“It’s all right I’m kind of tired myself. It was being out on the water that did it, I think.” He took her hand. “I’ll tell you what. I’m going to take down your home phone number, and when we’re back in New York I’ll call you, invite you for dinner and a movie, and we’ll have a good time. I can’t keep relying on fate to bring us together, Vivling. You might move and change jobs, and then I’ll never be able to find you. So what do you say?”
“I say, six-six-seven—” she recited the rest of her phone number.
Vivian was just dozing off when she heard Lauren come in. She cast a half-open eye on the alarm clock. “You’re out awfully late.”
“I know. I’m going to hate myself in the morning, but I can always sleep on the plane. You were right, Viv. Bill wants to see me again!”
“I’m not surprised.”
“How did you make out with Zack?”
“I practically fell asleep on him in the lobby.”
“Didn’t you invite him in?”
“No. He brought me upstairs, and that was it.”
“Not even a kiss? It’s not like you two are exactly strangers to each other.” While they were preparing for dinner Lauren had insisted on hearing all about the “complications” Vivian had alluded to, and she now knew their entire history.
“Just a little peck. That was all that was appropriate. We were in the hall, remember?”
Lauren pulled a cotton nightgown out of her bag. “I’ve got a feeling you guys are going to make up for lost time when you get back to the States.”
Vivian was thinking the same thing. She stretched lazily, rolled over onto her stomach, and closed her eyes. “Sweet dreams.”
She knew hers would be.
Chapter 17
New York State of Mind
Vivian and Lauren arrived back in New York on Thursday. Glenda met them at JFK Airport, and graciously drove to the Mount Vernon train station so Lauren could get a train home.
While Lauren was in the car the conversation centered around the trip. It wasn’t until they were almost at the train station that Lauren mentioned “the fellas,” prompting Glenda to ask, “What fellas?”
She was incredulous when Vivian told her they saw Zack in Kenya. “Can’t you go across the street without running into that man?”
Vivian laughed. “You’re right. It was so weird. When I caught sight of him I just froze, which was a little awkward, since I was in the process of climbing out of a hollow tree trunk. Lauren and I had just had pictures taken posing inside it.”
“You owe a lot to that tree,” Lauren pointed out.
“If we hadn’t stopped to take a picture, you never would have known Zack was in the country. And I never would have met Bill.”
“Who’s Bill?” Glenda asked.
“One of Zack’s friends from the hospital. There were four of them on the trip, but the other two took a different excursion after the safari.”
“Thanks so much, Glenda,” Lauren said when they arrived at the station. She and Vivian embraced, and with a weary-sounding, “It’ll be good to get home,” she took her bags and disappeared inside.
Glenda’s questions began right away. “What happened with you and Zack? Is everything all right?”
“If you mean did somebody end up in the ER, no. I have a feeling my luck is about to change.” She paused for a few seconds. “Zack’s going to call me in a few days. We’re going to fly out to Desireé’s wedding together. But before that we’re going to go out on a date. Maybe even more than one if it works out.”
The AC in Glenda’s car was on and the windows were closed, trapping her shriek inside.
Vivian quickly covered her ears. “Are you trying to make me go deaf?”
“I’m sorry. I’m just so happy for you!”
“It’s just a date, Glenda. Hold off on mailing those wedding invitations.”
“I know. But he finally asked you out. By the time you two go to Colorado you should be hot and heavy, you can catch the bouquet, and then we can mail the invites. But what I don’t understand is what in heaven’s name took him so long? From what you told me about when he stayed with you, you two seemed like an old married couple.”
“Can you believe this—he thought I wouldn’t want to go out with him because Gary and Gordon and Bernard were all suit-wearing types.”
“And he thought you had something against a smock? I could see him feeling inadequate if he taught art to eight-year-olds or something, but the man’s a doctor, for crying out loud.”
“He’s a lot different than I thought he was originally, Glenda. He used to radiate confidence to the point of being smug, like someone who had shared pillow talk with a female bigwig at Ernst & Young just before the Academy Awards. But when he told me how he didn’t want me to turn him down, he seemed so vulnerable. Zack can be a lot of fun, but it’s the sensitive side of him that I like the best.”
That was the side of him she’d already fallen in love with.
Vivian begged off going with Glenda to the NBP dance to celebrate the summer solstice, held the night after she returned home. Even though she didn’t go to work that day, her system was trying to adjust to the multiple time zones she had traveled through and settle back on Eastern Daylight Time. Besides, Zack would probably call. A disappointed but sympathetic Glenda told other single African-American women at the office about the function, and a group arranged to meet there.
Glenda called early Saturday morning. “You’ll never guess who I saw last night!”
Vivian drew in a breath. Not Zack…He hadn’t called like she hoped he would, but she attributed it his being as whipped as she’d been. Could she have been wrong? Had he actually gone dancing while she sat at home waiting for the phone to ring…well, at least sleeping by the phone?
“Pete Arnold!”
“What!”
“Yes. Ingrid Burns told him about it.”
“That figures.” Ingrid was a technical writer in R&D and worked close to Pete. “So did Mr. Clumsy have two left feet or what?”
