FACE:
A (not so) simple date between two and a half people. (My Wing MAchiNe pt. 2)
PART 1 HERE. (For more context. . .)
I tried to remember the last time I had been on a date. The mirror reflected my puzzled face back at me as I rubbed the golden hoop in my eyebrow.
“Damn girl. I literally can’t remember–”
“WHAT?” The small speakers on my phone barely contained my homegirls voice.
“Well I don’t know!”
“Girl – the trauma!”
“I blocked that shit out.”
Our laughs joined together in a choir for my handle of soaps, assortment of body oils and more than multiple lotions. You never know.
I sighed and pursed my lips, then applied my red gloss for the sixth time. My homegirl kept speaking through the screen, which showed blank ceilings and not many faces for a facetime.
“Well here you are now. I’m truly so proud.” She sang the last word.
“Oh stop – I told him I was ready ten minutes ago and here I still am in the fuckin bathroom.”
“Oooooo – someone cares!”
“STOP! Girl – If you were here –”
“Girl, I’d slap you silly.”
I picked up the phone and let my face take up the whole screen. “Oh REALLY?” Her round face popped up with the blur of a cracked camera lens. She stuck out her tongue.
“I’m just excited for you! You should be too. It will be fine. Remember what we said –”
I stopped her. “Shh – Shut up. He is here.”
Her eyes widened with a grin that extended across every inch of cheek the bitch had. “Have FUN.” She hung up without me being able to shove in another word. “AH!” I groaned and shot out of the bathroom with a few puffs of perfume. The rush from my own front door and the front of the complex was a blur. She was right though - I need to be excited too - not bubbling in anxiety.
He was standing outside on the curb and sheltering himself from the wind by pushing his neck into his jacket.
We both beamed at each other with the warmth of the sun that cut through the chill. He put his hand halfway up between a peace sign – and a salute? I just went up to him and wrapped my arms under his. He embraced me after the shock left his body. I could feel the ice that ran up his spine.
I let go and looked slightly up – I’d definitely be taller on heels. Whatever. The man didn’t know what to do with himself as his brown eyes bewildered. I spoke first and took a small step back. “Did I come on to strong? Its–”
“No. No. That. was. cool.” He spoke slowly and methodically like he was reciting lines on a page. “I am just. as. happy to see you. as well.” He pointed at the car and tilted his head. “Let us. hop in. before I get a parking ticket?”
We scrambled inside and the warmth ran along the seams of my jeans, then hips, and up into my heart as I saw him hop in cooly. He shot me the blast of a white smile and settled into his seat. The click of his seatbelt cracked the silence.
One of his eyebrows leapt up into his forehead. “No. . . seatbelt?” I shook my head.
“Sorry, I live dangerously.” As the words left my mouth I right away clicked in my seatbelt and pulled on it exaggeratingly.
“Well that is nice. I. will not lose you on our. first. night. together.” My cheeks rosied up with more blood. I was beginning to like his slow way of saying things. “Well – what's the plan then hotshot?”
He opened up his phone and the overbearing brightness caused the rest of his body to disappear into the darkness of the car while his head remained like it was floating. His eyes stuck to me as he clicked something on the screen with his thumb. Mr. Soul by Buffalo Springfield came crashing in around us as the guitar strings reverberated in my ear drums.
“First. Let us get out of here. Let. the. plan. unfold honey.” My heart almost grew wings.
“Sounds good to me.”
We both bobbed our heads with the ensemble of sounds as he turned out. His phone protruded from his cup holder. I noticed the lonely smiley face in the middle of his screen. Wallpaper? It fit his vibe I guess, but why did it stay on?
His voice brought me back to our date. “Have you heard of Kenny’s?”
“What – the one with the yellow cowboy hat?”
“Yes. . . That one.”
“It’s open?”
“Yeah. Twenty four hours. I figured. we can. grab. something and sit down. Face to face. If you are cool. with that?”
“That sounds amazing. So down.”
He smiled at me again. His slick eyes reflected the traffic lights we passed.
Kickstart My Heart by Mötley Crüe started up with a shredding guitar that made the car jump with every beat. “So. You listen to any heavier rock?” He asked me.
I nodded. The neon yellow cowboy hat came into view down the street.
“Yeah, some of it. What’re you thinking?” I side eyed him.
“Well maybe when we are done. we. can. listen to some of mine?”
“I would love to do that with you.”
We made it there around the end of the song. He put the car in park. The double doors led into a diner that held a sparse night crew and the usual solo-dolo old dude who always sat the opposite side of the diner. We got seated in a cushioned booth.
Our server was a ghastly middle aged man with a scruff that attempted to patch itself together. I only glanced at him. I wanted to keep my eyes on the man in front of me. Our server handed me my laminated menu.
