“My, you certainly have a lovely looking wife, Sheldon,” he said, his gaze still locked on hers.
“We’re not married,” I said.
“Then I’ll have to say that you have a beautiful looking fiancée,” he came back, gazing at her as if in a trance.
“We’re not engaged either. Diana and I are friends,” I qualified. “Matter of fact, she’s engaged to another.”
“Was engaged,” she corrected me with a trace of a smile, gazing at Ray the whole time. Ray’s eyes appeared to light up once he heard that. I’m sure if I could read his mind it would echo the word Opportunity.
“Well, Ms. Diana,” he said, emphasizing the Ms. part of his statement. “I am honored to meet your acquaintance.”
“It’s a pleasure meeting you as well, Ray,” she said as they shook hands.
“Believe me, the pleasure is all mine,” he said in what I perceived was a deep and seductive tone of voice.
By this time, Aunt Sarah reentered the room. She was in hyper mode.
“Okay folks,” she began, holding her purse and a folder. “Breakfast is ready. Plates and utensils are on the table. Milk and juice are in the refrigerator. I have to go now. You all enjoy your day. And have a safe trip up to Philly and New York, Sheldon and Diana. Come see us again.”
We thanked her for the lodging, the food, and the five-star hospitality then traded hugs and kisses with her. After she gave Ray an extra key to the house, she took off.
Less than a minute later we sat down to eat breakfast. Ray sat down to eat breakfast, too, but also to start in on Diana. The man was giving it all he had. I am talking about the prolonged gaze, the smooth and soft spoken tone he had suddenly cultivated, the charming and endearing smile, and the endless compliments. They never stopped coming. First he complimented her on her sparkling brown eyes, then her luscious and succulent red lips, then her soft sexy voice, and then her warm heavenly smile. It went on and on. I mean, it was obvious that he was putting the move on her and big time! Though I wasn’t sure how she felt about any of this, she appeared to enjoy the attention. Only twice did she glance my way; almost as if to say ‘eat your heart out.’ I was not going to give her the satisfaction.
Shortly after we ate breakfast, I collected our cups, plates, and silverware and placed them in the dishwasher. Adding automatic washer dish detergent, I started it up. In the meantime, Diana wiped off the table and spruced the area up, with the help of Ray, of course. By the time I had wrapped things up in the kitchen the two had already retreated to the living room to talk.
“Hey, I hate to break things up,” I politely interrupted, “but if we’re going to visit the Smithsonian and the National Zoo and get on the road by three, we had better get going.”
“Sure thing, cous,” Ray replied. “Look, I have to run upstairs and get something. I’ll be right back down.”
“Take your time,” I said, as Ray took off up the stairs.
“Speaking of time, what time are we heading up to Philadelphia?” Diana asked me.
“Probably around 3:00 this afternoon, at the latest,” I replied, with minimum eye contact.
“Hey, that means we have plenty of time to see the sites,” she beamed.
By now Ray had sprinted back down the stairs smelling like a cologne factory.
“Well, I imagine we had better get the show on the road,” Diana said, rising up from the sofa, of course, with the benevolent assistance of Ray.
The Smithsonian Institute, which was situated prominently on the national mall, was known to be the largest museum complex in the world. I had visited it once before on a weekend school trip to Washington. I was in the 7th grade at the time.
After we drove around for the longest time we found a parking space and filed out of the Navigator. Just ahead of us stood the National Air and Space Museum. Inside we saw the Apollo 11 Command Module, the 1903 Wright Flyer, the world's first successful airplane, and the Spirit of St. Louis. Not satisfied, and wanting to see more, Diana talked us into going over the National Museum of Natural History where we came face to face with dinosaurs, the infamous Hope diamond, and the Butterfly Pavilion. After that we returned to the Navigator and made our way over to the National Zoo.
