Scent of Love

by Cristina Grenier

  Taylor looked at him oddly for a few moments until he finally let a smile escape his face, “Yeah, I like when he says that, too.”

  “Wow. I didn’t even know this show still came on. It is a classic.”

  Taylor glanced at Alex as he focused in on the TV show. Even though he seemed like a regular guy, he still couldn’t get over his height. Nicole walked into the room dressed in jeans and a tightly fitted t-shirt, “so, you boys ready to go?” she asked, her smooth brown skin seemed to glow in their presence. Alex stood up, “absolutely,” he said as he extended his hand to the door, “shall we?” Nicole tapped her son on the leg, “Alright, let’s go!”

  Taylor straightened his glasses as they approached the Maybach with Shaun standing just outside the door ready to usher them into the vehicle. Up and until this point, he had only seen these type of cars in rap videos. He had never dreamed of actually being able to ride in one. He got into the spacious back seat as Alex signaled to Shaun when he got into the drivers seat. Suddenly, a screen appeared on the back of the driver’s side seat, and Alex pulled a PlayStation four controller from the side compartment and handed it to Taylor. “I have tons of games downloaded onto the hard drive so just pick one and have fun with it,” he said, smiling. Taylor quickly grabbed the remote, but his mother popped him in the back of the head, “Boy, where are your manners?” Taylor quickly apologized, “I’m sorry. Thank you, Mr. Alex, sir,” he said, readjusting his glasses.

  He played the game system for about 45 minutes until they arrived at the theme park. “Alright guys, now I hope nobody is too chicken to ride the big roller coasters,” Nicole said as she waited for Shaun to open their door. “Oh, please,” Alex replied, “I live for this stuff!” Truthfully, Alex wasn’t too thrilled to ride roller coasters. It wasn’t that he was afraid of heights, he just hated the fact that he was up so high in a moving cart. He felt as if the bar could suddenly come loose at any moment and he would fly off of the ride. Although it was an understandable fear, the chances of that happening to him were slim to none. The two of them gripped each other’s hand as they walked to the line to purchase their tickets. Taylor walked just to the side of them making a mental note of how they were interacting with each other, questioning it all along. He knew something was off about her but as of now, he just couldn’t put his finger on what it was.

  They went to the theme park and the first ride they went to was the Screaming Giant.

  “Uh,” Alex said nervously, “Don't you guys want to work up to the big roller coaster first? How about we ride the little eagle for a warm up?”

  “The little eagle?” Nicole said quizzically, “the ride for toddlers?”

  “It’s not just for toddlers!” he rebutted, “it's for all people!”

  Nicole laughed, “Uh, no. We’re going to the Screaming Giant! Is that the one you want to go to, Taylor?”

  “Yes, Ma’am,” he said anxiously.

  With that, they all headed into that direction. They purchased the express line tickets so that they wouldn’t have to wait in the long lines to ride the most popular rides. Alex began screaming before the ride even got to the first drop as Nicole and Taylor laughed at him. The coaster had the highest initial drop of all the other rides at the park, and before they knew it, they all were screaming at the top of their lungs as the coaster dropped down, turning corners and going through loops at top speeds. The complete ride was less than a minute, and when Alex got off the coaster, he dropped to his knees and put his hand over his chest, “Dear Lord,” he gasped, “I think I’m going to have a heart attack.” Nicole walked over to him with laughter, “Oh, get up! You are such a mess!” she said, helping him to his feet. She got on her tiptoes and kissed him on his cheek, then entwined her hand with his and gripped Taylor’s with her other.

  The three of them walked out of line, one male on each side of her, and made their way through the park riding a few other roller coasters before they stopped to get something to eat. As they sat at the table ready to bite into the pizza they ordered, Alex stopped everyone, “wait,” he said, “I’ve just got to use the restroom. You two go ahead and eat, just be sure to leave some for me.” He left the two of them at the table as Nicole noticed a drop in Taylor’s countenance. She took a slice of pizza off the tray, “Taylor, baby, is there something wrong?” He took a slice, “No Mom, I’m fine.”

  She squinted at him, “Come on, son. Now, I know my baby better than that so come on, spit it out.”

