I Saw Your Profile (10 page)

Chapter Ten

Traffic
on
Interstate ninety-five was crawling as Arianna drove south through Delaware on
her way to Baltimore.

The radio was blasting Tina Marie’s “Portuguese
Love” and Arianna was singing along until the Philly station started fading out
just over the Maryland border.

“Damn!”
 
She fiddled with the tuner for a few minutes before giving up and
popping in the “Who is Jill Scott?” CD.

Clouds choked the steel gray sky, shutting out the
sun. Her mood matched the scene outdoors and drowsiness threatened to overcome
her.

She let down the window, hoping the air would do
what the coffee in her cup holder hadn’t. She had a long day ahead that
included a journalism conference at Coppin State College and sharing the
evening with Mr. Good Body, who lived in the D.C. area. Since she was going to
be so close, they agreed to meet after the conference.

It was Saturday and she hadn’t counted on the
traffic. She was on a panel and couldn’t afford to be late.

The sea of red eyes on the highway suddenly became
clear as drivers let go of their brakes and traffic began to flow freely like
water down an unclogged drain. She looked for an accident or a stranded
motorist, a clue as to what had caused the highway to become a virtual parking
lot.

There was none. For Arianna, unexplained traffic
jams were one of life’s most annoying little mysteries.
  

After the conference, she drove to meet Mr. Good
Body at Arundel Mills, a big mall off the Baltimore-Washington Parkway with a
movie theater and entertainment complex along with dozens of stores.

 
He
suggested they meet at the theater because Arianna had never been to the mall
and it was the easiest landmark to find. They would plan their date once they
met.

Problem was the theater had both back and front
entrances, which he had failed to mention. She circled the mall three times
trying to find his black truck before calling him on his cell phone.

She hung up when his voicemail answered.

“Damn. You’d think since he was meeting me here,
he’d have it turned on.”

The thought that she had been stood up flashed
through her mind, but quickly disappeared. He was definitely coming.

They’d been talking for two months. Politics,
sports, relationships, religion. No subject was taboo. They thought alike and
he made her laugh, a good combination.

She decided to park the car and wait. She drove
slowly down a lane close to the theater and spotted a middle-aged couple
walking to their car. She noticed a red Corvette on the opposite end of the
lane speed up with its signal light blinking.

 
“Don’t
even think about it,” she muttered to herself.

 
She put
the car in park, opened the door, stuck out her head and waved for the driver
to keep going, her silver bracelets banging against each other angrily.

The driver, a young white girl with blonde hair and
brown roots, pointed at the spot as if that were enough to claim it and send
Arianna on her way.

Arianna got out of her Camry and strutted to the
driver’s side of the sports car, her steps so heavy they echoed against the
pavement.

The girl let down the window and spoke.

“I was here first.” Her words were cocky, but her
eyes were nervous.

“You got here first because I was trying not to run
the people down,” Arianna snapped. “Now, I’m not going to argue or debate this
with you. Just move.”

“Are you threatening me?”

“Honey, I don’t make threats. I make promises. Good
luck finding another parking space and have a great night.”

The Corvette sped off. The man backed out and
Arianna pulled in.

Her cell rang.

“Where are you, sweetie?” Mr. Good Body asked.

“I’m sitting in my car, waiting to hear from you.”

“My apologies. I neglected to tell you at which
door to meet me. Tell me where you’re parked and I’ll come find you.”

“How about I just stand in front of the building?”

“All right. What are you wearing?

“A red top and black pants.”

“Lady in red. I’ll keep an eye out for you.”

Arianna walked across the parking lot and stood in
front of one the entrances until she spotted a black truck cruising by slowly.
She walked to the curb and waved.

Chauncey pulled over and opened the door. She
climbed into the passenger side.

“These SUVs should come with a ladder,” Arianna
said.

Chauncey smiled. “Those of us over six feet don’t
seem to have a problem.”

He leaned over to kiss her, but stopped just before
his lips touched her cheek. “May I?”

“Sure.”

He planted his lips on her face. “Thank you. Now
what would you like to do this evening?”

“How about that pool lesson we talked about? I
checked this place out on the Internet and they have tables. It’s been a while
since I’ve played and I want to see how good you are after all that bragging.”

“Are you implying that I’m not as good as I say I
am?”

“No. I’m just saying it’s time to put up or shut up.”

“A challenge, huh? I like a challenge.”

“Another thing we have in common, I guess.”

“Yes. I can’t wait to explore all the other
similarities we share.”

Arianna checked out the truck. It was immaculate,
unlike her Camry whose floors were littered with empty coffee cups and water
bottles.

 
A
white, leather bound King James Bible peeked over the edge of the passenger
side door pocket. It was frayed and tattered.

“Read the Good Book a lot do you?”

“As often as I can.”

“Learn anything?”

“Indeed I do.”

They found a parking space and Chauncey helped
Arianna from the truck. “Careful, dear.”

