Now Wouldn't You Like to Know (16 page)

“I know, Sheldon,” she said shaking her head. “I’m just as stomped on how we’re going to work this out as you are. I really am.”

“You could look into transferring up north, right?” I asked as the ocean waves drew close then receded.

“I could look into seeing if we have a lab in that area,” she countered.

“But will you Diana? That’s the thing,” I said in a slightly agitated voice.

“Of course I will, darling,” she said, sensing my frustration. “What’s wrong Sheldon?”

“I guess I’m just getting a little edgy. I mean I’m leaving you and I don’t want to, then there’s this Jack thing going on with you. I’m just concerned about you.”

“Please, don’t worry about him, okay?’ she said as she tugged at my arm in a reassuring way. “He’s history.”

“I understand all of that Diana but I know that sore losers can be unstable people and unstable people sometimes do unstable things.”

“Look, Jack may act like he’s crazy, at times, but believe me; he’s far from being crazy.”

“Either way, your ex had better chill out before he sees real crazy,” I said with a trace of a smile.

“Yeah, that’s right, he had better chill out,” Diana chuckled. “It’s good to have a guardian angel.”

“I’d feel much better if you were going back with me.”

“I wished that I could Sheldon, more than anything. But I have to return to work as you know.”

“Yeah, I know.”

“Trust me. I’ll work out something, even if I have to look for another job in that area.”

“I’m down with that,” I smiled. “Come on…let’s head back to the hotel.”

With my arm wrapped around her shoulders we walked back to the hotel as the tides rolled in.

The following day we loaded up the Mercedes and made our way back to Orlando. I finished packing and had Diana drive me over to the U-Haul center to reserve a truck for the big move the following Tuesday. That evening we decided to return to her place so that she could freshen up and then go out to a movie. Knowing that we would be separated for a while, we wanted to make the most out of our time together.

I dropped her off at her place and then headed over to a convenience store a block away to purchase five Lotto tickets and to get one of those health drinks that contain five or six different kinds of fruit and vegetables in it. I had started drinking them two months earlier and to my complete surprise, the blends were quite tasty.

I returned to Diana’s place only to see another car parked in the driveway. Getting out of her Mercedes, I approached the entrance and pressed the doorbell. When she opened the door for me to enter, there was Jack standing off to the side and staring at me.

Chapter 15

D
iana was speechless. She glanced from him to me, then back at him. Jack was a tab shorter than I and was wearing a plain light blue cotton T-shirt and faded blue jeans. The soft T-shirt molded to the muscles of his chest. He had one of those George Michaels unshaved faces. His hair was sandy blonde.

Diana seemed lost for a moment and a little anxious as she contemplated her next move. Finally she said, “Sheldon, this is Jack, Jack this is Sheldon. We did not shake hands, just traded uneasy smiles. The tension in the air was thick.

“So, I seem to remember someone who looked very much like you at the door a few days ago,” Jack began as he took a seat on a recliner and crossed his legs. “If I remember correctly, you were looking for someone and thought you had the wrong place.”

“Yeah, that was me,” I said in a gritty voice eyeing him steely. “Once I saw that you were here I gave you the courtesy of turning away since I had not been invited over. I did not want to upset Diana more than anything else.”

“What? No courtesy call today?” he said curling his lips.

“None at all,” I retorted, smiling coolly.

“Look, why don’t you have a seat Sheldon,” Diana injected as she took me by the hand and led me over to the sofa. It was obvious she did not like the tone or direction our conversation was heading in. She sat down next to me.

“Jack was just getting the last thing he left here, his cellphone charger, and was about to leave,” she explained, serving Jack a chilly gaze.

“Yes, that’s right, I was about to leave,” he said with a touch of sarcasm. “But once she told me that you had gone to the store and would be back soon I decided that I’d like to meet you and wish you both the best of luck with your sudden union.”

“Well, I’m back, you’ve met me, and you’ve said good luck to us. What else can we do for you?” I asked, placing my arm around Diana.

“I guess I had better be leaving,” he said rising up. “Thanks for holding on to my charger, Diana. Look, would it be asking too much for me to talk to you outside for a minute in private? Just one minute.”

