Love on the Line

by Hall, J D

  He had two glasses of wine before going to bed, in order to put it out of his mind. When he walked out of his bedroom that morning and checked his account, he found one new message waiting for him. He noticed it had come in after he had retired for the night. He quickly scoped out her profile. She was a high school Science teacher. To him, an educated woman was the sexiest creature on the planet. She was also black and very pretty. Move over, Wanda, he thought. While he did meet a lot of black women in Chicago, he always felt too intimidated to ask them out. He loved black women most of all for their self confidence but he did not relish having that same assertiveness turned against him. He was afraid of facing outright rejection and Roger’s disparaging remarks about his appearance did not help boost his self esteem either when it came to approaching black women. He did not feel scared when he stared into the computer, though. The internet made everything feel lighter and much easier. He might not have swag but he certainly knew how to treat a woman like a lady. When he read the message he actually smiled a little. It seemed like he could hear a peppy tone in her “voice”. She didn't waste time bragging about herself and was very courteous. He figured that it could not hurt to message her back.

  That's my hometown, and I miss it. The big city is great, but the people are different. It can be a little too fast pace for me. Sometimes it's nice just to slow down and enjoy the person you're spending time with.

  He sent off the message before he could stop himself from doing so. He was hoping that it would have the impact he wanted, and not seem too boring. He knew that she might expect him to be going on about the culture of the city and all the things to do, but the truth was, he liked the idea of just taking a stroll with a girl, and having a chance to talk with her, instead of struggling to read overpriced menus.

  He walked away from the computer to make himself some coffee, and was surprised when he heard the chime announcing he already had a new message. He didn't think it could be from her, but rather from another woman. When he saw that it was a message from her, he felt a twinge of excitement.

  Well once a local, always a local. It is good to meet you. My name is Jillian. I have been in this little town all of my life, and wouldn't mind a taste of Chicago, but I like the laid back people around here too.

  “Jillian,” Darryl said out loud, letting the name roll of his tongue. He liked that she had answered him so quickly, but wondered if she was dropping a hint already that she would like to visit him in Chicago. He knew she might just be looking for a free meal. But would that be so bad? He had been on dates with women before and dropped a few hundred dollars even though he was not really interested. He was not the type of man to be disrespectful to a woman by inviting her out and then deciding halfway through the meal that the date should just end. He had watched his mother go through a few bad relationships, and he knew that he didn't want to treat any woman as if she had no value. He liked that she had mentioned she enjoyed a laid back attitude too. He thought a moment and then began to type back.

  You sound very interesting. This is my first time with online dating, so I am not sure if I am doing this right, but what are your interests?

  He sent the message back and sat back on the couch, waiting.

  Jillian narrowed her eyes as she studied his response. She always tried to read between a man's words in his messages. It was hard to do it this time with this one. He just seemed nice. Not manipulative nice, not faking it nice, but genuinely nice. He hadn't made any crude comments, and wasn't pushing her to meet. She was really starting to think she had made a good choice by messaging him. But, she also wasn't willing to spend a month getting to know him. If it wasn't going to work she wanted to know right away so she could move on, like her friends had suggested, to a different style of dating. So she took a deep breath and delved right into it with all the blatant honesty she could muster.

  My interests lie in having a real relationship. I hope that's not too forward, but it's the truth. I am not looking for just fun. I want a relationship with a man who wants a relationship with me. I am not in a rush to get married or anything though, but I want to know that the person I am dating has an interest in a future and in having children.

  She held her breath as she sent the message back, expecting that he might not respond.

  When Darryl saw the message pop up, he was a little stunned. He did worry that she might be moving a little too fast. But the truth was, he felt the same way. He wanted something real, not just a sexual thing. So maybe it was worth taking the risk with a woman who was willing to be honest and upfront. It was better than having her play games or trying to trick him. He wanted children too and it didn't sound like she was trying to get knocked up right away. It sounded like she was more traditional, like he was. He decided to be honest in return.

  I don't date too much. I got tired of the games. I just want a real person that I can get to know better, and see how things go. I want a family one day, but I want it to be with the right person. I don't think it's too forward. I like honesty. It is hard to find that in the city.

  As their conversation continued to progress night after night, they began to get to know each other better and better. She asked him why he decided to start his own accounting firm. He told her about Roger and of how they had ran a pyramid scheme in school. Although it was illegal at the time, they were able to make a lot of profit. Darryl had used his skills with numbers to manipulate the figures and Roger had used his talent with his fists to keep disgruntled students at bay. He went on to related that, years later, when he had finished university and Roger’s boxing career had fallen through, that the two of them decided to open a legitimate business. When Jillian remarked that she was worried that Roger might have been a bad influence on him, Darryl responded by letting her know that the both of them did finally clean up their acts. He also informed her that if it wasn’t for Roger’s boxing connections, he would not have been able to find his first clients.

