Cafe Romance

by Curtis Bennett

  Earl, Kurt’s attorney, had impressed upon them to treat this as privilege information. His client wanted to maintain his privacy. The attorney need not worry. Damage control was about to be put into full swing.

  The following day, Kurt was summoned to his supervisor's office and given an official apology from his boss and the upper boss. Both said they had no problem respecting his privacy. As far as they were concerned, the matter was now history. Kurt left them to resume his work. Down inside, he knew it was only a temporary fix. It would not be long before word of his enormous wealth reached his co-workers. That’s just the way business offices work.

  Right now, his hope was to keep things low-keyed for at least another two months, when he planned to resign his position there. If word got out now, he knew he would have no other option but to leave the agency within a matter of days. Everybody that was anybody would be hounding him again, unknowns longing to be instance buddies for life, charities stalking him relentlessly. He wanted a life void of outside intrusion, and the limelight. For this to happen, he had to maintain a low profile and avoid the limelight.

  Chapter 20

  Yvette had been feeling restless and irritable ever since she discovered that Antwan was seeing another woman, a much younger woman at that. Marian Holly Wincrest was her name, though she was known by her friends as Holly, and it was true, at twenty-six, she was much younger than Yvette, and as beautiful and as full of life...often a very difficult combination for a woman of thirty-four to compete with. But what she lacked in youth, which wasn’t much, she made up for with experience.

  Though she had informed Juanita and a few other close friends that her relationship with Antwan was over, that they were only friends, the two had quietly gotten back together to try to patch things up between them, just before Holly entered the picture.

  Of Norwegian descent Holly met Antwan through a friend who was a former co-worker of his. After experiencing problems at her place of employment, she found peace of mind in Antwan's ensuing presence and reassuring words. In time she found comfort in his touch and his sweet passionate lovemaking. Before long she told him that she loved him. And Antwan was quick to profess his budding love for her.

  Though with child Holly had never bothered to marry. Lovers were easy to find and please but she could never find a man who could please her enough to want to marry them. That was until she met Antwan.

  The doorbell rang startling Yvette, who was listening to the stereo. Getting up, she swung into motion. It was Antwan. She had asked him to stop by so that they could clear the air on the money he owed her and had yet to repay. She had hoped she could be warm and open-minded but the moment she laid eyes on him she felt a chill come over her. At that very moment her personality underwent a complete transformation.

  She sat down coolly without uttering a word. It was obvious she was resentful of the situation she found herself in. Though she offered Antwan a seat he elected to remain standing.

  "Look, I'm glad you asked me over so that we could get this out in the open," he said, as her eyes met his disparagingly.

  There was a deafening pause.

  Leaning her elbow on the sofa end, her head slightly tilted and resting on the small of her fist, an ice cold dignity created a stony mask of her face. She remained silent, though. Antwan was here to speak his mind and she was going to let him.

  Moving a little closer to her, his hands extended wide before him, he added, "I'm not quite sure how this all came about Yvette. I didn't plan it this way. It just happened. As you know, I am seeing Holly now. She’s very unique. And we seem to have a lot in common."

  The nerve of him to use her name in the same breath as his lover, Yvette thought, her face now a mask of hurt and indignation.

  "Look, I know this is hard for you, what I am laying down on you, right now. But you have to admit, it's never going to work out between us, Yvette. We never really jelled. We never realized our potential with one another. For all it's worth, we're two different people with two distinct perspectives on life," he said, his face a mask of uneasiness.

  Swallowing the despair in her throat, she looked up and said, "Look, I did what I could do to make this relationship work out. I couldn’t do it by myself. And remember, it was you who wanted your space. Now I can see why. All the while you were trying to charm the stockings off of me you were in the pudding deep with this Holly whoever! You know, you're just like a lot of men…disgusting hypocrites. You talk about love but you really don't know the first thing about it. I give it to you, Antwan…you're smooth. Much too smooth for me. And that's not to be taken as a compliment, either."