  “It’s Alex.”

  “Oh? What about him? Did he do something to you?”

  “No, no not at all. I mean, so far he seems like a real cool guy.”

  “Oh. Ok, well what is it?”

  “I don’t know. Well, now that I think about it, it’s not Alex. It’s you.”

  “Me?”

  “Yeah. I mean, I’ve never seen you behave this way with any other guy. I mean, especially a guy as… um, tall as he is.”

  “As tall as he is? Taylor, baby, he is…,” she paused, “Oh, tall? Ok. Well, Taylor, I know this is the first tall guy you have ever seen me with but just because he is tall doesn’t mean anything. He is a man, just like anybody else and the fact that he is so um, tall, is just a small factor. As you can see, he is just like everybody else, except for the fact that he is corny,” she said, laughing at the memories between she and Alex.

  “Yeah,” Taylor said, biting into the pizza, “He is corny, for sure.”

  “Right. But, him being tall means nothing at all. I’ve raised you to treat people the same, no matter how tall or short they are. Who knows? You might find a tall woman yourself much later in your life,” she lowered her eyes, “much, MUCH, later in your life.”

  He laughed, “Alright Mom, I guess you’re right.”

  “Good. Now, let’s enjoy the rest of our day together, alright?”

  “Alright, Mom.”

  “I love you.”

  “I love you, too son.”

  Alex came back to the table just as they finished their conversation, “you guys barely put a dent into the pizza! Thanks, now I can chow down!” he said, reaching for a slice. Taylor and Nicole smiled at each other as he put a few slices on his plate, “What?” he asked, looking at them. Neither one of them said anything as Nicole slid her hand on Alex’s thigh beneath the table. He winked at her, “well, we’ve got a few more rides to tackle after this, so let's shove this stuff down our throats and get going!” Taylor smiled as he chewed his pizza and even though his mother did her best to comfort him and let him know she was ok, he wasn’t buying it. He had known his mother his whole life and he knew when she wasn’t acting herself. This was one of those times.

  Chapter 17: Girl, are you alright?

  Monday rolled around and by that time, Alex and Nicole had spent the last three days together. It all worked out perfectly because now, Alex could just tell everyone that they hung out over the weekend and became an item. He sprayed himself with the deodorant and then headed down to her office. They planned to go to lunch with each other at her spot on the second floor. When he knocked on her door, she smiled and kissed him on the lips.

  “Hey sweetheart,” she said, “I know it’s only been less than a day, but it feels like I haven’t seen you in weeks.”

  “I feel the same way,” he said, squeezing her tightly.

  Just then, they went down to the second-floor hand in hand as people all around the building were baffled as they looked at them with each other. For Alex, it was normal for them to see him walking around with someone inside edifice, but for Nicole, it was an anomaly. They knew her mentality and how she felt about dating guys at work, but the strength of the deodorant completely blocked that aspect out of her mind. It was as if she didn’t even recall setting that standard for herself. When they finally walked into the 2nd-floor café, Charlotte immediately froze. She had a fry suspended in her hand just outside of her mouth as she watched the two of them walk into the room.

  Nicole smiled as if nothing was wro
ng as Alex flashed the wink and the gun to some of his employees, “Hey guy,” he said as they walked past. They sat in their seats with their mouths hung open, similar to the way Charlotte looked.

  Nicole released Alex’s hand, “Hold on babe, just get our place in line. I’m going to talk to Charlotte real quick.”

  “Alright.”

  She walked over to Charlotte as she sat at the table, still completely taken back by the sight she was beholding. She sat down next to her, “Hey girl,” she said, playfully bumping into her. Charlotte’s fry fell out of her hand and splattered into a small pile of ketchup as she looked back and forth from her to Alex. Nicole waved her hand in front of Charlotte’s eyes, “Uhh, hello?” she asked. “Girl, are you alright?” she asked Nicole, sliding her hand across her forehead to check her temperature.

  Nicole smacked her hand down, “What are you talking about? I’m fine! What’s the problem?”

  “What’s the problem? Do you know who you walked in here all boo’d up with?”

  “Who? Alex?”

  “Yes, Alex!”

