Hey everyone! Here’s part three of “Second Date”. If you haven’t already done so, please check out “Second Date” and “Second Date”, continued before reading today’s post.
“Holding her
was never enough
I needed to melt into her
mix our colors like paint
fuse our atoms
make us one-
but that as well
would never
be enough.”
– Atticus
Kento Parsons
Friday, July 14
8:15PM
I stare into her eyes while sitting in the middle of my living room floor. Since I started working on this painting weeks ago, I’ve been able to turn yellows and browns into her beautiful face and eyes. Her eyebrows are complete, as are her full lips.
From what I’ve observed about her, she favors burgundy and wine colors, especially when it comes to lipstick. So, the lips on this canvas are the same color as the ones I kissed last Saturday.
It’s been a week and I still haven’t heard from her. I should be pissed at her, but I’m not. After our date, it’s hard to be mad at her. I saw a different side of Vanessa. Even though she was terrified of what I had planned for us, she was a good sport about it. I put a smile on her gorgeous face, which is something I wasn’t able to do the first time we went out.
I try to remember if I did anything wrong. I knew it was risky taking Vanessa to this place, but I wanted her to see me. I wanted her to know she could trust me. I hope it wasn’t too much.
I don’t know what’s caused this silence, but I’ll do anything to make it go away. I was able to get a glimpse of who she is. My desire to know everything about her has grown. I want her – all of her.
I set the glass of rum on the dark wood coffee table, then turn on some music. I flip through the playlists, trying to find something that fits my mood. Finally, I land on “Ain’t No Sunshine (When She’s Gone)” by Bill Withers. It’s depressing as shit, but that’s how this week has been.
Saturday, July 1
It’s been a long week, and I desperately need to blow off some steam. Summer classes have just begun and I’m still getting used to being the only Art History professor for the entire session.
Yesterday I made reservations for my next date with Vanessa. Just thinking about it makes me a little nervous. It’s a risky move, but it’s one I’m willing to take.
I pull into the parking lot of the neighborhood gym to meet up with the guys. Aaron’s removing his gym bag from the back of his Jeep when I turn down the aisle. I reverse my car into the space next to his.
Ezekiel barrels down the aisle in his black Escalade. I catch sight of Mateo sitting next to him. Grabbing my bag, I hop out of the car. It looks like we’re all here with the exception of Drew.
“Where’s Drew?” Aaron asks as he slaps me on the back.
I shrug my shoulders. Ezekiel and Mateo stroll toward us as Ezekiel dribbles the basketball.
“We can’t play without a fifth man,” Aaron continues.
Drew is one of the guys who normally plays with us. He’s a great small forward. Actually, he’s the best; without him, we’ll be stuck with who knows what.
“Are you asking about Drew?” Mateo stands to the right of me. “He’s out of town for work. Hopefully we’ll get another player so we can get on the court.”
We enter the crowded gym. It’s a madhouse today. Everyone’s trying to escape the summer heat.
Ezekiel walks over to the basketball courts to see what teams are playing. He starts talking to a guy with strawberry blond hair who’s about five feet eleven. Within a matter of minutes, Ezekiel and his new friend head toward us.
“We have our forward,” he says breezily. “He’s already next in line for a court.”
None of us questions whether or not this guy can play. There’s no way Ezekiel would’ve brought him over if he couldn’t. After about five minutes, a court becomes available.
We size up the other team while we step onto the floor. They’re all tall and big as shit. The shortest guy on our team is Pete. These other players are my height or taller. They belong on a football field, not a basketball court.
“What the fuck?” Mateo mumbles under his breath.
I follow his line of sight and notice the other team’s point forward is twice the size of Mateo. This isn’t going to be pretty.
“Who are these guys?” I ask.
“Are they on steroids?” Aaron frowns, taking in the competition.
“There’s no way in hell we’re losing to these guys.” Ezekiel states as he walks by me toward the center line.
He has a habit of approaching situations like he’s already won. In most cases, this is a great quality to possess, but today it seems more unrealistic than confident. Regardless, we take our positions and prepare for battle.