  "Look, I know I deserve the full wrath of your anger, but please don't tell me I don't know anything about love, just because it didn't work out between us. What I felt for you was sincere, from the heart. It was real."

  Yvette closed her eyes, feeling utterly miserable. She felt a migraine coming on. Without opening her eyes she said, "Antwan, just tell me when am I going to get back the money I loaned you?"

  Raising her head she leveled her eyes on his, which conveyed uncertainty, and took a deep breath. She could feel her throat closing up so she just went on and got it out in the open. Hell, she figured she had nothing to lose. "Be honest, you’re not planning on repaying me, are you?"

  Antwan bit down hard on his lip and with unwelcome frankness professed that he was going to repay her, just not anytime soon. He said that though business was picking up, due to overhead, it was not enough to make a repayment on her loan, not even a partial repayment. With a sullen gaze and pounding heart she stood up and paced the room for a second, apparently deep in thought. Though her hands were trembling and she was close to tears, she did a good job of disguising her hurt. "Well, I guess that says it all."

  "Look, I'm sorry," Antwan softly, almost apologetically, returned. "But I will repay you. Like I told you before, I’m good for it, baby."

  "Yeah, I’ll believe it when I see it," she interjected, just as softly, though sarcastically.

  Before leaving Antwan dropped a bombshell on Yvette. He informed Yvette that Holly was pregnant and with his child. The moment his words left his mouth she felt her body stiffen in disbelief. What a complete asshole, she told herself. Too stunned to grieve in front of him, she walked pass him, her liquid eyes trained on his, and opened the door and made a dismissing gesture. And without uttering another word, Antwan departed.

  After a few seconds passed, she walked slowly to the middle of the room and stood motionless for several minutes. The shock of abandonment and betrayal left her immobile. Grief and despair tore at her heart. Without warning, she collapsed to the floor on both knees and wept aloud, rocking back and forth, her hands shielding her face.

  Vanessa Santiago’s eyes left the mirror and began to travel slowly about the congested room, searching for her newly purchased make-up kit. She spotted it on top of an oak dresser peeking out from behind her jewelry box. Retrieving it she returned to her vanity mirror and sat down cross-legged on the stool.

  Fresh from a good night’s sleep she was ready to face the day. As she leaned forward she patted her high-boned cheeks carefully with flush and painted her eyelids and painted her fingernails. She was eagerly preparing herself for work and a lunch outing with Kurt, their second outing together and she really wanted to make a good impression.

  Vanessa missed Kurt being around the camper resort and was glad that she had managed to coax him into giving her his new phone number, along with a promise to take her out to lunch. Vanessa found Kurt irresistibly charming and interesting and a benevolent humanitarian. He was also a man of his word, someone you could count on. A true friend, especially in this day and age of contracts, lawsuits and pre-nuptial agreements, these wonderful traits made him that much more desirable in her eyes. Most of all, she longed to know Kurt better, if only he would allow her to. Like the other women whose path crossed Kurt's, Vanessa discovered that it was not an easy task getting close to him. There was a certain di
stance he seemed to relish and keep between himself and others. She often wondered why. He rarely talked about himself, or his past. When he did, he was rather vague, if not cleverly elusive. Just the same, she felt things looked promising. She knew that a man with a future had to be a man with a past. She hoped in time he would trust her enough to share his deepest thoughts and secrets with her.

  After eating a toasted strawberry tart and downing a glass of chilled orange juice, Vanessa headed out to catch the bus to go to work. Normally she would ride her car to work but it was in the auto repair shop where it had been the past week awaiting a new computer component and front-end suspension system part. She was scheduled to pick it up after work.

  Noon came quickly and Vanessa walked the one block to the restaurant she and Kurt had agreed to meet at. Kurt had offered to pick her up in his car but she politely asked him not to bother since the restaurant was such a short distance from the Vanity Boutique Shoppe she co-owned. The restaurant – Sylvia's Place, was known for having one of the best Latin buffets around town.

