”
Cameron laughed nervously. The room felt about ten degrees hotter.
She seemed to have forgotten all about the pressing matter that she wanted to share with him. He thought about asking her if she’d like to talk about it, but he didn’t want to throw a cloud in front of her sunshine.
As if she could read his mind, her beaming smile wilted and that glimmer of sadness returned in her eyes.
“Cameron,” she said, “there’s something I need to tell you.”
Here it comes.
“What is it?” he asked, hoping he sounded as sincere as he felt.
Mindy threaded
her fingers together, then unclasped them and took a nervous sip of her wine.
“I’m not really sure why I feel like I have to tell you this, but I really need to.”
“Tell me what?” Cameron was starting to get nervous.
There was a moment of tense silence that hovered over the table like a fog. Then Mindy spoke in a low voice.
“It’s about why I left town for a while.”
“What happened?”
Mindy took a deep breath. “Promise you won’t think I’m a terrible person,” she pleaded.
“Mindy, I promise. Now tell me what’s wrong.”
“My ex, Danny…”
Uh-oh.
“…He was in a pretty bad car accident a few weeks ago. Nothing life-threatening, but he was pretty banged up, in bed for days and all that. He was a jerk pretty much the whole time we were together before, but I was in love with him then, and when I found out he was hurt, well…he begged me to come visit him, saying that his accident had changed him, that he realized how badly he had treated me, and…”
Her voice trailed away. Cameron’s chest felt tight. He knew what was coming next.
“So I went back to Tennessee,” Mindy continued, unable to look him in the eye. “I went and saw him in the hospital, and he looked so small and weak, and…it broke my heart. All those old feelings came back and swept me away. He told me he loved me, how sorry he was, how it would make him the happiest man in the world if I would give him another chance.”
Tears welled in her eyes, shimmering in the candlelight like liquid diamonds.
“And I did. I stayed with him until he got better, about a week. And then…I went home with him. Every step of the way I was doubting myself. On one hand, I remembered all those terrible things he used to say and do to me. But when I looked into his eyes, I swore I could see a changed man. And when we…became intimate again, it was…I was in love again. I forgot about California, my home here.”
She looked up at him, tears clinging to her long black lashes. “And I forgot about you.”
Cameron looked at her, unable to sort out his feelings. “So why did you come back?” he asked.
She sighed and gently wiped her eyes. “After a few days of living in dreamland, he… I didn’t do anything wrong…I just…”
“Mindy, what happened?”
“He hit me!”
Several patrons turned at Mindy’s outburst, then quickly looked down at their dinners.
Cameron couldn’t move. He tried to imagine that punk striking this gorgeous, fragile woman sitting across from him, but he couldn’t. It seemed impossible.
He clenched and unclenched his fists. “So you left.”
Mindy sniffed and wiped her eyes. “Yes. Oh Cameron, I’m so sorry. It’s not fair to dump this on you. It was my fault for being a stupid, lovestruck girl who didn’t stop for a second to think about what I was doing. I deserved it for being such an idiot.”
“No.”
Mindy gasped at the anger quaking in Cameron’s voice. He seemed to be trembling, but it could have just been the heat from the candles distorting his face.
“You did not deserve what he did to you,” he said. “No one deserves to be abused, ever. No matter what you did to provoke him, it’s completely his fault. The only thing you deserve is to be respected and recognized as the incredible woman that you are.”
Mindy stared at him, and Cameron stared back. The air practically crackled with electric energy.
Francis appeared at their table, seeming to materialize out of thin air.
“I am so sorry to disturb you, but I am afraid I must ask you to leave.”
Mindy’s neck twitched and she looked up at him with furious eyes. “What did you say?”
Francis fidgeted nervously. “I am afraid I must ask you to leave. The other patrons have…made some complaints.”
Cameron’s head snapped around. “Complaints? About what? We’ve just been talking and eating like everyone else.”
A middle-aged man with a managerial expression appeared next to Francis.
“I am terribly sorry about this,” he said in a weary tone, “but the complaints weren’t about your conduct. They were about…”
“Well?” Mindy demanded impatiently.
“Your tattoo,” the manager declared, looking just as irritated. “This is a family establishment, and your appearance conflicts with our standards.”
Cameron leaped to his feet. “My ‘appearance?’ You mean because I have a tattoo on my face, I’m not good enough to eat at your crappy restaurant?”
“Sir,” Francis begged, “please lower your voice.”
“No!” Cameron roared. “You simple-minded idiots need to take your standards and shove them up your ass!”