  Nicole glanced at him as he stood in line, “I know, he’s so cute, ain’t he?”

  Alex waved at them awkwardly.

  “So cute?! Girl, just last week you were telling me how much he got on your nerves but now, yall… are together?!?”

  “Girl, it’s crazy, I know. It was just like… I don’t know, one moment he was annoying and the next, he was just the cutest, sweetest thing I’d ever seen.”

  She looked back at Alex, then quickly towards Nicole, “Girl, did he drug you!? Come on; I’m taking you to the hospital right now to get your stomach pumped!” she said, reaching for her arm.

  Nicole jerked away, “Girl, stop! You are crazy! Look, I’m going over here with my man. I just wanted to say something to you before we got our food. I’ll talk to you later, alright boo?”

  She got up and walked to Alex and put her arm around his waist. Just then, Jerry was entering into the café as he was carrying on a conversation with another man. Charlotte immediately sprang up from her table and walked towards Jerry. “Hey, Charl-” but before he could even get his first words out, she grabbed him by his tie and dragged him down the hallway. “What are you doing?! Let me go!” he yelled, trying to pry the tie loose from her grasp but it was no use. She was taking him wherever she wanted him to go and right now, she wanted answers, and if anybody had them, she knew Jerry did.

  Later that week, Alex decided that it was time for her to meet his parents. He didn’t want to tell her before hand because Nicole may have been opposed it, so he told her just to get ready and where they were going was just going to be a surprise. She had her eyes closed when they got close to the destination and when Shaun opened the door and helped her out, she opened them. “Oh my goodness,” she said, “is this a castle? This is one of the biggest houses I’ve ever seen.”

  Alex took her hand, “no, this is my parents home.”

  “Your parent’s home!?” she said frantically, “Baby, why didn’t you tell me we were going here!?”

  “Because I knew you wouldn’t come, and they’ve wanted to meet you ever since I told them about you.”

  “Oh my goodness, look at what I have on?! My dress is too tight!”

  “Your dress is fine, trust me. My mother wears the same type of clothing that you do. Come on, trust me, they will love you as much as I do.”

  He took her hand and led her up the stairs, ringing the doorbell. Suddenly, the door swung open, and Henry stood on the other side with a bright smile on his face. “Well, well, well! Who do we have here!?” he asked, extending his hand towards Nicole. “I am Nicole Parker,” she said delicately.

  “My, my, my you are gorgeous!” he said, lifting his hand up to slap five with Alex, “Good job, son! Good job!”

  “Dad, don’t embarrass me!” he whispered sternly as Alex walked past him, holding Nicole’s hand.

  “Embarrass you? Why would I do that? You’ve done well, boy! You’ve done well!”

  They came into the spacious living and sat down on the couch as it became apparent where Alex got his silly grin from. Henry sat down just across from them with his elbows resting on his knees, “Susan!” he yelled, “baby, you might wanna come down here and see who Alex has brought home!”

  “Brought home?” she yelled back, “don’t tell me he found another stray dog! Alex, we don’t need any more pets here!”

  “No, no, baby! Just come on down. She is not a dog! Not even close!”

  Suddenly, there was a rumbling of feet rushing down the three flights of stairs it took to reach the bottom floor of the house. Right after that, Susan walked around the corner and into the front room. She progressively smiled when she saw Nicole sitting just to the left of Alex. “Dear God, she is gorgeous!” she said as she quickly walked over Nicole and sat down next to her.

  “Yes, yes, Alex! She will do! She will do!”

  “Mom!” he said sternly.

  “Boy, shut your mouth! It’s not often that you bring a beautiful woman by here! Let your Mama compliment the woman!”

  Nicole smiled, “Thank you, thank you,” she said nervously as they both gawked over her beauty.

  “I’m sorry honey,” Alex said to her, “Mom, Dad? Can I see you in the kitchen, please,” he said as he stood up?

  They both continued talking to Nicole, ignoring his request. “Mom, Dad. Now! Please?” His Dad stood up, “Oh, for Christ’s sake, come on Susan, let’s see what this boy wants before I kill him.” Susan stood up, still holding on to Nicole’s hand, “Please, don’t leave, alright? You are one that I want to stay, so please, just stay, alright?”

