Scent of Love

by Cristina Grenier

  The next email, “I meant, morning… you know, because it’ll probably be morning when you read this, so have a good morning. But, if you do happen to read this before morning for whatever reason, then good afternoon. Or Good Evening… or Good night, you know, whatever time frame you read this in, just put ‘good’ in front of it and know it was from me, alright? Great!”

  The next few emails were much of the same, him rambling on about something he wanted to clarify in the previous email. Lord, why me, she asked herself as she deleted all of his emails. She had to scan through them all to make sure they weren’t of any importance, but she immediately regretted doing it after the fact.

  Although she would never tell anyone, the truth is that she was becoming lonely. She had been single for the last eight years and honestly, Michael was the only person she had been out with within the past year. She knew he wasn’t what she wanted, and she was getting tired of the single life, but the choices that she had in front of her weren’t enough for her to give anyone one of them a chance. As the day went by she did the best she could to block Alex’s emails from her mind and continue with her regular routine, knowing that she wouldn’t have to leave her office much at all that day. Lunch time came in a blur, and she was just about finished with her work for the day. She got a text from Charlotte, “Hey girl, meet us down at the Café you usually go to.”

  “I’m on my way.”

  She peeked her head out of her office, scanning both directions of the hallway to make sure Alex wasn’t in her area. In the last email he’d sent her, he alluded to the fact that he may be on her floor later that day, so she was halfway expecting him just to pop up like he did yesterday. To her satisfaction, there wasn’t a trace of him anywhere as she made her way to the second floor. Charlotte sat at one of the tables when she walked in. She was munching down on some cheese fries with a bowl of salad just to her right. She had wanted to lose weight for a while now, but she just couldn’t kick particular habits to the side. Nicole took a seat right next to her, “Hey girl,” she said, smiling at Charlotte.

  Charlotte took a bite of her fries and swallowed them before she responded, “Hey. Listen, I got somebody for you.”

  Charlotte was known for trying to hook Nicole up with people. Even though Nicole never said anything to her about it, Charlotte just felt like she needed somebody there for her because, in her words, “you are not getting any younger and yo’ bed is not getting any warmer.” This time around, Nicole decided to entertain her.

  “Now, before you say no, let me tell you about him. Ok, he is fine. I mean, the man is gorgeous, ok?! He is tall, chocolate and he has a low haircut. He looks like Idris Alba, and I know that you love yourself some Idris Alba, don’t you?”

  She smiled, “Yeah, he aight.”

  “Aight? Yeah, ok. If that man walked in here right now and told you to quit yo’ job and come with him, the only thing I would see from you is smoke like a looney tunes cartoon, don’t play with me!”

  Nicole put her hand over her mouth as she laughed.

  “I know,” Charlotte said as she continued, “now the man is fine. He is in the mortgage industry, and he is doing well for himself. He is 32, no children, no ex-wives and no crazy ex-girlfriends. He has a Master’s degree, and he just moved out here to California five months ago, and he is single, in shape, and he is fine. Did I mention the man was fine? Because if I didn’t, he is fiiiine!”

  “Ok, I get it, the man is fine. But my question is, if he is that perfect, why haven’t you put in a bid for him?”

  “Girl, I just got a feeling that I got too much goodness for him, you know? I don’t think he wants a woman that has all of what I have to offer; you feel me?”

  Charlotte ran her hands over her voluptuous curves as Nicole chuckled, “Nu-uhh, girl, he doesn't want all that good loving, huh?”

  “He doesn't know what to do with this; you hear me? He wouldn’t know what to do with all this chocolate goodness,” she said as she took another bite of her food.

  The two sat and talked with each other, passing their lunch time in what seemed like minutes. Nicole got up and left as Charlotte went in line to order some things to go. On the elevator, Nicole looked at the number of the man Charlotte told her about. Hank Lawson was supposed to give her a call later this evening, and as she waited for the elevator to get to her floor, she scrolled through the google images of Idris Alba, shaking her head at how attractive he was. My God, she said, if Hank is half of this, I will be satisfied! Moments later, the elevator stopped on her floor. She took a deep breath, looking both ways before she exited hoping that Alex was nowhere around. When everything was clear, she got off and walked hurriedly to her office. As she pulled the keys out of her purse and unlocked her door, a voice seemingly came out of nowhere.

