by Mott, Teisha
“September 9th,” she told him. “When’s yours?”
“September 4th!” He was pleased he had asked. “We’re both Virgos!”
“Tell that to Samantha,” Andie said. “She believes in Astrology, and that people born under the same sign have the same temperament. But look at us – five days apart, and nothing alike.”
Nathan devoured his roll and reached for another. “What you mean?”
“Well for starters, you are smart and confident and always cool,” Andie counted off Nathan’s good qualities on her right hand.
“And you aren’t?” He asked.
“Hello? Have you met me?” Andie rolled her eyes at him. “I’m not confident. I don’t talk easily to people. In fact, I am very shy. And I’m definitely not cool – I freak out at the drop of a hat. I don’t know how Grandpa expects me to take over his company and not run it into the ground. And we both know I’m not nearly as smart as you. If you hadn’t rescued me, I wouldn’t have done crap on Uncle Marcus’ paper, and my father has already threatened to fail me in Econ…”
“Listen,” Nathan interrupted her. “I wish you would stop saying I rescued you in Politics. I didn’t. I only helped put you on the right track. And your father will not give you an F for Econ.”
“Don’t think he won’t!” Andie muttered. “Do you know how Samantha has a car? She sat five A’Levels and got As on all of them.”
“But you’re not Samantha!” Nathan pointed out.
“You’re telling me!” Andie shook her head. “I could only manage to take four, and got all Bs, even in Math and Accounts. At least those should have been As.”
“But Bs are good too!” Nathan thought Andie was a little bit insane.
“Good for the University registrar, but mediocre for Dr and Mrs Andrew Persaud.”
Nathan smiled. “I don’t know why you think you should use your sister to measure yourself. I’m sure Dr Persaud wouldn’t want two Samantha’s running around his house.”
“So how come you never asked my sister out?” Andie asked, and Nathan was stunned.
“Why would I ask out Samantha?”
Andie shrugged. “You knew her a whole year before me, and she’s pretty, and I think she’s more your type.”
Nathan folded his hands under his chin and looked Andie dead in the eyes. “And what, pray tell, is my type?”
Andie shrugged. “The type that is not me.”
“Well that’s where you’re wrong,” Nathan told her. “I like girls who are smart, not too hype or high maintenance, who I can talk to, and, last, but definitely important, easy on the eyes. That would make you exactly my type.”
Andie began to say something, but he cut her off. “Not to say your sister isn’t all of those. She is lovely, and she will make some lucky guy a fine girlfriend. But she doesn’t have red hair and brown eyes, and a bashful smile, and a little something extra that I cannot pinpoint just like that. That is what I really, really like!”
Andie thought she would melt and slide off the chair. She looked at her place setting and not at Nathan, unsure of how to respond.
“So what’s your type?” He asked her. “Who is Andie Persaud’s perfect man?”
“I don’t have a type,” she said. “I’m too busy trying to get through life in one piece to spend time thinking about the kind of guy I like.”
Nathan put on a hurt look. “And here I was, thinking you thought I was cute, and that’s why you called me up last week.”
“Really? Well, I only wanted an A on my paper!” Andie said with a shrug.
Nathan looked at her open mouthed and wide eyed. She saw his shattered expression and burst out laughing,
“I’m just teasing you, you idiot!” She said. “Of course you’re cute – curly hair, dimpled cheek and all. I’m sure you hear that every day!”
“But I’ve never heard it from you… ”
The waitress appeared with their food. Andie studied the plate of spaghetti tossed with large chunks of fish, onions and vegetables. It was spaghetti ai Gamberi. It looked, and smelled absolutely divine. Andie realised she was starving. She had not eaten anything since breakfast and the cookie that Christopher had brought her after the ‘hair conditioning’ fiasco. She looked over at Nathan’s plate. He was having Rigatoni with sautéed chicken and mushrooms, in a curry cream sauce. She was wondering whether he would allow her to taste it.
“Why you looking at it so uncertain?” Nathan asked her.