“He’s no Savion Glover, but he’ll do. And that’s not all—we’re going out tonight.”
“How wonderful!”
“No jokes?” Glenda asked cautiously.
“No, of course not. Glenda, I’m so happy for you I could scream…but I won’t.”
“What about Zack? Are you going on your date tonight?”
“No. He...I haven’t heard from him yet.”
“Oh. He must be really tired. I’m sure you’ll hear from him today.”
The surprise of Glenda’s first sentence and the optimism of the rest of her statement were so separate and distinctive that Vivian felt like she could reach out and touch both emotions, the same as she could put her fingertips on the lamp shade. She knew her friend was trying to cheer her, but her excuse-making for Zack’s silence sounded forced, like she wasn’t really sure she believed her own words. Vivian knew that Glenda’s unspoken doubts could easily seep into her brain. She wanted to remain upbeat, and for that to happen they’d have to talk about something else.
“How about a pedicure this afternoon? We can have lunch afterward.”
“Not a bad idea. I can wear sandals tonight.”
They met at noon. It was too late to schedule an appointment, but fortunately, most of the women waiting were there for manicures. All of those stations were occupied, but after only a few minutes they were seated at side-by-side pedicure chairs.
“I love getting my feet done. It’s a lot quicker than a manicure, and there’s something about it that makes me feel really special, almost like royalty,” Vivian remarked when the pedicurists positioned themselves on the padding on the floor and began sloughing away dead skin.
Glenda looked doubtful. “Maybe, but somehow I can’t picture Queen Elizabeth sitting in front of someone on their knees scraping the soles of her feet with a pumice stone.”
*****
Vivian enjoyed the afternoon with Glenda, but her first actio
n upon returning home was to check the wall phone in her kitchen to see if any messages had been left. There weren’t any, and the optimism she had forced herself to retain left her like air from a torn tire.
This was the third day they had been back at home. Why hadn’t she heard from him?
*****
Zack was asleep in the lounge in the ER. He’d been on duty since eleven the previous night and was nearing the end of a double shift. He had been scheduled to come in this morning, but they had asked him to stay late—eight hours late. That was what he got for agreeing to cover when needed in exchange for the extra vacation time he was taking this year, but he didn’t expect them to take him up on it so soon. Instead of spending time in Vivian’s company like he’d planned, he hadn’t even had a chance to call her.
The vinyl sofa was uncomfortable, and he knew he was done with sleeping until he was at home. He yawned, then checked his watch and was pleasantly surprised to see it was two-forty. Just another twenty minutes to go, and he would have eight whole hours before he was due back in. He could get some real sleep in his own bed…and he could call Vivian, explain what happened, and arrange to see her tomorrow afternoon if she was free.
One of the nurses burst in the lounge. “Dr. Warner, there you are. There’s been a five-car smashup on the GW. The paramedics estimate arrival in four minutes.”
He stayed past the end of his shift to assist with the care of the accident victims, leaving just before four when it became apparent that the staff of the second shift had the tense situation under control. Anxious to leave before another emergency could occur, he decided to wait and call Vivian from home. She probably thought he’d fallen off the face of the earth.
At home he took the stairs two at a time and in his bedroom promptly stripped to his underwear, throwing his clothes on the floor. He was generally too neat to indulge in such careless behavior, but after seventeen hours on duty he was too tired to care. He’d pick them up later.
In bed, he dialed Vivian’s number, silently willing her to pick up. She did, after the second ring.
“Hi. It’s Zack.”
“Hi. It’s Vivian.”
He laughed. She wasn’t going to make it easy. But before he could say another word he yawned. “Excuse me. I worked last night, and they asked me to work another shift. I just got home.”
“You went back to work already?”
“Didn’t I tell you? I’m on nights this week.”
“You didn’t mention it. I just assumed you were off till Monday. I keep forgetting you’re not part of the eight-thirty-to-five crowd.”
He chuckled. “No, that would be the boys in private practice.”
“You must be beat.”
“I’ve got to be back at eleven o’clock. I wanted to let you know I’ve been dreaming about you.”
“Oh. Anything exciting?”
Lost in his own daydream, he smiled and rubbed the palm of his left hand over the cold emptiness beside him. “I wish you were here with me now.”
“Why, so you can go to sleep on me?”
“So I can squeeze you, nibble on your ear…Uhm uhm uhm.”
She quickly broke into his fantasy, as he knew she would. “I’m glad you called, Zack. I admit I was beginning to think I’d dreamed our conversation in Kenya. But I think you should go ahead and get some sleep. It’ll be eleven o’clock before you know it.”
“I’ll call you tomorrow.”
“I look forward to it.”
Zack, his eyes already closed, hung up the receiver by feel. He wasn’t sure if it was actually back in its cradle, but it felt like it and that was good enough for him. He grabbed the other pillow and held it close to him, his hand wrapped around its center. It didn’t feel even remotely close to holding Vivian, but it was all he had.
He was asleep in minutes.
*****
“That’s the building we lived in,” Zack said, pointing to a four-story structure of rust-colored brick.
Vivian studied the building. A good steam cleaning would probably reveal light-colored brick. The block looked so dismal. The buildings, likely all walk-ups, had walls that practically touched each other. “I can’t imagine growing up in the city, with no grass, no trees. Where did you play?”