As I drove I thought of all the interesting artifacts and relics the museums had on display for the public, and the only thing that really captured my attention and interest was Diana. She had hardly said five words to me since we arrived on the mall. If anything, Ray spoke to me more than Diana; that is whenever he could tear himself away from her. As much as I tried to fit in, after a point, especially after arriving at the zoo, I began to feel like the third man out. You know, two’s company, three’s a crowd. Though I put on a brave front, one of indifference, the attention she was giving to Ray was eating at me inside. Jealousy had been a stranger to me. But today it was a force, an invisible entity, which had overstayed its welcome.
It wasn’t all about my situation with Diana and Ray. As we toured the zoo I got to see some things I had always wanted to see, like Giant pandas, Asian elephants, white-napped cranes, western lowland gorillas, Sumatran tigers, cheetahs, and North Island brown kiwis. At times they walked ahead of me, other times I followed behind them.
When Diana finally decided to acknowledge my existence, she looked back and said, “Sheldon, I am having such a good time. Aren’t you?”
“Quite a wonderful time,” I said with a hint of sarcasm. She looked at me coyly but said nothing. It didn’t matter anyway for Ray had reclaimed her attention. Feeling awkward about the whole situation, I continued to follow a step or two behind them. At one point, we stopped so that he could purchase a stuff Teddy bear for her. If it were any larger she would have had to use two hands to carry it. To top it off, he produced a camera from his pocket and asked me to take a few pictures of him and Diana posing together. In a couple of them he took the liberty of wrapping his arm around her shoulders and her waist. I was finally asked to join him for one photo shot. Diana snapped the photo. Actually, I would have preferred to have stayed out of it.
When we arrived at the elephant habitat I decided to rest on a nearby wooden bench. I could no longer be a willing participant in this romantic charade, that is, on Diana’s part. As for Ray, I had no doubt that he was smitten by her and was going to pull out all of the stops to get to her, one way or another. Or by hook or crook, as they say back in Ohio. But Diana, I was certain she was playing a game, a game meant to make me jealous. Whether she knew it or not, it was working. But to own up to it, no, I wasn’t going down like that.
“Look, you two go ahead,” I said. “I’m going to rest here for a while, perhaps even buy a snack to eat and something to drink. Just meet me here when you circle back, okay.”
“Sure thing cous,” Ray said, as though the two of us were old chums from way back in the day. No, we didn’t have that kind of past relationship and if he continued to put a full court press on Diana, we were not going to have a future relationship either.
“Are you sure, Sheldon?” Diana asked me, looking at me for the first time with sympathetic eyes.
“Yes, I am sure,” I answered with a prolonged stare of my own. “I just want to enjoy the space and open air before we head on up to Philly.”
“Hey, that sounds like a good idea,” Ray added with a smirk. He acted as though he had one up on me.
“Well, since you’re going to be here a while, would you hold onto this for me,” she said, handing me the Teddy bear Ray had purchased for her.
Diana did not give me a chance to respond for she had already turned around and headed off with Ray.
Almost immediately, I sat the stuffed animal on the bench next to me. I was not having the best of days or the best of times, not at all.
Less than an hour later, the two reappeared a short distance away. They appeared to be walking a lot closer now than when they had taken off. Not to my surprise, Diana was carrying another stuffed doll, this time a lion cub. The two were all smiles as they parke
d themselves on the bench beside me. I put on a cheerful face and greeted their return.
“Well, what did you two get to see?” I asked.
Diana took the lead. “Gosh, we saw so much. Let’s see, we visited the primate exhibit and the reptile exhibit and the big cat’s exhibit. We also saw hippopotamuses, giraffes, zebras, and rhinos. We also saw a group of brown bears and Kodiak bears and polar bears.”
“Tell him about the rhinos, Diana,” Ray chuckled. “Go on and tell him.”
“No, I can’t,” she laughed, looking at him, then at me. “You tell him Ray.”
“Okay. Anyway, there was this one rhino we saw who decided that this was the time to get busy with his better half. I don’t remember how he raised up and mounted her but when he did, he and pounded the hell out that other rhino,” he said, as though he was busting stitches left and right inside.