  Nicole laughed, “Yes ma’am, I won’t go anywhere.”

  “Oh, and she is mannerable as well?”

  “Mom!”

  Susan spun around and followed the two men into the kitchen.

  “Mom, Dad,” Alex said angrily, “You two need to behave yourselves, alright! I should have never brought her over here!”

  “Oh, hush up, now! She will give us some beautiful grandbabies!” Susan said, peeking into the kitchen at her, “Look at her complexion! Her hair! Her high cheekbones! Dear Lord, she is to die for!”

  “And her rump isn't too bad, either!”

  Susan hit Henry on the shoulder, “What?” he asked, “She has a nice rump. You do, too baby,” he said, slapping her on the behind.

  “Anywho, Alex, is this that accountant you were telling me about?”

  “She’s an accountant?” Henry asked, “That’s what it is. I knew it was something… different about her.”

  “Yes, that’s it! She’s an accountant. I can tell just by looking at her. I never guessed you would be with…. An accountant, son. I mean, not that there is a problem with it at all because she is beautiful and our grandchildren will be a great mix of you two.”

  “So what, she’s an accountant, blah blah blah. Listen, I just don’t want you to embarrass me, alright?! Are we both clear on that?”

  Susan sighed, “Fine, Alex, I’ll be on my best behavior. Geez, you take the fun out of everything.”

  “Dad?”

  “Alright.”

  “Good. Now, we can go back out there.”

  All three of them walked back out to the living room, and before they could even sit down, Henry spoke up, “Hey, if you two happen to stay together and have children, I want you to know that there will be a bed-wetting problem! This boy here didn’t stop pissing in his bed until he was 9-years-old!” Nicole burst out in laughter as Alex put his hand over his face. He knew they weren’t going to stop completely embarrassing him; he just wanted to curve it as much as possible.

  Time progressed, and before Alex knew it, he had been with her for almost thirty days. On day twenty-nine, he sat in the backseat of his Maybach in front of Dr. Rosenthall’s home. The bottle he was given almost a month ago was just about empty as Shaun peered at him in the rearview mirror. Things between he and Nicole had been going great, and he
didn’t want it to end. He had found out a lot of things about her and hoped that it would have been enough to win her over, but he knew it wouldn’t make a difference. He knew that the reason she was even spending time with him was because of the spray. “Sir, are you sure about this?” Shaun asked from the front seat. Alex looked towards the house; the same cloudy overcast hung just above it. He didn’t respond, he simply got out of the car himself and headed to the front door. To him, there was no choice; there were only necessities.

  He rang the doorbell and waited for Albert to let him in as a brisk wind blew against his back. Suddenly, he peeked from behind the curtain, scanning left and right to see if there was anybody else with him. The latches were removed from the other side of the door, and it creaked open as he welcomed Alex into his home. “Ah, you again,” he said with a raspy voice. Alex glanced around the room, preparing himself in case Mama Rosenthall accosted him the way she did in the video. “If you are looking for Mother, she is sleeping, so do not fret. Are you back for more?” Alex straightened out his coat, “Yes, I am.” The Doctor peered at him, “very well,” he said, “follow me.”

  He led him back down to the basement; the beakers and flasks were still bubbling as they were when he left about a month ago. Albert walked to the back of the basement, rubbing Georgie the same way before he opened the cabinet and pulled the spray out. As he walked back to Alex, stroking his chin hair, he sighed, “I believed that you wouldn’t come back, however, since you are back, I shall release to you what it is that you desire.” Alex went back and forth in his mind about whether he should continue with this or not but he was too much in love to reject it now. The last month had been too close to perfection for him to see Nicole in any other light. He pulled out his checkbook and signed another $25,000 check for Dr. Rosenthall and then reached for the bottle. He didn’t say anything to him as he headed up the stairs. Dr. Rosenthall’s voice followed him, “Just understand, the longer you continue to use this, the more her memory will begin to fade.” He heard him but selfishly, he didn’t care; the only thing he didn’t realize is that his actions didn’t show that he loved her. Love is giving someone free will, the option to choose. What he was doing was the exact opposite.