“No, I just really wanted to win. You know how I dislike being underestimated.”
“Sure, Reye, whatever you say,” Sam said, preparing to walk away.
“Whatever, Sam,” she returned. “Are you coming to The Garden?”
“Sure. I’ll be there,” he said, and left the field.
Reye walked over to her truck, meeting both Stephen and Henri en route. “Good game, Reye, didn’t know you played, let alone so well,” said a smiling Henri. “Thanks,” she replied.
She looked over at Stephen, who stood covered in a thin layer of dirt and sweat. She felt his body calling out to her as she looked him over. His clothing clung to his body, reminding her of her time spent draped over him. She moved her eyes from his body to his face and she could tell from the smug smirk of his lips that he’d caught her staring.
He had been wiggling his fingers in front of her trying to get her attention, and laughed outright at the look of chagrin on her face. “We are going over to The Garden for some beer, would you like to join us?” he asked, trying to contain his laughter.
She smiled at being caught, laughing in spite of her embarrassment. “Our team is going over, too,” she said.
“Seriously,” Stephen said. “You’re a really strong player. I had to work hard to keep up with you.”
“Thank you. You’re no slouch, either,” she said, moving to open her truck door. “See you two later.”
* * *
Reye walked into The Garden to find that Sam had already secured a table for their team. The Graduates were well into their beers as they looked over their menus. Everyone had arrived. It was as always, lively at The Garden after a game, win or lose. It was loud, filled with the grunts, shouts, and friendly trash-talking that was found between teams after a game. Saturdays at The Garden were reserved for festivities surrounding the other football game, American football. Sundays at The Garden were reserved for the real “futbal”, soccer. Reye enjoyed hanging here reliving the game, where she usually accepted praise from her fellow teammates for her exceptional play. She slyly looked around The Garden searching for Stephen, who hadn’t arrived yet. So she sat, both nervous and excited, surrounded by her brother and her teammates, but only concerned about the appearance of one person. As much as she would wish those feeling away, they didn’t seem to want to go. So why not give into them? She had always taken pride in her ability to push past her fears. Why stop now? So, she decided tonight that if Stephen seemed interested still, she would go for it. Having reached this conclusion, she sat back, more than ready for him to arrive.
Stephen pulled into the parking lot with Henri riding shotgun. He cut the engine and stared out the window for a second, lost in thought. He had been quiet on the drive over, his mind occupied with Reye. What to do with her? He hadn’t called her, but he’d felt his connec tion to her reignite today on the field. He didn’t want any more rejection, but he wasn’t ready to let it go, either. He decided that if he detected any interest from her, he’d try again.
“So what’s up?” Stephen turned at Henri’s question, a little surprised. He been wrapped up in his thoughts and had forgotten Henri was there.
“What do you mean?”
“You know what I mean. You still like her?”
“Yeah, so what?”
“You haven’t asked for my opinion, but for what it’s worth, I think it’s mutual. I watched her scoping you when you were playing,” he said with a smirk. “Here’s another question for you. Why her?”
“Damned if I know,” Stephen said. With that said, they headed into The Garden.
* * *
Reye noticed him immediately as he entered with Henri. He spotted her and gave her a nod in acknowledgement. He didn’t come over, but headed instead to his team’s table. Her stomach dropped. What had she expected? She looked around her table. She’d been half listening to the conversation going on around her. It had moved on from the soccer game to graduate school stuff, which didn’t interest her. She hadn’t wanted to talk anyway; her mind was occupied elsewhere. Now that Stephen had arrived, she spent her time glancing covertly at his table. Unfortunately, he seemed engrossed in the conversation surrounding him. Okay, enough of this! She was going home. In a last ditch effort, she would stop by his table and congratulate his team on her way out. She wouldn’t continue to sit here doing nothing, watching and waiting. Sam laughed at Reye as she stood up to leave. “You’re leaving?”
“Yeah, I think so. School tomorrow.”
“Sure,” he responded sarcastically. She looked down at him, giving him the evil eye.
“What does that mean?” Reye asked as Sam looked at her, pretending innocence.
“You can’t keep your eyes off Mr. Defender is more like it.”
“Whatever. I’m out of here.” Taking a deep breath she walked over to Stephen’s table. All eyes turned to her.
“I just wanted to stop by to congratulate you all again for your win. We look forward to playing you again, and we won’t take it so easy on you next time.” She smiled and they laughed. Most looked at her through bright and shining eyes. Beer made people very friendly. Stephen sat watching her. She couldn’t read his expression, but after she finished, he introduced her to the team members as his friend. Some of them she’d recognized from the fraternity party. Henri she knew and Joe she refused to look at. Stephen retold the story of how they’d met at the airport and that he’d been surprised to see her on the field. His face as he told the story was unguarded, open, with that slightly wicked smile of his that left her feeling all liquid inside. She loved that smile. His eyes were clear, filled with humor.
At this moment, she wanted him beyond anything she’d ever felt before. “Well, good night,” she said, moving away from the table. His teammates resumed their talking and he stood up to follow her, reaching her at the door.
“I’ll walk you to your truck,” he said.