  Jillian went on to tell him about what it was like being a black woman in Clover County and about some of her experiences with dating white men. When she asked him if he had a problem with them being of a different race, she felt relieved to find out that his first real crush was actually a black girl. She spoke about her friends and Darryl began to feel that he knew Viveka, Miley and Jessica personally.

  After two weeks, Jillian felt comfortable enough to want to move things further along with Daryl. She had ample experience with online dating so she knew that if she trusted her instincts it would be fine to give him her number. That night, while they were chatting on the site, she jumped in with the suggestion.

  Do you want to talk on the phone? I'd love to hear your voice.

  Darryl frowned and rubbed his chin as he read that message. He had been wary of actually talking on the phone. But she sounded so interesting, and had given no sign that she might be a crazed ax murderer. So he decided to give it a shot. He sent her his number.

  Jillian saw him send back just his phone number in the message. She could tell he was nervous. She found that endearing. He certainly wasn't trying to run any game on her. She picked up her phone to call him, but before she could dial, her phone began to ring. It was Viveka.

  “What are you doing, girl?” she asked. The sound of her kids in the background came clearly over the phone. Unlike some of Viveka's friends, Jillian didn't mind talking over the kids playing. She was envious of the full lively house that Viveka had.

  “Just about to talk to a new guy,” Jillian replied with jitters in her stomach. She knew Viveka would tease her.

  “Oh is this one for real, or another polygamist?” she asked with a giggle.

  “He sounds really interesting,” Jillian insisted.

  “Alright, well it's your time to waste, but I have those guys lined up if you want some blind dates, okay?”

  “I hear you, I hear you,” Jillian sighed. “I've gotta go call him before he gets cold feet.”

  She hung up with Viveka and began to dial h
is number.

  Meanwhile, back at his apartment, Darryl was sweating. It was ridiculous, but there he was. Minutes had gone by since he sent his number and she still had not called. He checked to make sure his phone was working. He even called someone for a second to make sure the call would go through. He wondered if he had misunderstood what she had asked for. All this guessing was driving him crazy out of his mind. Then his phone began to ring. He stared down at it for a long moment, then snatched it up and answered.

  “Hello, uh, this is Darryl,” he said quickly.

  Jillian tried not to laugh. “Hi uh Darryl,” she replied. “This is Jillian.”

  He realized her name sounded even better when she pronounced it. Her voice was beautiful, just like he imagined it to be. Just like her picture. He realized this was the first time he was hearing a woman's voice before he had actually seen her in person. It was interesting to think of what she might look like in real life, even though her picture made that pretty clear.

  “Sorry,” he muttered. “This is all a little strange to me.”

  “Oh well, don't worry. I am like an expert at it. I'll help you out,” she said with a chuckle, and then her eyes widened. “I mean, not an expert, but you know, I've dated a lot of men this way.” She cringed as she realized the impact her words might have on his impression of her. Then she hurried to add, “Well not a lot of men. Some men.”

  “Jillian,” he laughed into the phone. “You're doing just fine,” he assured her, and the confidence in his voice, along with the subtle affection, made her heart melt.

  So are you, she thought to herself. She had never been attracted to a guy so quickly.

  “Well, we are both from the same hometown, tell me some of your memories?” he said, hoping to move things to a little less awkward place.

  She began telling him about her childhood and he was familiar with a lot of the places she talked about, so he added some memories of his own. Then she started talking about high school.

  “Wait, what high school did you say you went to?” Darryl asked with surprise in his voice after they had talked a few moments about their past, and she had mentioned her high school.

  “James,” she replied, as she knew everyone had heard of the place. It was one of the largest high schools in the area.

  “I went to James too!” he gasped out. “Unbelievable. How is it that we lived in the same small town and went to the same high school and never saw each other?” he shook his head. There were a few black girls in the school at the time, but he never noticed them. He wasn’t into black chicks in those days. Besides, he was a nerd back then and he only had eyes for his books.

  “Maybe we did, but we just didn't notice,” she suggested. “It was a big school.”

  “That's true,” Darryl agreed. He knew she was for real. There was no way she would know so much about the town if she didn't live in it, and he could not imagine anyone from there being dangerous. He decided to take the plunge.

  “Do you think we could meet?” he asked, his voice wavering slightly.

  “I'd like that,” she replied.

  “I have a lot of meetings this week,” he said with a frown. He didn't want her to think that he wasn't interested. “But maybe next weekend?” he suggested.

  Jillian was a little disappointed that she would have to wait that long to see him in person, but she was impressed that he had a job where meetings were required. Then she wondered if he was referring to work meetings or probation officer meetings?

