Have you ever had your heart broken and no one ever even
knew that you were in love? Pull up a
chair let me explain. Well it all started about a year ago. I had just split
from my SO (Significant Other – Californians know how to work an acronym) and
my boys had decided to take me out to cheer me up. We ended up at the local
sports bar. I was kicked back in a booth watching the Knicks getting blown out
like used tires. I could hear my crew laughing and flirting while playing “Pop
a Shot” basketball – losers pay for the rounds. I was lost in the game and the
peripheral conversation when a vision appeared. The waitress was dressed in a
Lakers uniform – hated the team but tonight I was going to be a fan. She was
delivering the appetizers we ordered and made the mistake of asking me if there
would be anything else.
“I would tell you but I don’t feel like being slapped.” I
joked. From the moment it left my lips I knew I was going to regret it. I was
right. I noticed that her smile had completely disappeared.
“Wait!” I raised my voice and reached for her arm but
retracted my hand because I knew if I had touched her it would only make
matters worse.
“Wait, seriously.” I begged.
“What? Can I get you something else?” she asked in her
annoyed sister-girl tone that only a black woman can.
“I would like a few seconds of you time.” I said sheepishly.
“Well?” she asked patting her foot and rolling her eyes.
I could tell by the way she was talking and doing her
attitude machinations that the behavior was totally out of character for her.
She didn’t have the hard street edginess to pull it off.
“I just wanted to apologize for what I said just now….it was
inappropriate and uncalled for. Hell, it was a joke gone bad…really bad…stink
on ice bad …skunk booty bad.” I kept adding to the sentence because I could see
a smile break through her tough girl act.
“Apology accepted.” She smiled.
“Thank you very much…eh..” I stammered because I was looking
for a name tag.
At that point she sun around to show me the name on her
jersey…but my eyes immediately surveyed the woman. She spun again and caught me
looking.
“Thanks Takeisha.” I blushed
“No thank you for apologizing.” She giggled at my crimson
face as she walked away.
“Yo KC what was that all about?” one of my boys asked as he
reached over my shoulder to get a glimpse of the game on the big screen.
“Nothin’ man. It’s been so long since I’ve been out of the
house that I’ve forgotten how to talk to women; I had to apologize because I
was a little out of pocket with the lady.”
“Well I just happened to catch her walkin’ away …if the
front look half as good as the back you better talk to her ‘cause once these
boys sit down you know you got some competition.”
“I ain’t even in the game man….and what you doin’ looking?
If Wanda even hears your eyeballs moving in your head she’ll have you on lock
down.” I teased. Wanda was Boogie’s (Bryce’s – he got the nickname Boogie
because the boy can dance his ass off) girl. Wanda was sweet enough and they
were a good solid couple but every now and then Wanda would get a bit insecure
and lose her mind; she once broke a bottle on a table and threatened a woman
like she was in a Wild West saloon.
“Man I am 100% with Wanda but I ain’t blind or dead.” He
laughed as he grabbed an appetizer and returned to the intense miniature
basketball game.
I returned my attention to the big screen and the basketball
game. I was agonizing over the second quarter when I realized that most of my
boys were ready to go.
“Yo, KC we gotta jet man….I gotta date, Wanda is blowing up Boogie’s phone and Robert
just hooked up with some girl he said he went to high school with. You know
that fool never went to class but we’ll let him work that story for a minute.”
“Ok Jay man…I’m gonna watch the game. Are you guys ok to
drive?” I asked as I shook hands and hugged them good bye.
“We’re gonna share a cab. None of us drove because we didn’t
know how much we were going to drink.” He laughed
“Alright dude then I’ll see y’all next week at the office.”
I said as I sat back down to watch the game.
It was half time. I caught Takeisha’s eye and waved my beer
bottle to let her know that I wanted a refill. She smiled and nodded in
acknowledgement.
The basketball game was in full swing and deep into the third quarter before
Takeisha appeared with my beer.
“I’m sorry it took so long but I had a table of college boys
to contend with.” She smiled apologetically and began to clear the table.
“It’s cool, I was so into the game that I had lost all train
of thought. I hope the boys were well behaved. I know I didn’t start off to
well.” I laughed.
“No, I can’t say you did but I’m kinda warming up to you
now. I can come over to the table without giving you my crazy eye.” she teased.
“That’s a good thing Miss Takeisha.”
“Please call me Tee all my friends do.”
“Well, things must be getting better. I get to call you Tee
and you put me in the category of friend. My Friends call me KC and that’s
short for Kevin Charles…that’s my first and last name not first and middle….and
why am I telling you all this like you care.”
We both laughed.
Her eyes sparkled and glistened when she laughed. She had a
smile that would challenge the sun for warmth and glow. I could feel my heart
being drawn to her in that brief little bubble of time.
“So, tell me Tee if I may be so bold as to ask what do you
do when you are not working?”
“Oh, I hit the books and hang out with my friends if I don’t
have too much homework.”
“I see, a student huh? I remember those days, not that it
was so long ago but I am far enough removed where I don’t go into a panic at
the end of August. What year are you in?” I asked
“I’m a senior.”
“Well so you’re almost done. What your major?” I asked
smiling in anticipation because in my mind I knew she was going to say
something heavy like pre-med or political science.”
“I don’t know yet I haven’t decided.” She said.
“Haven’t decided isn’t your senior year kind of late in the
game to decide?” I asked looking at her very quizzically.
“Not really I know people who didn’t decide until their
junior year in college.”
Then it dawned on me that I was talking to a high school
senior damn it all……..band-aids for the wounded heart that’s back at square
one.
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