Ezekiel stands across from a player with sleeve tattoos on both of his arms. His unwavering, dark brown eyes glare at Ezekiel. One of the employees at the gym walks up between them and tosses the basketball in the air. They both jump at the same time, but our inked competitor is faster.
“Shit,” Ezekiel curses as we suffer our first blow.
I don’t know who this guy is, but he’s not messing around. He dribbles to the left then to the right, going around Ezekiel. He heads straight for the basket. I position myself in front of him hoping to block him.
He passes the ball to his teammate with pierced eyebrows. The guy with the piercings is about to take the shot when Pete smacks the ball out of his hands and steals it. Pete takes off for the opposite end of the court and nearly runs into their center who looks like a gigantic mixed martial arts fighter.
Pete fakes right, then left and spins around, handing the ball off to Mateo as he runs by. Mateo quickly throws the ball in my direction. I come up to the three-point line. I have less than a second when I glance at the basket and shoot the ball. Everyone turns to watch it sail into the net.
Our celebration is short-lived when their center gets the rebound and throws the ball at Ezekiel’s new nemesis. Like before, he’s fast on his feet as he dribbles down the court. He passes the ball to a guy with short , reddish-brown dreads.
This guy isn’t as fast as his teammate, but he brings something special to the table. He dribbles the ball as he backs into Mateo. Mateo becomes this guy’s shadow and won’t let him get a clean shot. He elbows Mateo a few times in the chest before Ezekiel steals the ball. There’s no one guarding Ezekiel who shoots an easy three-pointer.
The demeanor of the other team changes. It feels like the air has been sucked out of the gym. We definitely pissed them off.
The game continues with them elbowing and pushing us, all the while we’re stealing the ball and making every shot. Whenever Pete gets the ball, he’s quick and aggressive, drawing fouls with each lay up.
Under Ezekiel’s leadership and Pete’s speed and strength, we win easily, but not without any pain. I don’t know where those guys came from, but they were determined to beat us one way or another.
After our victory, we play a few more games against more familiar teams, winning those games as well. We finally get a break while the last two teams play. Whoever wins will be our competition in the final game for today.
Pete takes advantage of our downtime to step away to make a call. While he’s gone, Aaron uses the opportunity to ask about Vanessa.
“Yeah, how did it go?” Mateo asks.
I rest my hands on my knees, trying to catch my breath. “We’re going out again next Saturday.” I never told Aaron what happened during the date; and as far as I know, Mateo and Ezekiel don’t know I had some reservations about it.
Aaron wipes the sweat off his face. “It went well? That’s great! Keep her away from your parents for as long as you can.”
“Actually, it didn’t go well at all.” There’s no sense in hiding this from them.
“How did you get her to go out with you again?” Ezekiel wipes sweat off his face. “Did you do that mysterious Asian thing you do that makes the ladies weak in the knees?”
They laugh at all the times I’ve been able to get laid without much effort. Normally, I’d be laughing right along with them, but I dread what I’m about to say.
I scratch the back of my neck, trying to find the words. They knew about my initial encounter with Vanessa. They knew Tabitha set us up at my request. I start with the call I made to Aaron before I went into the restaurant. I explain my concerns and how, at the last minute, I turned into an asshole, basically sabotaging the date. I watch their faces as I recount every detail.
I’ve been friends with Ezekiel since we were roommates our sophomore year in college. He knows about my parents. They weren’t exactly heartwarming when they first met him, either. He knows me too well. I can’t hide anything from him, especially something like this.
His brown eyes harden and the muscles in his face tense up as I relay what happened. I can’t imagine what he thinks of me as I tell him the horrible things I said to Vanessa. I know he won’t beat my ass, but I’m sure he wants to.
I glance over to see Mateo with a similar hard look in his light brown eyes. He shakes his head whenever I say something that shows how stupid I behaved. Anger rolls off his yellowish brown skin as he listens.
I hope Aaron will come to my aid, but he doesn’t know how it feels to be a person of color. I do, and I should’ve known better than to treat Vanessa the way I did. Ezekiel and Mateo know this, which is why they’re looking at me like they’re about to break my neck. Now would be a great time for Pete to return from his phone call.
