Lisa looks at me with concern and says, "Oh, so you gave up the baby?"
I close my eyes, and a tear escapes. "No, I lost it. I had a miscarriage 3 months into the pregnancy."
She hugs me and says, "I am so sorry to hear that." I open my eyes and tell her, "There is more, Iā-I can't have children anymore. Apparently, being pushed off the staircase while you are pregnant can do that to you. Did you know that?" I ask her, trying to find humor in my situation.
She gasps and whispers, "You were pushed down the staircase? By who? Was it the baby's father? I will kill that guy. What was his name again?"
I look at her and say, "Yes, by his fiance, and his name was Henry." She is shaking with anger. "He had a fiance and still knocked you up? What was he? A man whore?" I try to calm her down and tell her the entire story about Henry and me.
"I met Henry when I was interning with a small Diner in Texas. It was shortly after the demise of my sister. He was a regular customer there. We ended up spending a lot of time together, and eventually, he asked me out, to which I agreed. After a year, he proposed to me. I was beyond excited to be with him. Then he went on a camping trip with his friends. Upon return, he was not the same Henry I had known in the past year. I was excited to share the news of my pregnancy with him.
But he started ignoring me. Whenever I asked him to spend time with me, he would say that he had work. I somehow got that because he was just starting his business. But then I happened to be with one of my friends. She told me that she had seen Henry with some girl who looked like she had a lot of money, and they were having dinner at the most expensive restaurant in Texas. That's when I started putting pieces together. By that time, I was almost in the third month of the pregnancy. I went to his place unannounced, and when he opened the door, he was not happy.
I told him the news about being pregnant, but he just ignored it and told me to drop the baby. We had a very heated argument. I threw his ring on his face and left by the end of the argument. When I was getting down the stairs, I felt a tap on my shoulder. I turned to see his fiance, who was smirking at me. She just pushed me and said that she had made it easier for Henry. He needs his mate and not some random chick he slept with. I don't understand the word mate, but I guess she meant love." By the end of the story, I was full-on crying, and I swear I heard Lisa curse. She just hugged me and patted my back.
She then said, "You know, I think it was good that you didn't get married to that jerk or else, how would you have come here? How would we have met? Now, I guess it's time to have dinner, and then I promise to bring in your favorite sundae." With that, she got up and went to get the dishes for the food. We eat in silence. I finally felt like some weight had been lifted from my shoulders.
I look at Lisa and say, "I am so sorry for having a breakdown like that. I didn't mean to talk about all that." She reaches over and holds my hand. "I will be with you no matter what. You don't have to feel sorry. I feel honored that you shared such a deep secret with me."
I smile and say, "That's the reason I don't want to date anyone. What's the point anyway." She looks at me confused and asks, "What do you mean by that?" I say, "Every guy wants to have kids someday. And when I tell them that I cannot give them that, they will just break up with me."
She looks at me and says, "Skylar, that is so not true. You will find someone who would cherish you in the way you deserve. And maybe you should get a second opinion about the kid's thing. Maybe that doctor read the tests wrong. If you want, I can come along with you."
I look at her, shocked, and say, "I didn't know that you were such a romantic." She smacks my head and says, "I have watched my parents for thirty-five years. They still behave as if they are a bunch of eighteen-year-old in love. Even my mom was told that she couldn't have kids. But my father stuck with her and even married her and ended up having me. They got their happy ending, and so will you."
"Wow, thank you, Lisa. Your mom is truly lucky. And maybe you are right. I will just have to find the right guy."
"So when are you asking that man out?" Lisa teases. I try to act innocent and tell her, "Which man are you referring to here?
She gives me an exasperated look and says, "The man from the conference, the one for whom you drool."
I roll my eyes and tell her, "I am not asking him out. He will laugh at me."
She ignores me and opens her phone, "Tell me his name. I will find his number for you so that you can call him." I laugh and tell her, "You are forgetting that I already have his business card with me."
She shrieks and says, "OMG, I totally forgot about that. He wants you to call him." I laugh so hard that I get tears in my eyes from laughing. Lisa looks at me as if I have lost my mind, and I say, "It's just his business card he has given. I am sure he must be handed that out to me just to be polite."
"Can you for once come out of your shell, woman, and look at yourself. You are beautiful. I know that he knows that. The guy urinating on the building wall knows that. Only you are dumb enough not to see." She yells at me, frustrated. "Look, you told him that you want to open your own business, and he said you could call him, that means he is interested in you. Did you tell him that your business will be a restaurant?" I simply nod.
She continues, "See, he is the owner of a big company, and do you think he will be interested in your small restaurant? Not that it will be very small. I just meant for him. Compared to his business. Plus, I know from the look on your face that you want to see him again."
I touch my face and say, "What look are you talking about?" She shakes her head in disapproval and says, "The dreamy look you get just by talking about him. The smile that plays on your lips. That look. I am talking about. Now come on, stop being a coward and call him."
"I will not call him right now. I will call him tomorrow asking him for a coffee and will tell him that I want to put my restaurant idea in front of him. If he has any suggestions, it would be helpful."
