SBF Seeking ...

Chapter 3-1

Chapter 3

“I thought we really hit it off, so why hasn’t he called? It’s been almost three days,” I wondered as I sat on my couch watching the six o’clock news. Danita sighed into the phone as yet again I expressed my frustration at the world not revolving around me.

I knew this time of the day Danita would be in her car cursing the other drivers on US-70 as she headed home from work. While I spent my day shaping words, she spent hers saving lives as an oncology nurse. Her outlook on our lines of work was, when I make a mistake, they make a correction in the next issue. When she makes a mistake, the family makes arrangements and notifies the next of kin.

“Maybe he decided he didn’t want to do black girls after all. Sisters can be a lot to handle for any man and if you are thinking about coming across the color line, you need to come strong or don’t come at all.”

“True, but Neil seemed really interested and I was really hoping to go out again. Oh well, you know its Friday night and I just got paid,” I said, singing a little snippet of the universal payday jam.

“Far be it from me to deny you a chance to spend money. Why don’t you come over and maybe we can go out and do something. Give me an hour to get home and get myself together.” Keith has the kids; or rather, his mother has the kids while he is out catting around with that tramp. After the day I have had, a night out will be just fine.

“Cool, see you around seven-ish.”

As I drove down I-440, I wondered if the expectation of Neil calling made sense. Meeting someone face to face is different from a phone conversation. Maybe he did not find me attractive. Maybe he realized he preferred white potatoes instead of yams. Maybe he had not paid his cell phone bill and they cut him off. Hell, it could happen.

Once I made it to Danita’s we consulted our wallets and considered our dining options. We ended up at a pizza place off Peace Street with a killer outdoor seating area.

Being an Army brat and trained to adapt quickly to new situations, Danita never met a stranger. By time our meal came, she, our waiter, and the three men at the table next to us were fast friends. After dinner and a round of drinks brought by the tableful of admirers, we headed over to a karaoke bar where Danita drunkenly tried to sing “Private Dancer.” There is nothing like seeing your best friend teetering on heels while trying to shake her hips like Tina to bring a smile to your face.

When I went home, I thought about calling Neil, but decided it wouldn’t be a good idea. After all, 2 A.M. is not the best time to call someone you just met just to say hello. Instead of drunken dialing, I waited until the next day. After finishing my Saturday ritual of cleaning, I called him. In a voice I hoped sounded light, I left a message with my home number. I hoped my efforts would be successful. If not, que sera, sera.

So as not to sit and wait for the phone to ring, I headed out to do some shopping and get a bite to eat. When I walked in three hours later, my answering machine welcomed me with Neil’s request to call him. After pouring a glass of iced tea to settle myself, I picked up my trusty cordless and let my fingers do the walking.

“Hello?”

“Hi, it’s me Yvette. Did I catch you at a bad time?”

“No, just sitting here. You are a hard person to catch. I tried calling you at home Thursday and yesterday but I kept getting this person with a funky accent who said he did not know anyone named Yvette Thurman. Of course, the piece of paper with your cell number is nowhere to be found.”

“That’s odd, what number did you call?”

“555-5902.”

“That’s not my home number. Oh snap, the first three digits are my home numbers, but the last four is my cell number. I must have been so nervous I combined them when I gave you my number Wednesday.”

“Well I’m glad you called me back. What are you doing tonight?”

“Nothing, why?” I said, smiling with anticipation.

“I was wondering if you would like to come over and watch a movie.”

“Sure, let me get your address.”

He gave it to me and we agreed I would come over at eight. As I twirled around my kitchen in glee, I noticed the time. I did not have much time to get ready for…whatever.

First order of business—get cleaned up. Hanging-out with the girls or heading to work only required a quick shower. Going over to a man’s house for possible stuff and such called for full body immersion in the tub.

After soaking and scrubbing, I stood nude in front of my closet trying to figure out what to wear. Should I go for casual with a pair of jean shorts and a sorority shirt or the sexy siren look with the tight tank dress and platforms? I was planning on see another man four months before my wedding and I did not have a thing to wear. Finally, I settled on simple comfort and picked out my favorite sundress and sandals. Thank God my pedicure was still holding up.

Then I called Danita.

“Danita, guess what I’m getting ready to do,” I shouted into the telephone.

“What?”

“I’m going over to Neil’s for a movie and maybe some nookie.”

“What? Hold on let me tell Deidre to turn this music down,” she said, yelling to her sister to turn down the stereo.

“Girl over here ‘bout to blow out my speakers, what did you just said you were going to do?”

“I called Neil this morning and left a message for him to call me back. Well, he did and he invited me over. He has been trying to get in touch with me but somehow when I gave him my home number, he entered them wrong in his phone. That is why he had not called. Oh D, I’m so nervous.”

“He invited you over to his house? Vet, you just met this man and you are going to his house? He might be a serial killer or something. Get you over there and we never hear from you again.”

“Neil is not a serial killer. You remember that as soon as he gave me his full name, I ran a background check on him. I do my due diligence. He has no criminal records.”

Sounding like a worried mother, Danita said, “Still this whole thing just makes me itch.”