  With his engine roaring full throttle, Kurt pulled up minutes later, spotted Vanessa, parked his Sting Ray, and quickly joined her at the entrance, which had already swelled with prospective customers. Squinting, from the bright sun, he greeted her, then complimented her on her very fashionable attire and her beautiful smile. The two conversed while they waited in the growing line. Before long, she approached one of the hired help who appeared to be taking a count of people in line at the entrance.

  In Spanish the two talked, then Vanessa returned to where Kurt held their place in line. Official word - there would be, at least, a fifteen minute wait, she relayed. This was not a good sign, especially since there were nearly nine people already waiting ahead of them. Sensing that the wait could be as long as twenty-five to thirty minutes, Kurt suggested that they consider another restaurant to dine at. Vanessa quickly agreed.

  "Any suggestions," he asked. Vanessa thought for a second, smiled, and mentioned an excellent restaurant just two blocks away, that the menu was one of the best, if not the best, in town. Kurt asked her the name of this restaurant. Vanessa smiled and gazing into his dark handsome eyes said, "Café Le Soir!"

  A pensive look overcame Kurt's face momentarily.

  Vanessa caught this. "Look, I know it's an upscale restaurant. But they have the greatest tasting food there. Besides, lunch is on me, unless you'd rather go elsewhere to dine," she said, touching her hand to his shoulder briefly.

  "No, no," Kurt finally murmured. "It's fine. It's really fine. Café Le Soir it will be. I've eaten there before." It had been months since Kurt had visited the Café, about the same amount of time since he last spoke to Yvette. Just the same, it mattered not to him where they ate lunch, he tried desperately hard to convince himself. It’s that they actually get around to eating lunch. As far as he knew, Yvette was still involved with Antwan. Hell, for all he knew, they were probably engaged, by now.

  The two hopped into Kurt's sports car, made an immediate U-turn, and drove the two blocks to Café Le Soir. Not entirely to his surprise, he experienced a sinking feeling in his stomach soon after stepping inside of the Café. Yvette was clearly on his mind. After all, this is where the woman he loved worked at. This is where the two had spent a lot of heartfelt moments together. The soft glowing candlelight, the cool jazz playing in the background, the aroma of gourmet food simmering in the kitchen, nothing had changed. It was just as he remembered. Nice and subdued.

  A hostess arrived and escorted the two to a table just off to the right, in a cozy corner of the dining area. A server appeared to take their order. Both began their meal with a salad. Kurt ordered the Seared Shrimp Salad with avocado, papaya and grapefruit while Vanessa ordered a Chicken Caesar Salad. For the main course Kurt ordered Chicken Cordon Bleu with seasoned vegetables while Vanessa opted for the Rosemary-scented Veal with Crookneck Squash and Sun-dried Tomatoes. It was a meal he could scarcely enjoy for throughout the entire meal he shifted uncomfortably in his seat, looking about to see if Yvette was floating around somewhere. Fortunately for him, Vanessa was too engrossed in her meal and their conversation to notice his anxiety, his uneasiness.

  Kurt, fading in and out of his loose conversation with Vanessa, swallowed a small amount of wine and said. "Yes, I agree. If only our people could learn to work together and pool their resources like the Asians and people from India do, when they come to this country, then they could get ahead, too."

  "Well put," Vanessa said as she chewed and swallowed a small slice of veal through painted lips. "Our people, both African-American and Hispanic, have got to learn how to unify themselves and rise above the destruction that's going on in the streets of America today."

  "I’ll say this much, one way we can accomplish this is by educating ourselves, foremost in the disciplines of math and science," he emphasized. "English is important, too. We not only have to speak the language, but we also have to learn how to read it and write it."

  "It’s not easy, though, especially when our schools are failing us," Vanessa murmured.

  "That's an excellent point," he noted.

  "If only we had better quality schools and teachers and alternative support systems, such as tutoring assistance in our communities," she added.

  "I agree,” he replied, quietly amused that she had touched upon one of his most passionate subject matters. “Something like that might help make the difference- tutoring centers, especially if they are accessible to all those who felt a need for them. I'm talking quality facilities and tutors, flexible hours, and availability."