“I am just so starved, I don’t know where to begin!” Andie confessed.
“Just dig in!” Nathan instructed her.
She watched in amazement as Nathan proceeded to enthusiastically inhale the pasta.
“What?” He asked, looking at her.
“How is it possible that you do not choke?”
Nathan looked sheepish, and used his napkin to wipe his mouth. “I’m sorry,” he said. “My grandmother always tells me that I eat as though I am one of the refugees from the 1994 Sudan famine.”
“You talk more about your Grandmother than you do your mother,” Andie noted, as she struggled to get the spaghetti on her fork. “How come?”
“My mother worked a lot when I was little,” he told her. “Grandma took care of us most of the time.”
“Do you have a big family?” Andie asked again, and Nathan shook his head.
“It was just me for nine and a half years, and then Joie was born after we moved here. So it’s just me and Joie, my mother and my grandparents. It’s not much fun like at Christmas – you watch those movies with those huge family get-togethers, but it’s better now than when I was younger. You should know all about big families!”
Andie nodded. The spaghetti slid off the fork and plopped back on the plate. “Three of us aren’t that many,” she said, trying with the spaghetti again. “But I have a tonne of cousins. It’s madness when we all get together at holidays. Rosilda, our housekeeper, quarrels and quarrels. It’s going to be even worse this year, because my cousin, Kamilla had a baby, and you know babies don’t know how to be neat.”
The spaghetti fell off the fork again. Andie sighed, frustrated. Nathan smiled.
“You need to know the trick to eating spaghetti,” he said. “I’m going to teach you like I taught Joie.”
He moved his chair from its position across from Andie, and sat next to her. He took the fork, wrapped some spaghetti on it, and used the spoon to cradle and twirl it into a ball. It sat neatly on the spoon.
“Open wide!” He instructed.
Andie obeyed, looking like a baby bird, as Nathan fed her from the spoon.
“There!” Nathan was satisfied. “Now you know how to eat spaghetti!”
“Thank you,” Andie said gratefully, while trying to chew. “I’ll try it now.”
“Joie almost killed herself on a plate of spaghetti and meatballs one night,” He laughed. “A huge forkful went down all at once, and Mom had to bring out the old Heimlich manoeuvre. She was scared stiff of spaghetti for a long time until I helped her eat it. That kid is a trip!”
“I always wanted a little sister. Unfortunately, I got stuck with Christopher!” Andie gingerly tried wrapping the spaghetti around the fork in the spoon as Nathan had done, and failed.
“Here, let me help you,” Nathan offered. “I’d wanted a brother, but Joie turned out alright. Open.”
Andie took the bite Nathan offered her. The pasta was excellent, and she enjoyed having Nathan feed her.
He took a bite from his own plate, then turned to help Andie again.
“Are you going to feed me all night?” Andie asked, after her fourth mouthful.
“I don’t mind,” Nathan told her. Do you?”
“Not at all,” Andie said honestly. “But I think I’d like to give it another try.”
Nathan gave her the fork and spoon, and
Andie tried again to coax the spaghetti into the spoon. Nathan looked at her, deep in concentration. It was as though she was performing surgery. Her brows were furrowed, and her hands tried not to tremble. Victory was hers as the spaghetti made it to her mouth without falling out of the spoon.
“Attagirl!” Nathan said, giving her a high five.
“Yay me,” Andie said smiling. “Next time, order me something that doesn’t wiggle as much, okay?”
She immediately regretted her intrepid assumption that there would be another time. Luckily, Nathan did not seem to realise her faux pas. They continued eating, as they laughed and chatted about everything and nothing in particular. She was having a good time in Nathan’s company. He was so funny, and regaled her with anecdotes about everything, from life on Hall to his childhood in Montego Bay. He gave her free reign to order desert, and she got them both a huge chunk of tiramisu swimming in a pond of chocolate syrup and topped with extra chocolate shavings to share.
“If I start walking the walls, it’s on you, Anne Dru Persaud!” Nathan warned, as he dug in.