“In the street, just like these kids.” The wide sidewalk was filled with adults just standing, enjoying the sunshine of the June day, as well as youngsters jumping rope and playing hopscotch or tag. “It was hot in the apartment. I was a teenager before we had an air conditioner, and then that was only in the living room.” He stopped, then backed into a parking space.
“Are we eating here?”
“Yes, at a restaurant on the corner. It’s been there for years, but it’ll be closing soon. The owners are retiring, and apparently no one in the family wants to take it over, and they haven’t been able to sell it.” With a sigh, he added, “My parents used to bring us on special occasions. As long ago as that was, it’s still one of my favorite places to eat. I love their coconut cake.”
The street was crowded, and he took her hand, threading his fingers through hers. It was a perfectly natural gesture, but it made Vivian want to sing and shout out to everyone that this man was her date, the date she had been hoping would occur for six long months.
The restaurant was simple, with many multigenerational families dining together, the children wearing their Sunday best and trying to keep still as they sat in their chairs, napkins tucked into their collars to protect against oily spots. Baked goods filled a display case near the door, not the heavily decorated, flawless cakes and pies typical of most bakeries, but imperfect-looking everyday items like pound cakes, slightly unevenly iced chocolate and coconut cakes and lumpy-looking apple pies with nice brown crusts. Any of the items looked like they could have come from her own mother’s oven…and they probably tasted just as good.
“I wish my schedule was more receptive,” he said apologetically after asking what she wanted and giving both orders to their waitress.
“I think I can live with it. You do get an occasional weekend off, don’t you?”
“Yes, but it won’t be next weekend. Not only that, but I’ll be on the worst shift of all, three to eleven.”
“Three to eleven! That is bad news. Which days are you off?”
“I’m off this Wednesday, and then again on Sunday and Monday, so maybe we can see each other Sunday, in the late afternoon. Earlier in the day I’ll need to spend a few hours with the kid I’m mentoring through the Big Brother program.”
“I think that’s a wonderful thing for you to do.”
“Kareem’s a great kid. Eleven years old and smart as a whip. He wants to be a vet. So,” he said briskly, changing the subject, “can I plan to see you then?”
“I’m sure we can work something out. Did you check into the reservations for Denver?”
“Yes. I got a good rate on the Internet, nonstop both ways, leaving from LaGuardia.” He told her the dates and the fare, and she agreed it was perfect. “Ozzie recommended a bed-and-breakfast near downtown for us to stay in. I thought it might be easier if I made the reservations for both of us.”
“All right. I hope you don’t mind using your credit card to hold my room. I’ll give them mine when I get there.”
“No problem. But the car rental is on me.”
“That’s sweet of you to offer, but I see no reason why you should pick up that tab. I’ll split it with you. Oh, that reminds me.” She reached into her purse and handed him an envelope. “This is for you.”
He frowned as he looked at the envelope. “Wait a minute. This is the envelope I left for you when I went back home. He peered inside. “I don’t get it. The money is still in here.”
“I know that.”
He studied her impassive expression, which she knew gave no clues. “This was a gift, Vivian. I gave it to you to show you that I appreciated your taking care of me that week. Why are you returning it?”
“I felt you showed ade
quate appreciation. You cooked dinner every night, plus you filled up my cupboards and refrigerator with all that stuff you bought at the supermarket. This was overkill.”
His eyes were all over her face; he was still trying to read her. Her shoulders stiffened. “There’s something more to this, isn’t there?”
She hedged, then decided she should tell him exactly how she felt. Maybe then he’d stop studying her like an architect analyzing a blueprint. “All right. There’s something that makes me uncomfortable about your leaving me an envelope with a couple of fifties in it. I thought we were friends, but you can’t put a price tag on friendship, Zack. I felt like I was being dismissed, like a patient you’d released at the hospital.” And when you didn’t contact me, I knew I’d been dismissed.
He nodded thoughtfully. “I see. You thought I was trying to avoid feeling like I owed you anything, ease any guilt I might be feeling for accepting your hospitality and then disappearing.”
“Can you blame me?”
“No, I guess I can’t. I knew my intentions, but you didn’t, at least not then.” He stuffed the envelope in his pants pocket “I guess I botched it again, huh?”
“It’s not an unpardonable sin, Zack,” she said quietly.
“Maybe not, but it’s important for you to know there wasn’t anything dismissive behind it. I was only thinking about your inconvenience.”
“I understand that, but I can’t accept your money. You were a guest in my home. I don’t allow anyone to sleep on my couch if I don’t want them to, and I certainly don’t expect them to pay me for it, like I’m running a Marriott or something.”
“Point taken. Now, just let me pay for the car rental in Denver. Not because I don’t want to feel like I’m in your debt, but just because I want to. I’d have to get a rental if you weren’t coming, so why should I soak you for half the cost?”
She laughed at his phrasing. “All right, I guess that’s not unreasonable.”
“Good. And you were right, Vivling.”
She rolled her eyes, not wanting to let on that she thought his name for her was kind of cute. “Right about what?”
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