  “Hey Nicole,” he said.

  “Ahhhh!” Nicole screamed, dropping her keys to the ground.

  She quickly spun around and leaned against her door as if she was moments from being attacked. Alex stood there with a bouquet of roses and the same corny smile that was on his face when he pranced through the hallways of Saavy. He reached down to pick up her keys, bumping his head into the wall in the process. “Ouch,” he said as he put his hand on his head but oddly, the smile still never left his face. He handed them back to her as Nicole regained her usual grasp on the world. Two people had stepped outside of their offices just to glance in the hall to make sure everything was ok. When they saw Alex, they turned and went back into their office, knowing that he was interested in Nicole. Things about Alex went around Saavy like a small spark that turned into a forest fire. Before long, everybody in the building knew what only two people knew in the beginning.

  Nicole caught her breath and took the keys from Alex, “Thank you,” she said, turning to unlock her door. Alex followed in just behind her as she searched for the words to gently let him know that she wasn’t interested. He sat the flowers on her desk and walked around her office, looking at things that hung on her wall. Various awards she achieved from the company and accomplishments from her days in College were framed as proof that her position at this company was earned. Alex walked over to the one that read, “Outstanding Commitment to Excellence,” that was given to her by Saavy. He smiled, “I signed this one, you know?” he said, pointing to it. She shook her head, “Yes, Mr. Rawlings, I know. Your signature is on all of them. You use a stamp.”

  “How did you know?” he said with a voice of surprise.

  “I know all of your expenses for this company, from the billions of the dollars. That was one of them.”

  He gave her the wink and the gun, “I love a detailed woman, yes indeed and that, you are!”

  He walked over to an elephant that sat atop of her desk, and as he glanced around, he noticed the trend.

  “You like elephants?” He asked outright.

  “Yes. I love them.”

  “Is it their ears?”

  “No.”

  He smiled, reaching for the elephant on her desk but accidentally knocking it over instead. She held in her anger and sat it back upright, “No, Mr. Rawlings, it is not their ears. I am a part of a sorority, and this is the animal associated with it. Now, if you would please excuse me,” she said, ushering him out of her office, “I have a bit more work to be done.”

  “Oh, no problem, no problem at all,” he said, the smile on his face becoming more and more annoying by the second. “But hey, before I go, I was wondering… Ummm, did you get my emails?”

  She sighed, “Yes. Listen, Mr. Rawlings. The roses are beautiful and thank you for them. I am flattered by you right now, I really am. I mean, you could have just about anyone here that you wanted so again, I am completely flattered that you have even taken interest in me but honestly,” She took a deep breath as Alex stood with his hand in his pockets, still flaunting the awkward, crescent-shaped smile. He wasn’t expecting anything less than her phone number or a location to pick her up for their first date. Anything outside of that would
be something that he wasn’t used to hearing. He had always gotten what he wanted before, so why would it be any different this time, “I’m not interested.”

  The smile stayed across his face as he slowly began dying inside.

  “I mean, we work together, you know? And I have this thing about dating coworkers. Never mix business with pleasure and on top of that, I mean, we just come from two different backgrounds, you know? I… I just want to come here, do my job and leave. That’s it. You’re a very handsome man, but it just wouldn’t work out between us, ok? Do you understand?”

  He stood and instead of smiling to show his haughtiness, he smiled to conceal his pain. He didn’t know how to handle rejection. What do I do now, he thought to himself as he stood in front of her smiling. He wondered if he was supposed to shake her hand, wave goodbye or just turn to walk away. He had no idea what to do, so in turn, he just stood there with the same, awkward, pitiful smile now completely stretched across his face as if he was the joker. It was obdurate for a few moments before Nicole began to close the door slowly in front of him. When it finally came to, she heard him break free from his momentary trance, “Oh no, it’s cool, you know? I totally understand.”