“Sheldon, you should have seen the children who were a witness to this marvel of nature,” Diana chimed in. “They were all pointing and giggling, and some even busted out in laughter. But soon after that, their teachers quickly ushered them away.”
“Hell no, we didn’t come here for sex education, I could imagine those teachers saying to themselves,” Ray said laughing hard and holding his stomach with his hand.
By now both of them were laughing and carrying on like young adolescents themselves.
I produced a half-hearted laugh in response. That was the best that I could do. I just didn’t see the humor in it.
“Anyway, we also saw a couple of bald eagles and seals and camels and gazelles,” Ray added, calming down somewhat. It was amazing, the two were actually acting like school children on a school outing themselves, shoving one another playfully, and trading stares and playful smiles. It was obvious they were having the time of their lives with each other. Frankly, I couldn’t stand it.
Happy to be the party pooper, I faced Diana and announced, “Well, it’s about time we start heading out. It’s already going on four o’clock. I have no doubt we’re going to have to contend with rush hour traffic.”
“You’re right,” she said, sounding mildly disappointed.
“Hey, you two can always stay over another night,” Ray tossed in with a hope and prayer. “I’m game for an extended visit.”
I wasn’t in the frame of mind to grant any prayers as I delighted in saying, “I wished I could cous. But I have a job interview the day after tomorrow and I need to get situated and well rested before I have to deal with that.”
“I understand,” he said, disappointment registering in his eyes.
Diana gave me no clue of what she was thinking other than I was right.
Walking on, we headed for the exit, I slightly ahead of them.
Chapter 9
Ray made it a point to sit in the rear with Diana on the way back. But I wasn’t surprised. Having eliminated me as a competitor, he knew that this was his last opportunity to be with her, at least during this visit. Like any man in his position, he wanted to give it all he had to gain her favor, and to win her heart. By now, I wasn’t so sure she was putting on an act for me. They were sitting really close to one another and she had paid scant attention to me.
After a while, I turned the radio volume up to the point that I wasn’t privy to their conversation. Whatever the subject matter, no matter how innocent or how personal in content, I did not want to hear it. I was ready to head up to the City of Brotherly Love and drop Diana off at the nearest bus station. I know that I had no reason to be, but I felt diss.
Pulling up to the corner of my uncle’s house, we dropped Ray off. The two took a few minutes to exchange farewells after Diana stepped out of the Navigator to sit up front with me, I assumed. Through the passenger outside mirror, I watched as he kissed her on the cheek and looked at her with a prolonged gaze. Rounding the rear of the SUV, he came up on my side and shook my hand and we exchanged goodbyes. For me it was more like ‘good riddens’. After Diana climbed in next to me I pulled off.
It had been a while since she was seated this close in proximity to me. I didn’t have to inhale much to relish her sweet fragrance. Though she had sprayed some on lightly, it still packed a potent punch. As much as I had fought what I was feeling for her inside, I found her aromatically irresistible and her stunning beauty remained undeniable. No, I had not declared any feelings for her but I still felt I had been shunned by her. Distant cousin or not, Ray should not have been so brash in his effort to woo her away from me.
Again, I had made no claims on Diana, but who said I wasn’t about to before he showed up on the scene looking all debonair and like he just received the leading role in a major Hollywood film. No, I wasn’t jealous, I was furious. Furious at myself, that is. Ever since I met her, I had been denying what I was feeling for her and for allowing another to move in on her without me putting up much of a fight, figuratively, that is. If there was any debauchery, perceived or not, I was the blame for it.
Though we indulged in small talk, right up to the point I found the I-95 North sign, I really wasn’t in a talkative mood. And it showed. I knew she could sense my standoffishness.
“Sheldon is everything all right with you?” she finally asked, reaching over and touching her hand to mine.
“I’m fine, why?” I retorted.
“You just seemed a little distant ever since we dropped Ray off.”
“I’m fine,” I declared, still looking ahead at the road.