My date said thank you and his hair swept back for a moment. Revealing a shimmering piece of metal in the well of his ear. It got covered up again as he turned to me. I craned my head slightly with a cheeky smile. I wanted my dimples to be accentuated – but what the hell was that in his ear? A hearing aid?
“So, you have been here?” He asked me.
“Yeah only a couple of times. It’s always good – You have?” I decided to speak a little louder.
“Um. . . yeah. I have – I had. the roast beef sandwich. Their blueberry lemonade goes crazy.”
“That actually sounds very good right now.”
“The sandwich. or the drink?”
“Both.”
“I see you. So. what you been doing?”
“In what?”
“Uh – in life. Anything you were doing today, yesterday?” We both chortled. A shared nervousness.
“Well I’ve just been relishing in my summer I guess. Going out a lot with my mom lately and my homegirl. Using this free time to breathe.”
“Sounds fun – it. sounds. freeing.”
“What about you? What you been up to that I don’t know about?” I shot him a sideways glance. A coy one, or so I intended.
“Not much.” He said flatly.
I waited for something else. His mouth didn’t open again.
A low hum met the silence left after his reply. It was barely noticeable like the passing of a fly. It went away as the clatter of cookware sounded from the back of the house. He began talking once again. “It is very. very. good – I mean, I’m so glad to be here with you right now. You are. even. more. beautiful. in person.” An unwieldy grin took up his face. I hoped my cheeks weren’t too red as his compliment wrapped me up like a heated blanket – wires and all. He might have saved himself.
I replied, “I appreciate that. I hope you weren’t to thrown off by my hug. It’s been great talking to you lately.” His smile was stuck on him.
“No not. at. all. Um - but same with you. Your cancel last time killed me.” He did a pouty face. It was cute.
“Well – I’m sorry! I don’t cancel for the fuck of it. You see my face?” We locked our brown eyes together. “Never seen it before you met me right?”
“Right?”
“Right. I ain’t out here.” I waved my hands around us. “So please – forgive me.”
“Oh I do. . . I. am. sorry. I just jest.” He winked at me. My heart knocked onto my chest. It wanted out.
Our server arrived with a thinly veiled smile. “Ready for drinks? Apps?” I asked for a water and the blueberry lemonade. I shot a wink back at him as I ordered. He got the same drinks and he finished with telling our server we needed more time. I heard that buzzing crawl its way into my ear again as he walked away. Like someone was whispering in the walls around us.
“Do you hear that?”
He gave me a froggy look.
“Um. . . what?”
I began to whisper myself.
“This buzzing. Like whenever it’s still and silent in here. Shhh.” I put a finger up to signal more silence.
We both listened, our eyes darting around as if to find it in the air. There was nothing but quiet. He leaned back. “I don’t hear anything.”
As the last syllable left his mouth, I saw his eyes widen. His face became pale as the blood ran from it. He repeated it again to himself as he looked past me. “I don’t hear anything.” His adam's apple popped in and out as he quickly stood up. “Excuse me. Right back.” He gave me a half assed smile and shuttered to the bathroom before I could blink and ask what happened. I cracked my knuckles as I suddenly sat there alone.
The old solo-dolo dude from the other side of the diner spoke up. His grungy voice filled the air. “Ey’ Pedro!”
“Ey’ What? You lonely grump.” A short Puerto rican popped out of nowhere and looked at him with a fond smile.
“The music buddy – No music tonight?”
“I got you, gimme a sec. Didn’t even realize it was off!” He went back to wherever he arrived from. A good few minutes passed.
The bastard wouldn’t ditch me right? Oh – I spotted his keys on the right side of the table. Was he okay? I hoped he didn’t feel like he needed to hide a disability from me. Did I do anything to seem that bitchy? I went onto my phone and was a few millimeters from texting him. I tapped on my homegirls chat instead.Her bubbles popped up instantly.
Girl I KNEW YOU WOULD NEED ME.
girl.
he got super pale
and ran to the fn bathroom
but i think hes deaf?BITCH huh????
he had something in his ear
last thing he sad was
about his hearing tooBITCH I would knock
huhhhhhhh?
Why not?? Let him know you care! Anyone else even there?
nooooooooo
THEN???
you are so so right.
wtf am i doing sitting here!!<<<3333
I got up from the table and headed towards the bathrooms. Just then the music came back into the diner. (He’s) The Great Imposter by The Fleetwoods started like a whisper. There was a whir of static between the lines as the song got into its rhythm. I took a deep breath as the shadowed hallway came into view. It looked like I was about to step into another dimension.
(Special thanks to
for the direct inspiration to this piece. Please go check out his work, it is very unique and dope.)
Love that we got another perspective! So nice to know immediately that she was genuine too, or at least so we can see here. Love this story!
I enjoyed this, great stuff!