When I finish telling them about my visit to Vanessa’s job, our kiss, and her agreement to a another date, I wait for them to chew me out. Mateo mutters something in Spanish. I can’t make out every word, but I’m pretty sure he called me a bitch.
“You already know what Zeke and I think,” he grumbles. “I’m not going to tell you how some of y’all Asians act like you’re the better minority because I know some Latinos act like that, too. I’m just going to say you were on some bullshit.”
“I still don’t know how you managed to get a second date.” Aaron runs his hand back and forth over his sandy blond hair. He’s not joking, like he normally does. Even though he doesn’t endure what we go through, he’s a witness to it.
“She gave you a second chance because she wants to believe you’re not an asshole,” Ezekiel’s voice is weary. He plops down on the bleachers and rests his elbows on his knees. “You got lucky.”
Mateo snorts under his breath. “Does she have any sisters as forgiving as her?”
“She has one sister, but something tells me she’s not as forgiving as Vanessa.” Tabitha mentioned a few details about the sister. I got the impression that she’s like a Pitbull when it comes to Vanessa.
“In spite of your fuck up, I am glad you decided to go out with a black woman,” Ezekiel teases. “It took you long enough. Every time I turned around, you had some white girl hanging around, knowing damn well you weren’t interested in her. Welcome to the dark side, my brotha.”
Everyone laughs, breaking through the pressure we were under just seconds before. Ezekiel isn’t going to kill me at the moment, so there’s cause to celebrate.
“Yeah, bro.” Mateo pats me on the back. “I was wondering if we had to move you into a black neighborhood so you’d be forced to admit you have a fever for the flava.”
I laugh, “What?!”
Suddenly, Aaron and Mateo hand money over to Ezekiel.
Frowning, I ask, “Did you bet on me?”
“Zeke called it.” Aaron throws his towel over his left shoulder. “We’ve known about your secret attraction to black women for awhile. When you mentioned that she was black, Zeke knew she was the one you’d choose. Matt thought you’d keep torturing yourself and stick with women you aren’t attracted to. I thought she’d be a one night stand before you found a black girl you’d settle down with.”
I look over at Mateo who shrugs. “Sorry man, but I thought you’d go back to the blondes and brunettes. You put a lot of weight in your parents’ opinion, not to mention sometimes you can be a prick.”
“Alright, alright.” I hold up my hands. “I get it. I’ve been walking around like a zombie, dating like it’s an out of body experience, and I’m an asshole.”
They nod their heads and laugh.
“Vanessa’s so different from the women before her, and not because she’s black. Even though she’s going out with me again, I can tell she won’t take any of my shit. She speaks her mind. I never have to worry about what she’s thinking.”
Ezekiel chuckles, “It’s sexy now, but wait until you just want to do one thing without someone telling you what you’re up to.”
We laugh as Pete jogs over to us. “Sorry guys. That was the wife with a honey-do list. What’d I miss?”
“Nothing but Kento telling us how stupid he gets when God blesses him,” Mateo replies. My face burns from my friend’s jab.
Pete’s brows twist in confusion, “I would ask you to fill me in, but since we barely know each other, I’m going to fall back.”
Aaron starts dribbling the ball. He’s anxious to play the winning team. “What do you have planned for your next date?”
I chug some water, happy the conversation is moving in this direction. “I’m taking her rock climbing.”
The ball slips out of Aaron’s grip and bounces down the court. He looks at me like a third eye suddenly appeared in the middle of my forehead. He’s not alone. Ezekiel shakes his head, smirking. Mateo’s dark eyebrows knit together as he glares at me. Pete plays it safe with his kind eyes and partial smile.
“You’re just determined to fuck this up, aren’t you?” Ezekiel groans.
“She’s going to be pissed,” Aaron adds as one of the players returns our ball.
I sigh, “I know I’m taking a risk, but I want her to see what I’m like outside of work and restaurants.”