As Nathan paid the check, Andie glanced at her watch. It was nine fifteen. It would take them half hour to get from Bella Mia back to her house, which meant that they had another hour and fifteen minutes to kill before she had to get home. She wondered what they were doing next.
Nathan signed the credit card slip, ensuring that he gave their waitress a generous tip.
“Would you like to take a walk around the garden?” He asked. “I hear it’s really cool at night.”
“Sure,” Andie said, agreeably. She thought it would be nice being outside in the night air, just her and Nathan.
He helped her with her chair and gently took her elbow, leading her outside. They walked along the brick path that led to the garden. It was lined with yellow lights draped through fan palms. The night was crisp and cool, and the sky dotted with millions of stars. It was a full moon, and Andie could not remember a time when the moon looked so huge. The gardens were lit, and Andie saw various species of flowers and leaves, none of which she recognised. Nathan recognised a few, and pointed them out to her. They observed other couples that had taken advantage of the beauty of Bella Mia’s gardens. Some were cuddled on benches, totally engrossed in each other. Andie looked at them, jealously. She wondered if ever in life she would cuddle on a bench with a guy who saw nothing or no one else but her.
They came upon a beautifully decorated gazebo. There were a few older people gathered there, talking and drinking and dancing. A live band, complete with a singer, was taking requests.
“Isn’t this totally pretty?” Andie breathed, as she sat next to Nathan under the gazebo. “It doesn’t even feel like we’re in Kingston.”
“Yeah,” Nathan responded, looking at Andie. “The view is phenomenal.” Suddenly, he remembered something. “Hey, I got you a gift!”
“Really?” Andie’s eyes lit up like a kid in a candy store at Christmas.
“Yeah. It’s no big deal, really.” He reached into his blazer pocket, and pulled out the book. “I went shopping today and bought you this.”
“That is so sweet of you, Nathan!” Andie was seriously touched. “Thank you.”
She carefully tore off the wrapping. Soon the book appeared. “‘Anne of Green Gables’,” she read. “I’ve never read this before.”
“I think you will like it,” Nathan assured her.
“I know I will!” Andie assured him. She would, because it was Nathan who had gotten it for her.
“Let me hold it for you till you get home,” Nathan offered, taking back the book.
He returned it to the inside pocket of his blazer, and casually draped one arm around Andie, and pulled her closer to himself. Andie closed her eyes, totally comfortable being snuggled up next to Nathan.
The band changed the song. The singer began singing Barry Manilow’s “Mandy” .
“I like this song!” Andie murmured.
“I am not a Barry Manilow fan, really,” Nathan confessed. “Too white bread for me.”
“I don’t like Barry Manilow, either,” Andie said. “But I like “Mandy”. It’s the Westlife version that I like, anyway. They’re one of my favourite groups, and “Mandy” is my favourite song of theirs.”
“Well, it’s okay, I guess,” He admitted. “But if you tell anyone I said so, I’m denying it!” He began humming the tune along with the band.
“How do song writers come up with these words?” Andie asked.
“I think they just write how they’re feeling,” Nathan suggested.
“Yeah, I guess so” Andie sighed. “I guess Barry Manilow really loved that girl, Mandy!”
“Hey,” Nathan said, taking her hand. “C’mon, let’s dance!”
Nathan held her close, and for the first time, she was glad that despite all her protests, her mother had insisted that she take dance lessons when she was younger. Exactly how Jazz and Tap and Ballet were going to benefit her now, she was not sure, but at that moment, the efficacies of ballroom were blatantly obvious.
“You move well, Miss Persaud!” Nathan commented.
“Not bad yourself, Mr Hansen!” Andie quipped. “We’re just like Fred and Ginger!”