The other patrons looked up from their tables. Several whispered to themselves and pointed towards Cameron, and this only threw gasoline on the fire.
“Do I offend you?” he bellowed, challenging the room with his fierce eyes. “You come here with your mistresses and your fake friends, and I’m the one who offends?”
Mindy tugged on his arm. “Cameron, maybe we should just go.”
Cameron snatched his wine glass and drained it in a single gulp. He dropped it to the floor where it shattered loudly.
“Good idea,” he grumbled, helping her to her feet and pushing her towards the door.
The manager reached out helplessly. “Sir, the bill…”
Cameron whirled around, his eyes blazing like a demon. The manager froze with terror. Cameron glowered at him for a long moment, then hurried Mindy out of the restaurant. He huffed across the parking lot and got in the car without opening the passenger door for her.
She opened the door and got in next to him. For a moment, they sat there in silence. Then she turned and looked at him.
“Are you all right?”
Cameron took a deep breath. He was furious. Not so much about being kicked out of the restaurant, but the timing of it all. Sharing that moment with Mindy, even though it was painful for her, made him feel more real than he’d felt in a long time. He realized in that instant that this is what people need. Not work, not money, not the ability to sculpt steel at will… People need to connect with other people. It seemed so simple yet so complex at the same time.
“Yeah,” he muttered. “I’m all right.”
He turned towards her. “I’m sorry for that. I don’t know why I overreacted. I feel pretty embarrassed.”
“They’re the ones who should be embarrassed. If they had a problem with your tattoo, they should have said something right away, instead of waiting until after our meal to say something. That’s just rude.”
Cameron nodded. He felt incredibly sad for some reason.
“Let’s go home,” he said quietly. He started the car and shifted into reverse.
Mindy put her hand on his. Cameron looked at her and smiled half-heartedly.
“Thanks,” she said.
He nodded, then reversed out of the parking space and drove out of the lot.
CHAPTER 17
A dark crescent arcing around the outside of his eye, tiny triangles of black light radiating away from it. Three long claw marks like scars coursing down his cheek. Two hours of pain, then a week of inconvenient healing. And now...
Collectors clamoring for his creations. Strange women throwing themselves at him. His name and face on posters in shop windows.
And he was here, alone, staring in the mirror in a dark, quiet house. The light filtering through the blinds seemed cold and weak. He studied the shadows on his face. He hardly recognized himself. His mind hummed with rapid-fire thoughts of the past few weeks, how his life had changed so much in such a short time.
Was that even me?
Was this his face, staring back at him from inside the mirror frame? He reached out and touched the cold surface, as if he expected to touch skin and not glass.
A quick red motion above him caught his eye. He glanced up as the clock advanced one
minute.
Was it too late to call her? It had only been a few hours since he dropped her off at her house. She had given him a quick peck on the cheek, but it seemed sad. As if she were saying goodbye.
He grabbed the phone and found her name in the contact list. His thumb hovered over the “Call” button, quivering like a piece of metal caught between two magnets. With a silent sigh, he closed the Home button and let his hand drop to his side. He cautiously peeked up at the wall clock. A slow, steady countdown to extinction...
He set his jaw as he brought the phone’s touchscreen back to life and found the number. It probably wasn’t too late to call.
The phone rang three times before a small, distant voice answered.
“Hello?”
Cameron swallowed dryly. His heart was hammering, and he almost hung up the phone.
“Mom? It’s me....Cameron.”
A long pause.
“Hi sweetheart.” Her voice sounded like it was coming from behind a thick piece of glass. Like a prison visitation room.
“How are you?”
“I’m fine, sweetheart. How about you? Are you all right? It’s a little late.”
Cameron winced. He’d forgotten about the time difference. She was probably asleep when he’d called her.
“Yeah, I’m sorry Mom. I just...I just felt like calling.”
“Well I’m glad you did, sweetheart.”
Another pause.
“Mom,” Cameron began, unconsciously rubbing his face, “I don’t want you to think I’m crazy or anything. I might do some crazy things, but I’m always me.”
“I know, Cameron. I overreacted last time we spoke, and I’m sorry. It’s just a bit hard for a mother to accept a new face on the boy she raised. But you’re my son no matter what, and compared to a lot of other sons, you’re a pretty darn good one. I suppose a little tattoo is nothing compared to what some other mothers go through.”
Cameron closed his throat to prevent a sob from spilling out. “I want you to know that I love you Mom. I appreciate everything you did for me.”
There was a small sound on the other end like a sniffle, and his mother spoke with tears in her voice. “I love you too, sweetheart. It’s nice to hear from you.”