  For some reason, the words didn’t come to him until she was no longer before his gaze. Maybe it was her attractiveness that caused the anxiety to stifle his words inside his throat but either way; he was rejected. He walked back to his office; his head dipped as low as it could possibly go and people tried to get his attention, but it was to no avail. Attractive women beckoned for him, but he was in no mood to respond. Not this time. He went back to his office and locked the door as the knocks came just a few seconds later. “Go away,” he yelled as he picked up the basketball and threw it to the hoop. Just then, the ball bounced off the rim and flew right back towards him, smacking him in the head. He didn’t even budge from the contact.

  Chapter 8: Help me, please?

  Shaun drove Alex to his parent’s house later that day. He was still dejected from what Nicole said to him earlier that day, and he still didn’t know how to accept it. Shaun drove to the front door and by the time he got out and walked over to Alex’s side of the vehicle, he had already opened his door and was headed up the stairs. Shaun knew he was dejected, but this type of behavior was unheard of. He couldn’t remember the last time that Alex actually opened his own car door. Shaun gazed at Alex with bewilderment as he hung his head, walking slowly up the stairs until he got to the front door. His father beckoned for him as he walked past the living area but he didn’t even respond. He kept his head low as he slowly walked up the stairs like a zombie, heading straight for his parent’s bedroom.

  Inside, his mother laid on the bed, paging through a magazine as he came in and flopped down next to her on his back. He put his hands over his face, “Mom! She hates me! She freakin’ hates me, and I don’t know why!”

  His Mom continued to flip through the magazine, “Who hates you, dear?”

  “Nicole. She freakin’ hates me, and I don’t know what I did.”

  “I’m sure she doesn’t hate you.”

  “She does!” he said, sitting up in the bed, “Am I not cute anymore, mom? Am I ugly? Am I starting to look like Dad?”

  “Now, hold on a minute, your Dad is quite handsome!”

  “No, no he is not, Mom! He is old, fat, and ugly, and you know it!”

  She kept flipping through the magazine, “Now, now, dear. You’re a spitting image of him, and you know it.”

  He stood up, “See! I knew it! I’m ugly! She hates me because I’m ugly!”

  His mother finally placed the magazine on the bed and sat up to face him as he became hysterical. She put her hand on his back, rubbing it in a circular motion, doing her best to calm him down, “Sweetheart, you are not ugly. You are a handsome young man. Now, who is this bad, bad woman that called you ugly?”

  He looked at her and rolled his eyes, “She didn’t call me ugly, mom, I said she hates me, and I don’t know why.”

  “Well, find somebody else.”

  “Mom, I don’t want anybody else, I want her! I feel like she is the one!”

  Her eyes lit up, “The one? What do you mean, the one? Like, the one who will give me some cute grandbabies?”

  He peered at her out from the corner of his eyes, “Is that all you think about, Mom? Grandchildren?”

  “At my age? Yes! Now, spill the beans! Who is she?”

  He laid back down on her bed, pressing both of his hands against his face, “Her name is Nicole Parker. She is an accountant at Saavy, and she is beautiful. I mean, she is gorgeous, Mom. She is perfect, but she told me we wouldn’t work out. I don’t think I’m her type or something; I don’t know. But that can’t be it, can it? I mean, why would she say that?”

  “Honey, calm down,” she said as she stood up, “Now not all women don’t fall for the same thing. Some women like this, some women like that. The women you have dealt with in the past may have been ok with you being a nice looking young man or having a lot of money. All women don’t like that approach, so you have to try something new.”

  “Something new? I don’t know anything new, Mom!” he said as he became visibly irritated.

  “Well, talk to your father.”

  “Dad!?”

  “Yes, Dad. Believe it or not, he has some good game. I mean, after all, he caught me,” she said, winking towards Alex.