He smiled and held her closer as the band continued to play, and they continued to move slowly and lightly in time to the music. Andie thought she was having an out of body experience. It was like she had left her body, and was looking down at the gardens of Bella Mia. Who was that girl, she wondered, in the arms of that handsome boy, totally relaxed and enjoying herself? They really danced well together. He was tall, but her shoes brought her up to a comfortable height, allowing her to rest her head comfortably on his chest. He knew how just to hold a girl, as though he had a lot of practice. At that point, Andie did not care. He was holding her tonight, and that was enough for her. She breathed in the faint scent of his cologne. He smelled so manly, just like she knew he would. It felt good to be in his arms; so right and natural that Andie failed to notice her reaction – the way her heart had picked up pace. She felt pleasantly warm, although the gardens were cool, and her shoulders almost bare. Andie was the happiest she had ever been in her life. She was on top of the world. Nathan was wonderful. He was everything she never knew she always wanted, and she did not ever want him to let her go.
“Andie,” he whispered in her ear.
She looked up at him, and almost melted under his gaze.
“Yes, Nathan?”
“The music stopped.” He was still staring at her.
“It did?”
“Yes. It did.”
Nathan lowered his head, and Andie was certain he was going to kiss her. She panicked. It was not possible. She did not know what to do. But she worried in vain, because Nathan suddenly looked away. He let her go and stepped back.
“It’s ten o’clock,” he said. “We’d better get going.”
And the moment was over.
“But it’s still early!” Andie protested, still feeling a bit heady and surprisingly disappointed from what she thought almost happened.
“I know,” Nathan explained. “But the way I see it, if I get you home early, your parents will allow me to take you out again.”
Andie gave him a half smile. “I suppose you’re right.”
“Your little brother said I couldn’t hold your hand,” Nathan said, “but right now I think I want to do that very much.”
“I won’t tell him if you don’t,” Andie said, offering her hand.
Andie’s hand was soft and warm, and Nathan held it tightly as they walked back to the car. It was quiet as they walked, but Nathan’s mind was ticking. He was mentally reliving the past two weeks. They seemed surreal. He had made a stupid, rash bet with Jeremy, and even more stupidly, he had pressed on with it. Now, he was walking hand in hand with Anne Dru Persaud, and the weirdest part was tha
t he was enjoying it. As they had danced earlier, Nathan had so badly wanted to kiss her. He had actually thought he would, but at the last minute, he had chickened out. He did not want to kiss the girl who was unknowingly helping him to put Jeremy Malcolm in his place. He wanted to kiss the gorgeous, fair-skinned girl, in the sexy green dress, with her lovely red hair piled on top of her head, who had, in the last few days, stolen his heart. He wanted to kiss the soft, sweet smelling girl, who just so perfectly fit his embrace, as they danced under the stars at Bella Mia. He wanted to kiss her, and the thought scared the daylights out of him. Andie was just supposed to be a means to an end. He should not be falling for her.
They drove back to Norbrook in silence, each in their own private world, feasting on their own private thoughts. When Nathan pulled into the Persaud’s driveway, it was ten twenty-five.
“Record time!” Nathan exclaimed. “Dr Persaud will have to let me take you out again.”
Andie smiled, but her heart was sad. She did not want the night to be over. She wanted it to go on and on. Particularly, she wanted to go back to the Bella Mia and have Nathan hold her in his arms and almost kiss her.
“Your house looks deserted,” Nathan pointed out, as he walked her to the door. “There’s only one light on. Does your family usually go to bed this early?”
“No,” Andie shook her head. “My parents went out to a reception. I don’t think they’ll be back for hours.”
“So they won’t see that I got you in before eleven,” Nathan said, pretending to be sad.
“I’ll make sure to tell them,” Andie promised.
They got to the front door, and Andie pulled out her keys, and unlocked the door.
“So, goodnight, Nathan,” she said. “I really had a great time.”
“I did too, Andie,” Nathan said. “I hope we can do this again very soon.”
“Call me when you get home, okay?”
“I will,” Nathan promised. He stood there for a moment, looking at her.
“Goodnight,” she repeated.
“Don’t forget your book,” Nathan reminded her. He pulled the book from his jacket, and placed it into her hands.