“Hey, why can’t you say what you have to say right n–” I began as I leaned forward to stand up.

“– It’s all right Sheldon. It’s all right,” Diana jumped in, touching her open palms to my chest, as if to fend me off. “I’ll be right back.”

I remained standing as the two exited the front door. Curiously, I walked over to it and peered out the small oval window in the door. I couldn’t make out what they were saying but Diana stood there with her arms folded just beneath her breasts while Jack talked and quite animatedly at that. Around five minutes later he took off and she returned inside.

Exasperated, she leaned back against the door and pressed her lips together and took a deep breath and exhaled. In the process one of her bangs floated upward.

“So, what was so important that he had to say it outside of my hearing range?” I inquired.

“The same old foolishness,” she replied with exasperation. “He wants to get back with me. He says he’s sorry about the way things turned out but will do a better job next time.”

“And is there a next time?” I asked, studying her reaction.

“Of course not,” she said, walking over to me and embracing me. Her eyes locked on mine as she added, “Sheldon, I’m in love with you baby. You! It’s over with me and Jack.”

“That’s all I wanted to hear,” I said smiling.

We kissed.

“Are you still up for going to the movies?” I asked releasing her.

“Sure am.”

“What do you want to see?”

“There’s a new movie out called
Bassment Deep
. It’s about a jazz musician who plays string bass and some woman he falls in love with while he and his band are on tour.”

“Sounds like a winner,” I said walking towards the door. Diana followed after she grabbed her purse.

Locking the apartment door, she turned and we headed for the Mercedes. She was wearing brown stockings, a dark brown form fitting skirt, and a beige colored blouse with ruffles and dark brown shoes. Her earrings were brown and dark green and oval shaped. Her mild fragrance was sweet and Latin spicy. Hypnotic to say the least. The woman was every bit the perfect model, the model who escaped getting discovered because she wasn’t in the right place at the right time or had no interest in profiting off of her natural gifts.

Climbing inside of her car I drove off. Once we got on the East-West Expressway, about two miles later, I shifted gears and took the car into warp speed. Diana smiled and trained her eyes onto the scenery outside of the car and then back to me. As much as I wanted to say that Jack didn’t know what he was missing, inside I had a feeling he knew exactly what he was missing. The fact that he had a conversation about getting back together with Diana right after being in my presence did not sit well with me. Not wanting to spoil my outing with Diana, I filed the thought away in the far recesses of my memory bank for another place and time.

T
ime seemed to be flying. Or so it seemed that way. What mattered was that tomorrow I was scheduled to embark upon my return trip to Philadelphia. I was packed, had a U-Haul truck reserved for my return trip and one last day left to enjoy Diana’s company. We had no specific plans on how we were going to spend our time together but it did not matter as long as we were together. At least, that’s the way I felt about it. I’m sure Diana felt the same way too.

I was just about to tidy up the kitchen when my phone rang. Looking at the number display, I saw that it was Diana. She sounded frantic.

“What’s wrong?” I asked.

“I just had a bunch of roses delivered to me from a local florist. The card that came with it is signed Jack,” she stammered. “God, why doesn’t he just leave me alone?”

“Was there a message on the card?”

“Yes,” she replied, her voice strained. “It said – Thinking of you and loving only you Diana. Please marry me. Love you, Jack.”

“This guy just doesn’t give up,” I said. “Look, do you know where he is staying? Or where I might find him?”

“What do you have in mind Sheldon?”

“I just want to have a chat with him, you know, show him that I’m from around the block.”

“Please, don’t get yourself into any trouble now,” she pleaded.

“There won’t be any trouble.”

“You promise.”

“I promise.”

She then told me where I could find him.

“Hey, when are you coming over to see me today?”

“Around four this afternoon. How’s that?”

“Sounds fine to me.”

“I’ll see you then. Love you babe.”

“Love you too, Sheldon. Stay out of trouble now.”

“I will.”