Mateo sits next to Ezekiel, mirroring his posture. “There are other ways to do that.”
Ezekiel stares up at me. “Uh huh. There are plenty of places to take a woman, but this isn’t one of them.”
“Yeah, I agree Ken,” Aaron says. “You know I’m all for surprises and thinking outside the box, but I don’t know about this. Don’t you think it’s a little too soon for something like this? You don’t even know if she can climb or if she’s afraid of heights.”
He brings up a valid point. I made arrangements for us to take a beginners class, but I didn’t factor in a possible fear of heights. I believe this is a great way for Vanessa to know she can trust me, but I’ll have to come up with a plan B if something goes awry.
“I plan on taking her to my spot,” I inform them. “This is different from all the other places I’ve gone.”
They exchange looks, leaving Pete out of the mix. I get their concerns, but this feels right.
“Man, if this is what you want to do, then I support you.” Ezekiel stands and shakes my hand, bringing me in for a hug.
The others follow suit, including Pete, who’s been silent for the exchange. We head over to the far end of the court to face off against the last remaining team. They’re exhausted, but they don’t let that stop them. They give us a run for our money, but we’re not about to get our well-rested asses handed to us by a worn out team. We beat them by four points. It isn’t the sizable lead we want, but we’ll take it.
After the game, we make plans to meet up in a couple of weeks. I’m heading to the parking lot, when Ezekiel pulls me to the side. This is what I’ve been dreading. Ezekiel is like a brother to me. I don’t know if I can handle his disappointment.
“Hey, man, I wanna talk to you for a minute,” he lowers his voice. His usually lighthearted eyes are wary. There’s only one inch difference in our height, but that doesn’t make him any less intimidating at the moment. “We’ve known each other for about fifteen years or so. I know you’re a good dude, but how you acted was foul.”
“I know, Zeke.” I shift uncomfortably. “I feel -”
“Let me finish,” he interrupts. “I know how you were brought up. I also know you use that shit as a crutch. That shit needs to stop. If Vanessa were my sister, I’d tell her to steer clear of any man that disrespects her the first time. I don’t care what color he is.”
“You’re right.” I look down for a second, cracking under his scrutiny. If I felt like a jerk a few days ago, I feel like a piece of shit now. “I should’ve known better. I’m sorry for offending you. I was worried about your reaction.”
“I accept your apology,” he says. “Like I said, I’ve known you for a long time. I consider you my family, but don’t ever make another move like that again.”
Ezekiel’s brown eyes darken and I know he’s dead serious. He’s right,;we are family, but I know what I did to Vanessa will always be in the back of his mind. I knew I had to repair things with Vanessa, but I didn’t realize I’d have to do the same with Ezekiel. It makes sense, really. I’ve given him the impression that I can turn on him at the flip of a switch. I’m beginning to see the repercussions of my actions.
“Shit!” Paint spills down the leg of my jeans, and onto the floor. I wipe the floor with a drop cloth. My jeans are already stained from previous spills, so I don’t bother cleaning them.
No matter how hard I try, I can’t concentrate on painting. I want to be done with it. But then what? I haven’t considered what I’ll do with it when I’m finished. I can’t give it to Vanessa. She’d probably think I’m crazy for painting a portrait of her. She’s not returning my calls anyway, so…
I look over at my phone and consider calling her again. Her mailbox isn’t full, so I know she’s getting my messages. I was sure everything went well on our date. Is she avoiding me? Why is she giving me the cold shoulder?
I’ve never been bothered by a woman giving me the silent treatment. Sometimes I welcomed it, but this time I can’t take it. This must be what it felt like for the last woman I was with when I didn’t return her calls. She was so visibly frustrated when she explained how she felt hurt and ignored. I didn’t get it. As far as I knew, I was working and had a justified reason for my lack of availability. But now, I understand how I made her feel.
I don’t know what Vanessa’s up to, and frankly, I don’t care. I just want to hear her laugh. I want to see her again. I pick up the phone to call her, then put it back down. I’m acting like an obsessed teenager with a crush.
To be continue…
Max Sloane 