by Mike Andy
“Thank you for taking me back to my car and for the gas. I don’t know how I could ever repay you.”
Shrugging my shoulders, I responded back to him.
“It is not a problem Richard. I wanted to make you feel safe. I hope you didn’t have to be somewhere. Today is my day off so it doesn’t bother me at all.”
It was true that today was my day off. I looked forward to having a relaxing day at the house. My plans consisted of watching crime drama television, eating Chinese takeout and taking a few naps through the day.
We turned off the highway on the exit ramp and we were soon at his car. The warehouse area was silent. The only exception was a guard. I recognized him as one of the local security guards. I had run into him a few times. Robert was a stoutly man that had an overhang of a gut and was bald.
He came over to ask what we were doing and had also inquired about the car. After explaining it to him, he gave a nod to me.
“You should have left a note with the office. I was about to call a tow for the car.”
“Thanks for not doing that Robert. I will make sure to leave a note if it happens again. I didn’t think it would be a problem.”
I stood next to the car while Richard got into the driver seat. He pulled the lever for the gas cap release. I unscrewed the cap to pour the gasoline into the tank.
Robert took one look at me and then at Richard. He smiled as he nodded his head. “Yeah, I know. Have a good day Victor.”
The portly man started to walk away from us, huffing in the humid heat. I can only imagine what he was feeling right now. Poor guy was already sweating bullets and it wasn’t even past noon.
I’m not sure what he was thinking about the two of us. The old man might have thought we had hooked up. I’m sure that stories would spread through to the other officers. I would have to set the record straight. Even though something did happen between us, it was more a onetime thing. I didn’t think anything would become of it.
Not that I wouldn’t have minded a relationship with Richard. He was a handsome man. One that I definitely would be attracted to if he were not already involved in a relationship. I had seen plenty of young romances to know that they were likely to get back together. It would only take a few weeks at most for them to be on talking terms again.
I’ve seen relationships that I thought were dead in the water because the couple had been apart for a few months. Then they get revived because they finally meet to talk things out. Besides, this is all speculation on my part. He wouldn’t be interest in someone older like me. Heck, there might even be the possibility that I was as old as his dad. That would feel awkward at family gatherings.
With the fuel in the tank, I looked to Richard. “Alright. Give it a start. You should have enough gas to get you to a station to fill up.”
I waited as Richard turned the key over in the car. It sputtered a few times until the fuel pump was able to get gas into the engine proper. After that, it started right up and was running smoothly.
A very elated and happy Richard jumped out of the car. He was jumping up and down and then wrapped his arms around me to give me a big hug. I’m not sure if he did it on purpose or he was overly excited, but I felt his soft lips press against my own. It was a brief kiss. Lasting only a second at best. It surprised me to say the least.
Richard blushed, putting his hands behind his back. He looked up at me. “Thank you for helping me Victor. I appreciate you going through all this trouble for me.”
He turned away from me, bending over in his car to get something. Even if I am a nice guy, I’m not dead. I looked at his shapely ass as he was digging around in his car. It made me wish that he was staying over for another night. Perhaps something more could come of this.
Richard found whatever it was that he was looking for, straightening up to stand before me. I could see the items that he had fetched from the car in his hands. It was a piece of paper and a pen. He wrote onto the paper before tearing off the corner with the information on it. Staring at the paper, I realized that it was his phone number.
I didn’t know how to process that information. Holding the piece of paper in my hand, Richard spoke to me once more.
“For helping me out, I thought I could treat you to a meal somewhere. If you don’t mind seeing me again, that is?”
My judgement that told me to stay away was not listening. You know that voice in the back of your head that tells you whether an idea is good or bad. I’m not sure if it was the shock that he wanted to see me again or something else that I couldn’t put my finger on yet.
“Uh, sure. I would love to see you again Richard.”
He looked very happy when I said that and smiled brighter. He turned the pen and paper toward me.
“You can call me if you want. To set up the time. Or I could call you. If I had your number?”
He offered the pen to me. I wrote my number down on the paper.
“Ok. I’ll do one meal with you Richard, but only as thanks for helping you. I’m trusting you with my number. You can call me, but don’t wake me up in the middle of the night unless you have a real emergency.”
Richard snatched the piece of paper from between my fingers. With a little laugh, he tucked the paper into his pocket. “It’s my number now. You can’t have it back.” He gave a playful smile and hugged me once more.
After that exchange, I watched him get into his car and drive off. I hoped that whatever he was going through turned out ok. I got back into my car. With the engine running, I pulled out my phone. I’m horrible about remembering numbers. It was better for me to save it to my phone now so I wouldn’t lose it. There. All saved. Richard.
Chapter 7
Richard
Sitting in my car, I drove out of the warehouse parking lot. I checked my rear-view mirror to see if Victor was leaving. He was sitting in his car but not driving out yet. I didn’t have time to stick around though. I needed to get back to my house. My roommates would be worried that I had not returned home the night before.