“D, don’t worry. I have been a big girl for a while and nothing will happen without my say-so. If it makes you feel better, I will give you his address so you know where I am.”

“Okay. Well the bottom line is to be prepared. If you think you might be getting your freak on, take some condoms. To ease my troubled mind, take the pepper spray I gave you. If he starts acting the ass, give him the gas face for real,” Danita said laughing. “I was going to invite you to bust some spades since my sister and her boyfriend don’t seem to want to go home, but it seems like you have other plans.”

“Thanks for the advice. s**t, it’s almost eight and he lives way in Briar Creek. I better hit the road.”

“Not before you give me his address.”

After giving her the details and promising to call her later or else she would send Raleigh’s finest to his front door, I headed to my car. I know it may seem strange for my best friend who was going through a divorce due to infidelity to be so nonchalant about my stepping out. But Danita had said on more than one occasion since my engagement that she didn’t think I was ready to walk down the aisle. I guess she thought s*x with a stranger would cause me to see the light since her words had not done the trick.

As I drove to Neil’s house, I blasted the radio to silence the doubts in my head. I am a black woman engaged to a black man, but I am heading to a white man’s house I have laid eyes on only one time, to watch a movie. The option of having s*x could also arise as part of tonight's get-together.

My pondering soon took a backseat to DJ Ambitious kicking off his usual Saturday set, Origins. The show involved him playing a song, say ‘Flashlight’ by Parliament Funkadelic, then play every song which sampled it. One time, I swear his entire four-hour program featured “s*x Machine” by James Brown.

After what only seemed like ten minutes, I pulled into Neil’s apartment parking in one of the more upscale complexes in the city. Where the parking lot of my digs off Capital Boulevard featured Buicks and Hondas, this parking lot housed Benzes and Hummers. As I scanned the apartment buildings, I wondered how much did being a paralegal pay. Finally, I found it and after a minute to calm my nerves and pop a mint, I got out and made my way to his door. I stood in front of Apt. D and with a nervous hand, rang the doorbell.

He opened the door, wearing a pair of soccer shorts and an NYU shirt. Neil smiled as he said, “Hi. I hope you found the place okay.”

“Sorry I’m late. I got a little turned around when I was looking for the complex.”

“Don’t feel bad. All my friends end up driving past it at least twice when they come see me,” Neil said, walking into his apartment. As I took a seat on the couch, I checked out his space and its inhabitants.

“I hope you don’t mind cats. I got Probate in college and Malpractice just showed up on my doorstep two months ago,” he said, as the cats leapt up on the couch on either side of me.

Legal terms as cat names, how cute, I thought, watching the cats watch me. The one called Malpractice was a nice healthy tabby but the other one was a true fat cat who looked like a meow would kill him.

“Do you want something to drink? I have some pop, beer or wine.”

“Wine will be fine,” I said, checking out the nice leather furniture, impressive stereo system, and a picture of two little white boys with their arms around each other hanging on the wall beside the sofa.

“That’s me and my baby brother Philip. He is a junior at Penn State. You know my older sister is in vet school in Boston and my other sister Sarah is a ‘tress’ in New York City,” Neil said handing me a glass of white wine and sitting down beside me.

“A what?”

“A tress, a wannabe actress supporting herself as a waitress.” Neil said smiling, showing off nice even white teeth.

He has a sense of humor. Brownie points for him.

Neil popped “To Have and To Have Not” into the player and drew us into the world of hard-boiled detectives during the 1940’s. While we sat in the near darkness staring into the screen, I could feel Neil looking at me.

After the movie finished, the lights came back on to reveal the time, 9:30 P.M. Neil had invited me over for a movie, which we just watched. I did not want to go home. Maybe we could order a pizza or go out for a bite. The last time real food passed my lips was eight hours ago and the chips we munched during the movie was not going to cut it.

“Do you want to listen to some music? I remember you said you were a fan of jazz. I have some Coltrane we could listen to.”

“Sure,” I said, glad he was not going to kick me out. I hoped my stomach growling would not drown out Trane tenor sax.

With a click of the remote, A Love Supreme filled the air. As I settled back and let the music wash over me, Neil got up to refill our glasses. When he came back, he sat closer to me than before. It made me a little nervous, so I tried to cover up by engaging in conversation. From the start, I began on the bad foot by talking about one of the three major no-no’s of first date conversation: s*x.

“I consider myself to be an open-minded person. Hell, else I would not be here. I believe attraction does not see color or gender. It just happens.”

“I agree,” Neil said, leaning towards me with a hungry look in his eye. While having his attention fed my ego, it also made me a little uneasy. Mentally, I calculated how many moves it would take for me to get my hand in my purse to grab my spray.

“Yeah, I guess you do,” I said, smiling nervously.

To cover up my jitters, I talked more, digging myself a bigger hole. For lack of sense or anything else to say, I launched into my own s****l experiences. I ended up telling him more than even my doctor knew. I even told him the story about the honey, men’s briefs and the melon baller.

As I stopped to catch my breath, it seemed Neil’s eyes were just inches from my face.

“What?”

“I was just wondering if I should ask you for a kiss.”