“Okay,” she said, walking through the door and out into the night. It was dark out, the lights from the garden providing very little illumination. She took the lead with Stephen following closely, his hand in the small of her back as they walked, both of them quiet. Reaching her truck she turned to face him. He stood closer to her than she’d thought.
“Thanks for walking me out.” Before she could lose her nerve she blurted out an invitation. “Would you like to come over for dinner Saturday night?” He didn’t answer, just stepped in closer to her, so close that she could see the new growth of hair on his chin. He placed both of his hands at her waist and slid them upward to rest just under her breasts. His eyes remained locked with hers and his thumbs begin to graze the undersides of them, a slow movement back and forth. Slowly he moved in and tugged her lower lip in between his teeth before settling his lips on hers, kissing her softly. She opened for him and his tongue marched in. She felt like one of those cartoons that turned into a pool of liquid and slid into a puddle on the floor. Slowly he relinquished her mouth, but he still held her.
“I would love to come to your house for dinner.”
Reye gazed into his eyes, her mind a blank canvas as she tried to gather her thoughts. They’d packed a bag, destination unknown.
“What time?” he asked, as she continued to stare back at him. Stephen gave her a small shake and asked her again, now grinning, “What time Saturday evening?”
“Seven? Do you remember where I live?”
“I remember where you live, and I have your number that you programmed into my phone in case I get lost.” He removed his hands from her body and backed away so she could get into her truck.
“See you soon,” he said as she backed her truck out and drove away.
He shook his head and smiled to himself as he watched her truck go down the road. Some of his parts needed time to cool before he went back into the restaurant. He wanted her badly. Bare, his skin touching hers, laid out before him, on top and under him, in all the ways that were possible. He would have to throw himself into his studies this w
eek if he wanted to hold on to his sanity until Saturday. Perhaps afterwards, he could finally put her into perspective. He would scratch an itch that had plagued him since the party. Who was he kidding? His obsession with Reye had begun at the airport, when she fell on her butt and then sat there, smiling and laughing at herself. He couldn’t wait.
Chapter 5
Reye arrived home just as her cell phone rang. It was Sam. “Hey, it’s my annoying big brother Sam calling,” she said by way of greeting.
“I saw you leave with Mr. Defender. Is he the one you were talking about the other night?”
“Yes, nosey, his name is Stephen. Remember when I spent the week in Dallas taking care of Jack’s rug rats?”
“Yeah.”
“Well, we met at the airport on the way back and got to know each other a little on the plane ride home.”
“You like him?”
“Yep, he invited me to a party that didn’t end too well. One of his fraternity brothers said some things about African-American women that I found offensive. I guess I needed to make sure Stephen didn’t feel the same way.”
“Are you sure now?”
“I think so. I want to try, anyway. What do you think?”
“It’s your call, your consequences. Just be careful.”
“I will.”
“You know I’m always around if you need to talk.”
“Look at you, being nice to your little sister. Thanks, Sam, that means a lot to me.” Reye hung up and her cell phone rang again. It was Stephen this time. Her heart did a little dance. Please don’t be calling to cancel, she thought. “Hello.”
“Hey, it’s Stephen. Just making sure you hadn’t changed your mind about Saturday.”
“Nope, it’s still on, and I’m looking forward to it.”
“Yeah, that makes two of us. Do I need to bring anything?”
“Nope, just you.”
“I will. Take care and I’ll see you Saturday.”
* * *
Reye’s after-school class was growing. She looked around the room at the three additional children that had joined the program since she’d started. Her group now totaled ten. She had learned a lot about the kids, and a lot about herself, since joining the center. As part of the university’s degree course work, she’d been introduced to the concept of teaching children based on the way in which they received and processed information. Luckily she’d paid attention, not realizing she’d have to put her knowledge to use so soon.
Tutoring the kids at the center had challenged her perceptions about how kids learned. Her involvement with them, her need to see them succeed, drove her to find out as much as she could to help them. Her free time was now spent reading, researching, practicing, and testing theories learned on and with the kids during the program. The belief that one could identify the way in which a particular child learned opened a door for her.
She began to understand her own issues with learning, finding answers to questions that had plagued her growing up. She now understood why she’d done better with some teachers and less so with others. Her favorite teacher had been her third grade teacher, Mrs. Sanchez, an older Hispanic lady. She’d sat with Reye, continuously reviewing the sounds that letters made, over and over until Reye understood. Reye had fallen behind her other classmates in school, and she needed the extra attention. Mrs. Sanchez had also used pictures to help Reye remember. But it had been the repetition that made the information stick with her. Mrs. Sanchez had shown so much patience, along with her mother’s help at home. Their efforts resulted in a tenfold improvement in her reading that year. Now she recognized how much Mrs. Sanchez and her mom had done for her. Armed with the knowledge regarding learning styles and with a new level of self awareness, she felt compelled to come up with the means to incorporate what she’d learned every day. She observed her kids, worked with them, seeking to identify each of their styles. More importantly, she sought a way to explain these concepts to them, hoping to arm them with tools to use to help themselves once they’d moved on from the program.