“No, you’re not fine,” she snapped back. “You’ve been pouting ever since we left the house this morning. So don’t tell me you’re fine.”
“Look, you enjoyed yourself. Am I right?”
“Yes, I most certainly did,” she answered spiritedly.
“Then that’s all that matters,” I said, continuing to gaze straight ahead.
“No, that’s not all that matters,” she came back. “Sure, I had a good time Sheldon. But I cared about you enough to want you to have a good time as well.”
“Yet, it showed, too,” I said in a sardonic tone.
“And what do you mean by that?”
“What I mean is that you acted as if you didn’t know who I was today?”
“Look, I spoke to you, off and on,” she said, her voice slightly strained.
“Try more off than on,” I retorted.
“Sheldon, I spoke to you on numerous occasions,” she insisted. “So how can you say that?”
“Because that’s the way you came off,” I said, my voice now strained.
“This is about Ray, isn’t it?” she said staring at me as I drove.
“Perhaps, perhaps not,” I declared, speeding up to pass a sixteen wheeler.
“Oh yes, this is about him, all right,” she declared, not backing down. “You’re just upset because someone paid a little attention to me.”
“Hah, I’ll let you know that I am upset because you practically ignored me all day,”
“Well, I was only being nice to one of your family members who just happen to be your cousin.”
“Hell, I only met this guy today,” I said, speeding up to pass a limousine. “You came off as though you’ve known him all of your life.”
“Like I said, I was just trying to be nice and polite to your family member,” she said, her eyes averted. “He’s a nice person and I enjoyed his company. Who wouldn’t be polite to him?”
“I have no idea.”
“Sheldon, he’s just a person I happened to have a good time with, nothing more,” she said. “We’re just friends.”
“Look, you don’t have to explain anything to me,” I said, throwing her a brief stare.
Suddenly her phone rang, loudly startling her.
She looked at it then at me, then answered it.
“Oh, hello Ray,” she began, sounding cheerful.
“Oh, we’re just friends,” I mouthed sarcastically, slowing down my speed some due to advancing traffic on my left at a merger.
I didn’t say much after the call. Hell, their c
onversation went on for another twenty minutes before it ended.
“That was your cousin Ray,” she apparently felt obligated to tell me.
“Yeah, I know,” I muttered.
“Sheldon, can I ask you something?” she said curling her lips.
“What?” I said glancing over at her.
“What do you care about whom I speak to or spend time with?” she laid into me. “I am not attached to anyone. Now, I appreciate what you have done for me, I really do. But Sheldon, I am not your woman, and you’ve made that clear to everyone, and I am not married to you.”
What had been an undercurrent had finally surfaced. She had my number and she knew it. I cared about her and deeply and I had allowed my feelings to surface and now that I had, I was paying the price for it. I had no defense. And I didn’t attempt to put one forth. “Look, you’re right Diana. You are not my woman nor are you married to me. I had no business getting into your business. I apologize for my indiscretion.” I peered over at her and saw that my words had touched her in some way. Her face was a mask of mixed emotions. I returned my focus to the road.
“Look, I know you meant well,” she said softly, “And forgive me if I came off a little harsh with you. I’m just tired, I imagine.”
“Listen, get some rest,” I advised. “It’s growing dark. And don’t worry about me. I’ll be all right. I’m a big boy.”
“You’re all right with me,” she said, stroking my arm. “I think I’m going to take your suggestion and get some shut eye.”
Grabbing a fluffy throw pillow from behind, she tucked it under the right side of her head and leaned against the passenger door. In a short while she closed her eyes and was fast asleep. Changing the urban beats CD, I put on a smooth jazz CD and lowered the volume.
It was an hour later when we arrived at the entrance to the Fort McHenry Tunnel just south of Baltimore, Maryland. It had been dark for some time now and I wanted to stop and get some Hazelnut coffee in my system to stay alert. I decided to make a stop at the next rest stop or travel center, whichever came first.
Now Wouldn't You Like to Know Page 8