“Sure ask me. I might say yes.”

“Can I have a kiss?”

“Yes, you can have a kiss.”

We have a winner! Neil’s lips were so soft, like new pillows. He did not try to put his tongue in my mouth or slobber on me. His effort left me impressed and a little bit moist. After all, kissing well is not one of Martin’s strong points and the keys to my kingdom starts with being able to smooch.

“God, you’re good. Let’s do this some more.”

Like two teen-agers on their parents’ couch, we necked passionately. His two cats lazed on the floor and stared up at us as if they were watching a feline version of Wild Kingdom. Blame the alcohol and the Neil’s lip-tastic performance, but soon I heard a voice saying ‘let’s take this to the bedroom’. Amazingly, this voice sounded like mine.

Trying not to run, we entered a relatively neat bedroom with the standard bed, computer and posters on the wall. Unlike my fiancé’s bedroom, Neil’s room did not smell like stale ass. Instead, it put me in mind of fresh laundry. This thing is getting better and better, I thought as I sat on his bed.

“Oh, you play the trumpet?” I asked catching sight of the music stand and instrument located in the corner.

Shucking off his T-shirt and shorts to reveal a pair of purple silky-looking boxers, Neil followed my stare, “Yeah, my mom made me take it when I was younger. When I got older, I quit as part of my teen rebellion. Recently, I realized I like playing so I decided to get back into it. But don’t ask me to play anything, I’m not that good.”

As Neil stood there half-naked and looked at me, I realized one of these things do not look like the other. Slowly I removed my clothes and soon I stood there clad in my good bra and panties I broke out only for special occasions. Neither one of us said anything as we climbed under the sheets. Feeling my sober mind taking over, I wondered if I was making a big mistake. Scratch that, maybe a bigger mistake.

“Are you sure you want this?” Neil asked as he turned off the light beside his bed.

“Yes,” I said in a small voice.

Without another word, he rolled on top of me in the darkness and began kissing me. At first, his kisses were a little hesitant, but he soon got into the flow of things as I gently moaned and twisted my body as he sent shivers of pleasure up and down my spine. He touched my skin as if handling merchandise in an expensive store when all you have is $10 in your pocket. I was slightly annoyed and appreciative at the same time. I was sure his hesitation stemmed from having never touched a black woman before. It felt nice to have someone pay attention to me like I was new-issued instead of same old, same old. As we explored each other’s nooks and crannies, our underwear soon found its way onto the floor. Lying on Neil’s cotton purple sheets, I relaxed as the roller coaster of the evening chugged upward.

Neil took his time kissing his way down my body. I could feel him moan softly as he sucked my breasts, first the right then the left. Instead of Martin’s rushing to get the task completed, Neil savored the experience. His mouth felt good on my body and he knew how to use his tongue to my advantage. As he explored the contours of my breast with his mouth, I swooned. Oh my God, take me now; this is feeling some kind of good.

The real test came as he moved further down my belly toward my altar of Venus. Now, any woman will tell you nothing is worse than someone attempting to drive downtown who doesn’t know how to read a roadmap. Involuntarily, I flinched as he penetrated my v****a with his tongue. I soon relaxed as I realized Neil knew the highway, byways, and a few shortcuts. As both pair of lips parted with satisfaction, I smiled and reflected on the poster of the Milky Way on his ceiling.

As he flicked his tongue back and forth over my c**t and licked me like an ice cream cone, his tongue unlocking secrets no had ever thought to unlock, I fought to keep from screaming too loud. Time slowed down as I basked in the glow of someone really focusing on meeting my needs. I felt like I was floating on air. Martin never made me feel this good. I was glad I gone through with this.

Then Neil put on his condom, entered me, and the fun ended.

“Oh, I’m sorry. This has never happened to me before,” Neil said after five minutes of trying to bust open my piñata with a toothpick. My first experience over the color line and lasted less time than it takes to boil an egg. While the appetizer satisfied, I had looked forward to the main course and this patron was not pleased.

“Don’t worry about it. It is probably just nerves. Why don’t we wait a little while longer and try it again.”

We soon went back to kissing and thankfully, I did not have long to wait until his little soldier was standing at attention and ready to go back into battle. Unfortunately, he ended up waving a white flag after ten minutes on the front line.

This time the silence in the air was heavy. The only sounds were his cats scratching at the door and the rustle of a cigarette package as Neil took out a cigarette.

“You want one?”

“No thanks, I don’t smoke.”

“Well, I guess we should get dressed,” Neil said, putting his shirt and shorts back on without putting on his boxers. Not knowing what else to do, I got dressed as well.

Clothed and silent we went back into the living room and sat on opposite sides of the couch. We sat there for at least five minutes without either one of us saying a word. “Listen, this has been fun, but I guess I should be turning in. I have an early meeting at the office in the morning so, I need to get some sleep,” Neil said.

A Sunday morning meeting at a law firm? Give me a break. My momma did not raise a fool. I gathered my purse, told him thank you for the movie and the other things and went on my way.

He walked me as far as the door then said those kiss of death words for a first date: “I’ll call you.”

The son-of-a-b***h did not even kiss me good night.