  "Someone, one day, may realize such a need in our neighborhoods."

  "Perhaps," he added softly. “But I don’t think the answer is in the government.”

  “Where then?”

  “I believe the answer lies in the communities and the private sector.”

  There was a pause as the two returned to their meal.

  "Man, this food is delicious!" he exclaimed, taking a sip of his drink.

  Vanessa shook her head in agreement as she finished consuming her seasoned tomatoes.

  Though Kurt did not complete the main course, he went ahead and ordered Ice Cream Cheesecake with cognac cherries for dessert and a re-fill of wine while Vanessa ordered Ginger-crisp Pumpkin Cheesecake and another Sprite. Both orders arrived minutes later.

  As he lifted the fork to his mouth he paused and tipped his head and squinted rather nervously. For a moment, during their conversation, he had almost forgotten where he was but was brought back to reality when he spied Yvette, who had just appeared at the rear of the Café.

  He was already anxious from being in close proximity to her and now that he had spotted her, his pulse suddenly raced and his heart pounded wildly against his chest. But he wasn't sure if she had spotted him. Fortunately for him, Vanessa's back was facing her. Furthermore, she was too engrossed in her meal and their conversation to notice his nervous gaze that peered beyond her shoulders.

  Excusing himself from the table, to go to the men's room, he walked over to the area Yvette stood talking to a co-worker.

  "Well," Yvette began, standing before him in all of her splendid beauty, gazing into his slightly nervous eyes, "it's certainly a surprise seeing you here. It's been a while, hasn’t it?" As her co-worker departed, Yvette transferred her glance beyond Kurt, and then gave it back to him.

  Kurt opened his mouth to speak but Yvette cut him short.

  "I see you brought along a special lady friend today."

  "She picked the place, not I," he said, recovering; still struggling to conceal the immense passion and emotion he felt inside for her. "Yvette, she’s a good friend, that’s all."

  There was a pause as their eyes mingled, then locked with a curious deep longing.

  "I tried calling you at home a few weeks ago but your number was no longer in service. And I misplaced the phone number to your job. For a while there, I actually thought I would never see you again. I was afraid that you'
d left Tampa without saying goodbye."

  "I've moved across town Yvette, that's all," he said straightforwardly.

  "Well, at least you’re still in the area," she murmured, as her eyes drank him up.

  He smiled, “I guess you can look at it that way.”

  Yvette closed her eyes momentarily, as if to ponder a quick thought. When she opened them, she said, "Look, would it be presumptuous of me if I ask you for your new phone number?"

  "Of course not," he replied with a radiant smile, then gave it to her to record on paper.

  “I’m also interested in how things are going with you?” she said as she tucked the paper inside of her double-breasted vest pocket.

  ”Everything’s fine, I suppose,” he answered, avoiding direct contact with her eyes.

  "Still friends?" she asked gingerly.

  "I imagine so, Yvette," he answered solemnly, his brown eyes full of emotion.

  Her gaze lowered, as did her voice when she murmured, “That’s good to know.”

  The two stood gazing nervously at one another, wanting to say more, yet, not daring to.

  "Well, you better head back to your friend. She's very beautiful you know, and a man should never leave a beautiful woman in waiting."

  Or leave one standing, he thought, but said, instead, with an uneasy smile, "You're probably right, Yvette. Give me a call sometime, okay?"

  "I just may do that," she smiled back warmly, intoxicated by his dark sexy eyes and the fragrance of his expensive cologne. "It was good seeing you again," she added, touching her hand to his arm.

  "It was good seeing you too, Yvette," he said with a warm and more relaxed smile. God, she looks and smells so good, he thought.

  Yvette watched Kurt return to his date in silent repose. Their brief interlude left her heart beating with excitement and a trace of envy. His smile, his gaze, and his touch still had a way of stirring deep passions inside of her. As she closed her love struck eyes, briefly, her heart ached with pain. During their brief encounter she longed to caress his face with her hands, touch his lips with her hungry lips, and share her true feelings with him. That she could not do this resulted in great suffering.