It was around 1:00PM that afternoon when I arrived at the tavern Diana said that Jack hung out at on his off days. Jack was a restaurant manager she had told me. And he loved to drink. Parking the car I borrowed from my cousin Mike, I made my entrance. The place was a well-established redneck waterhole just off of Orange Blossom Trail. Inside, honky tonk music played loudly throughout the joint. Two couples were dancing on the dance floor while three couples and a small group of men sat at the bar. Like other taverns, this one was dimly lit and boasted several mounted television monitors throughout the place. For an afternoon, the place was pretty busy. I got a few looks but nothing more than that.

I didn’t see Jack so I decided to grab a beer at the bar and wait a while. One of the bartenders came over to where I sat and took my order. She was a blonde, very attractive and very friendly considering where I was. I ordered a Michelob. But after looking at a menu that was handed to me, I added hot wings and chips to my order.

Twelve minutes passed by and I had downed half a mug of cold drafted beer and still no Jack. By now my hot wing order had arrived. While I paid scant attention to an ESPN News channel sports show, I devoured my hot wings and chips. I ordered a second beer to chase them down.

Thirty-five minutes passed by and still no Jack. Growing impatient, I dropped a five dollar tip on the counter and thanked the bartender. She thanked me and gingerly said, as she wiped the counter down, “Hope you enjoyed everything sweetie. Do hurry back and see us again.”

“Everything was great, thank you,” I said as I stood up and made my way towards the exit. On the way out I picked up a community newspaper to read later.

Outside, the sun blinded me momentarily. When my eyes adjusted to the sunlight I caught a glimpse of an imposing figure walking towards me. It was Jack.

“Well, well,” he chuckled, appearing as if he had already had a beer or two down the pipe. “If it ain’t Diana’s Mr. Smooth Super Cool Sheldon. Ole lover boy himself in the flesh and here at my favorite waterhole. What else did Diana tell you about me?”

“That you sent her some flowers and a proposal note.”

“Oh, she told you about that, huh,” he said, getting a little too close for comfort. His breath reeked of alcohol.

“Yeah, she told that and a lot more.”

“Like what?”

“Like she doesn’t want you to send her flowers or anything else that may annoy her, for one.”

“And what else?” he asked, looking up into my eyes in a cocky and menacing way.

“That you had better back off.”

“Diana said that?”

“No, I’m saying you had better back off.”

“And what if I don’t?” he said, his breath reeked of alcohol.

“Then I’ll just have to put it in writing.”

“What do you mean you’ll have to put it in writing?”

“See this article,” I said raising the newspaper to eye level with both hands.

“What damn article are you talking about you goddamned nigga?”

“This one,” I said shoving the paper closer to his face. When he leaned in closer, I balled my fist and sucker punched him hard using the paper to shield my intent. It was a move I had gotten from an Indiana Jones movie. The force of my punch dropped him to the ground and instantaneously. There he sat slumped and dazed and totally confused.

“That article,” I said sarcastically. “Now, I want you to leave Diana alone. You understand! Keep on with your antics and your face will be plastered all over the news the next time we have a run in. You got that?”

His response was anything but lucid. But I understood the slight nodding of his head.

“Like I said, leave Diana alone. And don’t ever call me nigga again, nigga.”

Turning, I headed for the car Mike let me borrow. As I drove away, I could see Jack struggling to get up and stumbling a few times before he finally managed to stand upright, though he remained unsteady. I could tell that he had no clue what had hit him.

Rounding the corner, I drove over to Diana’s place.

Chapter 16

H
ome sweet home and that’s exactly how Diana made me feel whenever I visited her pad. As always, she’d thrust herself into my awaiting arms after she’d open the front door and smack me on the lips with her warm vibrant lips. It was a delicious treat I never tired of. Her smile was as jubilant as they make them in Hollywood and bright enough to light up any dimly lit pool hall.

“Come on in,” she said, beaming.

I followed as she led me over to the sofa where we sat down. Leaning against me, she planted her head against my shoulder.

“I am so out of it, Sheldon,” she said peering up at me. “You’re leaving me tomorrow and I just don’t know how I am going to deal with your absence. I’ve become so attached to you.”