  “Meetings for work?” she asked casually.

  “Are there another kind?” he laughed. She grimaced. She knew there were many different types of meetings, and she had dated men who went to every kind.

  “Next weekend is fine,” she smiled into the phone. “Should I come into the city?”

  “No, no,” he said firmly. “I'll come to you. I'd like to visit the old stomping grounds anyway. Maybe we can take a walk through Mille Park.” He eagerly awaited her response.

  She grinned at how sweet he was. She could not remember the last time a man offered to take her for a walk in the park.

  “I mean, and dinner too, wherever you want to go,” he said quickly, not wanting her to think that he was being cheap.

  “How about a picnic at the park?” she asked. “I can put something together.”

  Darryl was certain he had met the woman of his dreams. She had turned down having dinner at any restaurant of her choice, and had offered to cook for him instead.

  “Perfect,” he murmured. They spent a little more time talking. Darryl had to be the one to finally hang up. He had to get to work. He then spent the rest of the day thinking about her. He wanted to call her so bad, but he didn't want to scare her off either. When he got home, he hoped she would have sent him a message on the site. She had. She wanted them to talk again that night.

  Promptly at 7 pm, Jillian’s phone began to ring. She had been expecting and looking forward to the call, just as she had been doing every night. It had become so important to her very existence. Nothing in the world meant more to her than hearing his voice.

  “So how was your day?” he asked.

  “It was fine,” she said. Even though it wasn’t, she did not want to send the conversation down a depressing slope. However, her voice betrayed her.

  “Come on. You can tell me,” he said.

  He had become really good at judging her emotions over the phone. Jillian’s heart swelled with happiness. Here was a guy who did not mind discussing my feelings, she thought. She was convinced that Darryl was truly a one-of-a-kind guy.

  “Well, there was this one incident with a student.”

  “Was it a male student? Did he try to hit on you?” he asked with a tinge of jealousy.

  “No, it was nothing like that. There is this problem with the Science lab. We do not have enough lockers so the kid left his pack on the table. When he returned, it was missing. Now he has no books or equipment. It is really expensive and I know that it would be a financial burden on his parents. I can’t believe how insensitive some students could be. I mean, stealing someone’s book bag! What’s wrong with the youths today?” she said in an indignant voice.

  “Yeah, we live in a selfish world. But wait, I would be more than proud to make a donation to this kid,” he suggested.

  “No, you can’t do that!” Jillian protested.

  “ I am a member of the alumni. Let’s consider it as giving back,” he said.

  “No, you don’t have to do that. We are planning a fund raiser.”

  Darryl felt certain that Jillian was not after his money, either for the kid or for herself. She could have just been making excuses to scam him. He was not so naïve to the dating world to be unaware that some females would lash on to unsuspecting males with promises of love and sex, in hope of benefitting financially from the arrangement. Sometimes, they would even ask for money upfront, even though they had no intentions of ever meeting the guy. Darryl was certain that Jillian was nothing like this. To him, she was truly a remarkable woman and she had a lot of class too. Of course, she had class, he thought, she was a teacher! He began to chuckle at his own joke.

  “Hey, are you alright there? I didn’t think that I said anything funny,’ remarked Jillian.

  “Never mind. I was just thinking of a little joke.”

  “Care to share it?” she asked.

  “Actually, I had something else in mind that I would like to share with you.”

  Now Jillian was more than a little bit thrilled and intrigued by the spontaneous interchange. At the back of her mind, she had a fair idea of where he was coming from but she decided to play the game a little bit longer with him.

  “What’s that?”

  “Well I certainly can’t show it to you over the phone and neither would I tell you what it is tonight. I guess you would just have to wait till we meet in person.”

  Now it was Jillian’s turn to laugh. She was enjoying his attempts at flirting. Normally she would have b
een turned off by such a conversation, but Darryl was different. It was as if she was talking to a dear friend. She was eagerly looking forward for the friendship to become more intimate.

  And so the relationship blossomed for the next few days. Any chance they got, they would connect with each other. It was to the point that they were both pretending not to notice how late it was or that they needed to get some sleep. Their conversations shifted gears in the late hours.

  “I'm glad I met you, or should I say, I am glad I'm going to meet you,” Darryl confessed. “I was starting to think I was a hopeless case.”

  “Me too,” she replied quietly. “I started to wonder if there was any guy out there who would actually be interested in me.”

  “Who wouldn't be?” he asked with a surprised tone.

  “Well, you haven't actually met me as yet in person,” she replied nervously.

  “Jillian, you're amazing,” he replied. He hoped she hadn't realized that he had already fallen for her. “I haven't found it this easy to talk to a woman, ever. I mean, I don't want to push you, but I really enjoy talking to you.”