Alone again, my mind started to wonder about the previous day’s events. How I found out that I was pregnant. How David had broken up with me. The problems with my car. It was strange that during this whole ordeal, the light in the darkness was not the one person I had been counting on.
My trust had been wrapped around a person that was not the secure rock I had hoped he would be. In my time of need, the time when I was most distraught, a total stranger had come to my aid.
Victor was everything that I wished that David could have been for me. He was kind and nice. Caring. He provided me a place to stay and clean up. He gave me space and let me gather my thoughts. He was willing to listen even though I did not want to share.
My mind was lost in thought as I drove down the highway to reach the first gas station to fuel up my car. It was a hypnotizing state that let the scenery and cars pass without me giving them a second thought. I was on auto pilot as I drove.
When I started to pay attention again, I noticed I was close to the exit. Pulling off of the highway, I turned on my signal to go to the left. I had to wait briefly for the light before I was able to pull into the station. With only a few dollars in my pocket, I filled up my car with the rest of my money.
Once I was back on the road, my mind started to think of what I would tell Jason and Todd. Should I let them know what happened with David? They would be mad at me for having David over when they were not around. They were very protective of me. I was a grown man though. I could make decisions on my own. This decision completely altered my life, but it was my mistake to make.
I decided that it was best to not mention it right away to them. It would become apparent soon enough when I started to show. I would try to talk to them about it before then. With my roommates, you had to know when to pick your battles. I already had one argument with them about where I was the night before. It was better to get them in a good mood before I broke the news of my pregnancy to them.
Pulling i
nto the drive for my house, I got out of the car. Almost immediately, Todd was running out of the house. His arms hugging me close.
“Oh! Thank heavens! You’re alive. Where have you been? Jason and I have been worried about you. I called the hospital and the police station. I thought the worst had happened to you. You left your phone on the counter so we were not able to reach you.”
I returned the hug, pushing away from him. “It is alright Todd. I was out with a friend last night. I forgot my phone is all. I thought I had it with me. I’m home now. Everything is fine. Really.”
My words appeared to soothe his demeanor. He placed his hand onto the small of my back, ushering me toward the front door.
“You better go inside and tell Jason. He is ready to start calling your friends to figure out where you were.”
I love both of my roommates, but they can be over bearing and controlling. I entered into the house. We have to pass through the living room before we reach the kitchen. Jason was sitting at the kitchen island counter upon a barstool. He had his cell phone in hand, punching in numbers. When he saw me, he closed the flip phone and came over to hug me.
“Where have you been young man? You know the rules of the house. Leave a note or have your cell phone with you so we can reach you. You had Todd and I worried that something bad happened to you.”
Drawing in a deep breath, I nodded my head to Jason. Almost six feet tall with dark brown hair and a tanned complexion from working outside in the sun. He gave off the tough guy demeanor. I swear he would have been a cop with his intimidating appearance.
“Sorry Jason. I was over at a friend’s house and I had forgotten my phone. I promise it won’t happen again.” My eyes glanced over to see my phone sitting on the kitchen counter.
“We do not have many rules in this house, but knowing where you are is one of the big ones. You don’t pay rent so you must abide by our rules.” Jason crossed his arms over his chest. “Do you understand?”
I didn’t have a choice in this matter. I could disagree with him, but then I would be in a bigger argument for a longer time with him. Either I agreed with his statement about following the rules or I get kicked out of the house. I didn’t have anywhere to go, so I would need to be good.
“Yes. I’m sorry that I worried you both. I won’t let it happen again.”
He seemed satisfied by that answer. I grabbed my cell phone from the counter to put it into my pocket. Fetching a bag of chips from the pantry, I went into my bedroom.
Laying down on the big bed, I felt relaxed. The argument was not as bad as it could have been. I have had worse. Staring up at my ceiling, I let out a long sigh. I reached into my pocket to fetch the piece of paper that had Victor’s phone number written on it. I punched in the number on my phone and saved it to my favorites. I hoped he would contact me soon to setup the meal I promised him. I would have to wait until I got paid.
It was Sunday and I normally get paid on Thursday each week. Waiting for someone to contact you when you are looking forward to it can feel like an eternity.
Working at a retail store, the days blended together. I would check my phone through the week, but no phone calls or text messages from Victor.
Friday morning, I was going to head into work when I received a message from Victor. My heart raced when I saw it was him that was leaving the message. What did it say? Was he going to meet me for lunch? I practically held my breath while I opened the text message.
“Richard. It’s Victor. If you are free today, do you want to meet me at the Taco shop on Main street?”
Laying down on my bed, I held my phone up. I had to send a few other messages first. I texted my friend Bob that works at the retail store with me to ask him to pick up my shift. He was more than happy to pick it up because he needed the extra hours.
I returned to Victor’s message. I typed out a reply for him.
“I would love to meet you there. Is noon okay?” I debated on whether using a heart emoji would be going too far. I used caution and just put a smiley face.
A few minutes later, my phone dinged with another incoming text. I opened it to see it was from Victor.