Reye settled on several funny phrases to describe the differing styles. “Seeing is Believing”, “Shake, shake, shake your body”, “Talk to me, baby”, and “Order is Among Us” were the names she created.
“Seeing is believing” was the name for the kids who learned visually, by seeing images. They typically enjoyed art and drawing and were interested in how machines worked and with inventing. They were often accused of being daydreamers in class.
“Shake, shake, shake your body” referred to the kids who processed information using physical sensations. They were highly active, not able to sit still for long periods of time, and they showed you rather than told you. They needed to touch and feel the world. They were naturally athletic and loved sports, and were quick to be labeled with attention deficient disorder.
“Talk to me, baby” described her talkers. They were joke-tellers, and language came easy to them.
“Order is among us” referred to the kids that were logical and orderly thinkers. They were the easiest to teach. They were good at figuring how things worked.
She was proud of her kids and how much they’d improved. Michael, a shy African-American boy, had joined their group a few days ago. He’d walked in the class with his head down, where it remained while he suffered though introductions to the other children. Shane, usually shy, approached him. “What are you?”
Michael lifted his head, giving Shane a puzzled look. “I’m Michael,” he answered, his voice high pitched.
Shane, not receiving the answer he needed, but not giving up yet, asked again. “I know that, but what are you?” Again, Michael looked puzzled. Shane continued, “Are you a shake, shake, shake your body?” He demonstrated by moving his hips. Reye hadn’t been able to resist adding movement to accompany that phrase, not really expecting any of the children to perform it. “Or are you a seeing is believing kid?” Not waiting for an answer, he said, “I’m a seeing is believing kid.”
Now Michael really was confused. Reye walked over to him and explained what that meant. “What Shane is trying to ask you is how you learn. He knows that we all learn differently.” She looked at Shane with a smile.
“We’ll find your learning style as we get to know you, and that will help us and you with your homework. For now, how about we finish introducing you to the other kids and show you around the center.”
* * *
It was Saturday evening and Reye was going through her pre-dinner checklist. She’d gone grocery shopping earlier in the day and purchased wine, spaghetti, salad ingredients, and bread. The meal she had planned was one of the few things she could cook decently. Who couldn’t boil spaghetti and add sauce to it? But in light of this special occasion she splurged, purchasing a more expensive brand of sauce instead of her usual Ragu.
Dessert tonight would be her if she were lucky, but just in case, she’d also purchased fruit tarts from a bakery down the street. Reye had gotten to know the family that owned it, a husband and wife with two school-age kids. She’d stop in on her way to catch the bus if she hadn’t been able to eat breakfast at home. She admired the way this family managed to incorporate the whole work-life balance thing. They owned a home in the neighborhood, owned the bakery nearby, and rode bicycles instead of driving to work. Not driving a car in Texas was saying something. She didn’t know if they owned one or not. She’d only seen them with bikes. In the morning, she’d catch a glimpse of them, the dad and the two children, helmets on everyone’s heads, backpacks secured on the backs of all three, as they rode toward school. Dad was the leader of this motley caravan, stopping to make sure they kept up and helping them to navigate around and through busy intersections. It was so cool to see them, and she loved watching them.
She’d picked up some condoms and put them in the drawer next to her bed. She’d also put some in the couch seat cushions, under the couch, in the kitchen and other strategic places around her house. Safety first, and she was a safety gir
l.
She’d heated the spaghetti sauce earlier and added a few of her secret ingredients. All that was left to do was to boil the noodles and brown the bread. The salad sat prepared and waiting in the refrigerator.
She’d spent considerable time on her body today, too. She soaked herself in a tub filled with her favorite scent and conditioned her skin until it was as soft as a baby’s bottom. Well, maybe not that soft. She donned her favorite khaki shorts that hugged her curves and came to just above her knees. She added a top in white that looked great against her skin. Next came a pair of flats and some dangling earrings, and she was done. It was casual at-home wear, but it showed off her body to per fection. She’d remembered that they both liked John Mayer, so she added his most recent CD to the mix. She was ready. The house was usually kept clean, she’d given it extra attention last night.
Stephen had stopped by the market and picked up some flowers. He couldn’t remember ever doing that before, not since prom, and even then his mother had picked those up. The Garden had been his starting point as he followed the path he’d taken walking Reye home. He parked his car behind her truck in the drive and walked up to her door. Again, he was impressed with her home. You could tell that someone took time with it. There were attractive flowers in a neat bed, the yard was cut and the hedges trimmed. Did she take care of that herself? He knocked on the door and waited. It opened almost immediately. He stood there for a second, taking in her eyes and her wide smile. She was so open sometimes that he felt afraid for her.
“Come in,” she said. He tracked her eyes as they moved to his hand and took in the flowers he held.
“These are for you,” he said, handing them over to her.
“Thank you, they are beautiful. Make yourself at home while I put these in something.” God, she thought, what was she, the hostess with the mostest straight out of a scene from a family sitcom. It was annoying sometimes, but she couldn’t help herself. Her mom had relentlessly drilled manners into her and her brothers.
Reye's Gold (Indigo) Page 6