“Thank you.”

“You are quite welcome. May I have a hug now that
we are vertical.”

She was standing face to face with Mr. Good Body
under a bright parking lot lamp.

She wore black dress pants, appropriate for the conference
and the date since she didn’t have time to change.

Her top was a red dashiki print with a neckline that
revealed enough cleavage to be sexy, yet still professional.

Open toed, red shoes showed her pedicured feet with an ankh
toe ring on one foot and an Adinkra symbol on the other. Garnets dangled from
her ears and a teardrop silver choker hung from her neck.
 

“You look ravishing.”

She smiled. “Thank you. I don’t think I’ve ever
been called ravishing before.”

“You’ve never been on a date with me before.”

“You look handsome yourself.”

She liked what she saw. His dark blue jeans hugged
the curve of every leg muscle. His powder blue, short-sleeve shirt accentuated
his pecs and showed off his tight biceps.

Even with three-inch heels, she had to stand on her
toes to wrap her arms around his neck to give him a hug.

He released his hold and kissed her on the cheek.

 
“There.
Now we are friends.” He took her hand as they strolled across the parking lot.
She liked a man who wasn’t afraid to show affection in public.

There was a ninety-minute wait for a pool table at
Jillian’s, the
entertainment and dining complex
in the mall.

Arianna suggested they eat.

“Sure,” Mr. Good Body said. “But I can’t vouch for the food
here.”

“I’m just going to have a salad. You can’t mess that up too
bad.”

“No. I suppose not.”

By the time they finished eating, a table was open in the
poolroom. He helped her with her grip and her stance, teaching her to bend over
at the waist and to line up each shot. Her silver bracelets sang each time she
adjusted the pool stick.

When she bent over, revealing a tattoo on her back of the
same symbol she sported on her toe, she could feel his eyes on her tight, round
ass.

 
“Do you like
this view, too?” She was aiming to knock the seven ball into the corner pocket.

“Immensely. What is that you have tattooed on your back?”

“Somehow I don’t think your attention to my form is for the
purposes of helping me with my game.”

“On the contrary. I can think of more than one thing at a
time, you know. Your form is perfect. For pool and for some other things I have
in mind when we get to know each other better.”

Crack!
Arianna hit the cue ball dead center. She knocked it
against the burgundy seven, sending it racing across the table to its intended
pocket, perfectly setting up her next shot.

“Yes!” she jumped up proudly, a broad smile across her
face.

Mr. Good Body clapped loudly. “Well done, my dear. You are
an excellent student.”

“You’re not so bad as a teacher, either.”

“I’ll take that as a compliment since I’m sure it’s the
best you can do.”

“What does that mean?”

“Nothing, my dear. Nothing at all.”

“Does somebody need a little ego stroking?”

“I don’t
need
it.
I’m far too secure for that. But it would be nice. After all, you did challenge
my abilities. Can you admit that I not only talk the talk, but walk the walk?”

 
“Okay. You’re
good. No. You’re very good.”

“By the way, you never answered my question.”

“What question?”

“The tattoo on your back. And, please don’t disappoint me
by telling me it’s a man’s name in Chinese or some other language.”

She laughed.

“It’s a symbol that honors the supremacy of God.”

 
“I like your
style. It’s very original.”

They played ten games. He won every time. Arianna insisted
that he play his best and not let her win. She was too competitive to have it
any other way.

After each game, he would take the balls she had left on
the table and set up difficult shots for her. Every time she did it wrong, he
would make her do it again. She hated being told what to do, but she wanted to
learn.

It was midnight when they finished.

She racked the balls. “Isn’t there a club in here?”

“Yes, why?”

“It’s been a long time since I’ve been out. You wanna
dance?”

“Sure.”

They walked to the back of the complex and stood in the
line of mostly twenty-somethings waiting in the hallway outside the club to be
carded. Inside, they were blasting Nelly’s “Hot in Herre.”

Standing in line, Arianna started rolling her hips from
side to side and snapping her fingers. Mr. Good Body slid behind her, grabbed
her waist, and joined her groove.

“I don’t usually let men touch me when I dance. Y’all get
too excited and act like the dance floor is your bedroom.”

“Well, first off, I know how to treat a lady. And second,
I’m not some stranger you just met in the club. I think I’ve talked to and
shared more with you on the phone in the past several weeks than I did with my
ex-wife in three years of marriage.”

“That’s sad.”

“That’s one reason we’re divorced. What about you? We’ve
never discussed your ex. You said you were married before. Why did you break
up? Would you like to be married again?”

Arianna didn’t answer. The lined moved up. Mr. Good Body
moved in front of her and looked her in the eyes.

“Well, Miss Singleton?”

“I didn’t break up with my husband. He died from cancer. I
loved him a lot and it took me a while to get over it. I’m not even sure if I
am over it yet.”

She paused a moment, her mind wandering back to her wedding
day, then cleared her throat before continuing.