“Noon works for me. See you there.”
I powered off the screen, staring at the ceiling. My heart was beating rapidly. Why was I feeling like this just from his text message? We were only meeting for lunch. It wasn’t like we were dating.
Something to wear. I needed something to wear! I jumped off of the bed to go to my dresser. No, too plain. No. Too dark. I settled on a bright red t-shirt. Victor would surely notice me in this. I then picked out a pair of brown shorts. The combination looked great together. I got dressed in my new outfit before I grabbed my cell phone and my keys.
Jason had already left for work. Todd was in the living room watching television.
“I’m going out Todd. I will be back for dinner.” I hurried out the door before he could see what I was wearing. He would have stopped me and asked why I was not going to work if he had seen what I wearing.
Within minutes, I was sitting at the taco shop. My legs kicked back and forth while I sat in the chair. I got there early and had to wait for Victor to show up. What would he think of my outfit when he saw me?
I knew it was only a lunch to repay him for his kindness, but to me it felt more like a date. I had made sure to look nice for him. I made sure to brush my hair. Did I go too far? Would it be too obvious that I was interested in him?
The door to the restaurant opened. My head turned toward the entrance to see Victor standing there. He looked very nice today. He was wearing a white and black t-shirt with beige colored shorts.
I raised my hand to wave over to him. “Victor! Over here!” I called out to him.
His attention focused on me. He came over to sit across from me at the table.
“Sorry if I kept you waiting. I forget how long it takes to get here with the traffic. Have you already placed your order?”
I shook my head a few times. “No, I haven’t. I was waiting for you. It wasn’t long. Don’t worry about it.”
After we ordered our food, we both sat to eat our meal. We made small conversation, but it wasn’t anything spectacular to recount. With our meal out of the way, we sat together while we talked.
“So, I know that you work as a police officer. Does it get interesting at all? Anything exciting ever happen?”
Victor laughed. Leaned back in his chair, he crossed his legs at the knee. “Yeah, interesting things happen all the time. To a police officer, it seems like every day mundane things. You do get interesting stories to tell every now and then. The day that I met you, we did catch that burglar that was breaking into the warehouse. He had a gun so it was a tense moment.”
My eyes widened when I heard his story. “That must have been very frightening. At least you were not hurt. And this happened on the day that you met me? Why didn’t you tell me about it?”
Victor shrugged his shoulders. “It didn’t seem as important at the time. You were crying and needed help. I can’t stand by and watch a handsome man like yourself crying. I wanted to help you. Don’t worry about it.”
It was scary to realize that he could have been hurt moments before he met me. I’m glad that it turned out differently. I reached a hand over to touch his. He gave me a smile. A faint one, but it was a smile.
I was not sure if he was merely meeting me to get the free meal or if he genuinely wanted to see me. I had to know for sure though. When we went out to the parking lot, I could feel my heart beating rapidly in my chest. I knew what I wanted to do. This might be my last chance to show him how I felt about him. I would rather show him now and for him to reject me than for me to walk away and never know for sure.
Standing by my car, we were saying our goodbyes to each other. Impulsively, I put my hands onto his shoulders and pushed up onto my tip toes. My lips met his in a kiss. His lips were firm, stiff at first. But then they started to move against my own. His hands came down to rest onto my back,
moving gently. He stopped his hands, resting them on my lower back.
Our kiss broke at that moment. A deep inhale of air filled my lungs to revitalize me. I opened my eyes to look up into his. His beautiful brown eyes. My hand reached up to touch his cheek.
“Richard. I don’t know what is going on with you, but I can’t deny how I feel about you. I felt attracted to you when I first saw you. I was afraid that it wasn’t real though. I knew you had a boyfriend and that you might go back to him. Seeing you today and after that kiss, it made me realize that I would like to see you again.”
I could feel my heart lift in my chest. My hopes about seeing Victor more often were turning into a butterfly that was going to soar on the winds. Enthusiastically, I nodded my head to him. “Victor, I feel the same way about you. I like you a lot. I want to see more of you too.”
That is how the two of us started dating. I knew that I wanted to be with him. He made me feel safe and I enjoyed spending time with him. When I was with him, the minutes melted away. When we had to depart from each other, it was with heavy hearts. I knew that I would get to see him again though.
Chapter 8
Victor
The kiss that day in the restaurant parking lot changed my life. I knew that it was a turning point for me. I was not actively seeking a boyfriend. We just found each other. Was it fate that had drawn us together? A red thread that connected us?
We started to date after that and we would go out when we could. Our schedules did not always align for us to meet though. He worked at a retail store in the mornings and I worked during the day at my job.
I would stop by his work when I had free time. We would spend a few minutes talking when we could, but his work would get busy. It wasn’t the same as when we were both off work. It was time spent together but it was not quality time.
That is why I always looked forward to when we had our real dates. We would go to see movies together or get a bite to eat. He did state that he didn’t care if were out somewhere. He only wanted to spend time with me.