  “Oh God,” he said as he stood up, “Mom if you’re not going to take me seriously then I shouldn’t have even come here.”

  “Sweetie, I am taking you seriously. Your father might really have some good advice for you.”

  Alex headed towards the door, “Alex, honey, one question.” He stopped and turned towards her, “Do you, by chance, have a picture of this Nicole Parker? I mean, I just want to see her for myself.” Alex rolled his eyes and closed the door behind him as she yelled from inside the room, “Just let me see a picture before you go any further Alex! I’m serious about my pretty grandbabies!”

  He headed down the stairs as his father was practicing his golf swing on a small, miniature putting green. He swung his club just as Alex came down the stairs and the ball rolled five feet away from the hole. “Damn it!” he yelled out as he spun around and looked at Alex, “I was getting them all in before you came down here wrecking my concentration!”

  Alex sighed, “Dad, can you be serious for one moment, please?”

  His mother stood at the top stair, leaning on the banister,

  “Henry, just listen to him for a second, alright?”

  “Why? Your son is down here fucking up my swing!”

  “See, Mom!”

  “Henry! If you don’t listen to him, the little golf game is the only thing you’re going to be playing with in this house!”

  “Ewww, Mom!”

  Henry peered at her and then looked back towards Alex, “what is it, boy?” he said as he leaned down to place another ball on the tee. Alex spoke up, “I need help talking to a woman that I like.”

  His father stopped positioning himself for the swing and focused on him, “Oh? Listen, son, all I have are the pills, ok? As far as helping you down there in any other way, I-”

  “Dad!”

  “What? Son, there are just some lines that a father cannot cross with his son!”

  “Dad! I don’t have a problem keeping my dick hard, alright!”

  Alex glanced up at his mother when he heard her snickering, “Oh my gosh, just forget it!” he said as he stormed out of the house. His mother covered her mouth to conceal the laughter as she pointed and directed Henry to go after him and catch Alex before he left. He had got to him before he was able to get to his Maybach, “Son,” he said, holding him by the arm, “Just wait, alright? I apologize. I mean, it’s just hard to take you serious sometimes, you know? Especially when you are talking about women.” Alex folded his arms across his chest as he stood outside in the evening sun rays. “Ok,” Henry said, “I'm serious now, no jokes, alright?
What is it that I can help you with?” Alex scanned his father’s countenance, looking for any inclination that there were more jokes ready to come from his lips. For once, it seemed that all jokes were aside.

  “There is a woman at my job and it just seems like no matter what I’m going to say or do for her, she is not interested.”

  His father rubbed his chin as Alex continued, “I’ve sent her emails. Flowers. I’ve complimented her and everything but for some reason, she just hates me.”

  “Now son, I’m sure she doesn’t hate you. That may just be an overreaction because she is not treating you the way that women normally do. Now, that is a good thing. Your mother? She gave me a bit of a chase in the beginning. Most women just came to me, and I didn’t have to do much at all but not your mother. I had to work a little harder for her. My looks, my money, none of that was enough to woo her in. Well,” he said, laughing, “I really didn’t have the money when I met her, but I had ambition, and that was as good as money sometimes. Anyway, I just had to do things differently to get her attention and maybe that is what you need to do.”

  “But Dad, I’m not sure what I need to do differently. I mean, I’m lost.”

  “Well, did you talk to her?”

  “Yes.”

  “What did she tell you?”

  “That she is not interested, and we wouldn’t work and things like that.”

  His Dad looked off into the distance for a moment, “Well, maybe you’re screwed.”

  “Gee, thanks, Dad.”

  “Just be consistent but not in a way that bugs her, you know? Maybe send her an email once a day or just something that lets her know that you’re thinking about her. Find out what she likes and then use it to your advantage. Women love when you pay attention to detail, so if you find out she likes songs with certain piano keys played, then you find those damn songs with those keys, find out what radio station she listens to and call in to have them play it. I mean, your old man has the kind of juice to make something like that happen.”