She rolls her eyes and says, "Whatever makes you ask him out."
While putting the plates away, I tell her, "You know what? You should get your boyfriend and come along with me to meet this guy. It can be like a double date."
She shrugs and says, "I don't have a boyfriend, and the guys I go out with treat me like a one-night stand, nothing else."
I hug her and say, "Then you are looking at the wrong place."
She gets out of the hug and says, "By the way, what makes you think that I have a boyfriend?
I look down for some reason as if deer caught in a headlight and say, "You disappear all of a sudden at night, then I don't hear you come in till four or five in the morning. I just assumed you had a boyfriend. It's just that the walls are thin, and I come to know when you leave and when you arrive. I worry because it's always at night."
She looks at me pointedly and says, "Sorry, mom, I will try to be quiet next time." I try to take her hand, but she just swats it away. I say, "I am sorry for assuming. Please don't be mad. It's just that I worry that someone is making you do things that you don't want to. Hence my concern."
She looks at me baffled and says, "No ones making me do anything wrong. It's just that my mom needs me as my father is hospitalized. He is dying." With that, she starts crying. Her tough exterior was finally broken. I hug her and say, "What do you mean by dying?" She looks at me and says, "My father has been suffering from leukemia for the past one year, it's eating him, and there is nothing I can do. My mom gets tired of taking care of him, so I go to the hospital at night so that she can sleep. I can't see him dying. It kills me. I am not ready to lose him yet."
I gasp. Now I know why she is so fidgety whenever she receives a text. She thinks it's the news of her father. "I know what you are going through. If you need my help, I am always here. My sister had a cyst in her brain, which we could not treat. I remember seeing her in the hospital, feeling helpless."
She just hugs me and says, "I want you to be natural with me. I don't want to worry about dad 24*7. I want to laugh and enjoy as well. You are like my ray of light, which makes me laugh and smile. So please just be normal."
After our talks, we watch a movie, and she goes to her apartment. I look at Cole's business card and decide to call him. I know it's late, but I want to do it before I change my mind. I remove my phone and dial his number. After about five rings, he picks up my call and says, "Hello."
"Cole?" My voice cracks with nervousness.
"Yes, This is Cole." He sounds very serious. Maybe I called him at the wrong time. "Who is this?"
"You may not remember me, but this is Skylar Pints. We met at the conference at Trident."
"Skylar!! Of course, I remember you. I was wondering when you would call." His tone lightens, and I can feel him smile. My heart thuds at his reaction to my call, and I feel myself blush.
"So, how are you doing, Skylar? I hope you don't arrive late to your classes." He was teasing me!! The hottest man on earth was teasing me!! I just wish the ground would swallow me up this very second.
"I am doing well, how about you? I am so sorry for walking in late that day. And no, I make it a point to reach fifteen minutes early to my classes." I say, embarrassed. He laughs at my statement and says, "I was just kidding. So how are your classes going on?"
"They are going great. We have a cooking contest coming up. Plus, I got the full-time job opportunity at the place where I am working on a part-time basis." I don't know why I just said all that. He would not want to know any of this. He was just being polite when he asked that question.
Surprisingly he asks, "Where do you work?" And I proudly say, "Bistro Toulouse, I am going to be working directly under the chef once I start working there full time."
"I love that place. It's my favorite restaurant. Anytime I just crave Steak and Frites, I go there. Which shift do you work?" He says excitedly.
I am surprised that he visits my workplace often and I have just met him. Actually, I should NOT be surprised. I was already aware that we serve only high-end people at our restaurant, but when he mentioned that he often visited, my heart sank at the thought of never having met him there.
"So, let's meet for dinner there this Saturday. My treat." He says.
All air leaves me when he says that. I am stunned to the core. Did he ask me out? I thought I was going to casually ask him for a cup of coffee.
When I don't respond, he says, "Did I scare you away, Skylar?" I say, "No, I am sorry, I was just shocked. That's all. I would love to have dinner with you."
"Coming back to the reason you called, did you have any questions related to your business idea?" He sounds like he is teasing me again. When I met him that time, I never imaged him to have this side to him. But I like this side of him.
"Yes, kind of. I wanted to put forth some business plan about how I want to go about getting my restaurant dream come true."
"So, do you want to meet before dinner to discuss it, or would you rather discuss it during dinner?" He asks.
I say, "Sure, we can meet for coffee at the small bistro at Trident campus and then head for dinner from there. If that is okay with you."
"Absolutely. I will be there. See you soon, Skylar. Good Night." He says.
"Good night Cole. I can't wait for tomorrow." I sounded so desperate. Why can't I control myself around him?
"Can't wait to meet you either, Skylar." He says with a small laugh and then puts down the phone.
Just listening to him has got me all hot and bothered. I am so glad that I called him. I don't understand my feelings for him, and it's not just his looks that I am attracted to. I am not sure what it is yet. It's just that we clicked, kind of like what I have with Lisa, but in a different way with him. I don't know why I am hoping this, but I just hope that this coffee plus dinner date goes well, and we develop something more.
With that thought in mind, I proceed to my bedroom for sleep.