by Nella Tyler
“I get it. And, it’s a rough world out there. So, I’ll tell you a little about myself. English is actually my second language. I was raised in Russia, and I was the captain of a submarine fleet for the Russian naval service. In fact, I was the youngest captain in history. I didn’t like the way things were changing after the wall came down in Berlin, so I decided to emigrate to the United States. I’ve obtained my citizenship here, and started my business, and as you know, I’m divorced now and have no children.”
“Your profile didn’t say much about you personally. What color eyes do you have and how tall are you, might I ask?”
“I’m 6’2” tall, and I have brown eyes. I was teased for this because everyone in my family had blue eyes. People said my mother had spent a little too much time with the postman. That never made her happy and she took it out on me. She was not a good mother. She slapped me for no reason and sometimes made me sleep outdoors in the cold when she was very angry.”
“Oh, that’s horrible. I’m so sorry to hear that. A submarine fleet; how interesting. Forgive me, but the thing that comes to mind is the movie Red October.”
“Yes, I hear that all the time.”
“But you have no accent. I would’ve never guessed you weren’t American-born.”
“I was tutored in English from up very young age. I continued my English studies throughout my military career. You can understand that that was almost a necessity, given the state of politics. I also speak six other languages. In addition to Russian, I speak German, Spanish French, English of course, and some Farsi.”
“You sound very sophisticated.”
“I suppose by American standards, it might seem so. I keep company with a certain set of people – typically, professors, CEOs, physicians, politicians, and scientists. Just last week, I had dinner at a professor’s house and after dinner, we were serenaded by a very famous violinist. I really don’t want to drop names, but suffice it to say you would recognize it.”
“I have to say I’m very impressed. Why do you having to resort to a dating site?”
“Are you suggesting that a dating site is for lesser people?”
“No, not at all. In fact, that’s one of the things I’m trying to get over. I felt that way when I first joined, but I realized that I’m a decent person, so there must be others like me.”
“So, you judge people quickly?”
“I suppose you could probably accuse me of that. It doesn’t feel very good to admit it, but listening to myself, I could see how you would arrive at that opinion.”
“Perhaps you would accompany me, very soon, to another such gathering as that which I attended the other night?”
“That sounds wonderful, actually.”
Mackenzie wondered if she had just been asked on a date. She decided to hang in there and pretend dumb until he clarified it.
“Would you like to have lunch before then?”
His words staggered Mackenzie. Not only had she managed to approach a man and talk with him on the phone, but now he was inviting her to lunch and she was actually considering accepting. This was way over the top of what Tim had requested. She decided to go for the gusto.
“Yes, as a matter of fact I would. Did you have somewhere in mind? And when?”
“Are you free on Friday?”
“Friday, yes I think so.” Friday seem to be the popular date night and although she was still stinging from her previous rejection by Bill, she decided she’d better not make any waves this time around. “Where would you like to meet?”
“Do you know that restaurant named Barnaby’s?”
“Yes, down on Standard Street, right?”
“Yes, that’s the one. Although it won’t exactly be lunch, would you be open to an early dinner at perhaps six o’clock?”
“Yes, I guess so. I don’t get off work until five, but I think I’ll have time to come home to change and still meet you there.”
“Great. I’ll be driving a black truck. Why don’t you wait for me in the parking lot so we can go in together?”
“That will be perfect. I drive a red Taurus. I’ll see you there then.”
“Forgive me, Mackenzie. I really would like to chat with you more right now, but I have schedules to draw up early tomorrow and need to get it done. Can we talk on Friday?”
“Of course, I understand. Enjoy your evening. I look forward to meeting you.”
Mackenzie tapped off her phone and the realization of what she had just done knocked her backward. Oh my God, I’ve actually got a date. I wonder if this one will follow through?
Chapter 11
Lucy saw it on her face when she got to work the next morning, as usual. “You’ve got another date, haven’t you?”
“Has anyone ever told you that you should be a spy?” Mackenzie smiled. “Yes, Friday night. And, I don’t want to hear anything more about it. Please keep it to yourself, in case it doesn’t work out.”
“Sure. Oh my gosh, I didn’t mean to embarrass you. I was trying to be your friend, to give you someone to talk to about it.”
“I get that, Lucy. But, the problem is, you’re in a very good place, in a relationship, and I’m not. It’s a little difficult for you to see it from my perspective. Do you understand that?”
“Yes, of course, you’re right. I just wasn’t thinking. Okay, from now on, if you need me, I’m here. Otherwise, I will keep my nose out of it. Will that be okay?”
“That will be very okay, thank you.” Mackenzie settled into work and was surprised when a text popped up on her telephone.
HI
Mackenzie hesitated before answering.
HELLO, THERE. WHO IS THIS?
JERRY
HOW DID YOU GET MY NUMBER?
I KNOW HOW TO USE THE INTERNET.
I’M NOT SURE I ENTIRELY LIKE THAT. IT FEELS LIKE MY PRIVACY HAS BEEN INVADED.
SORRY – NOT MY INTENT. I THOUGHT EVERYONE DID IT AS A MATTER OF COURSE.
WELL, I DON’T. I WOULD ASK FIRST.
I WON’T BOTHER YOU AGAIN. I APOLOGIZE. SEE YOU ON FRIDAY?
YES, I SUPPPOSE SO.
The conversation ended there. Suddenly, Mackenzie could understand why Bill had gotten upset. Here she was feeling as though her privacy had been invaded and all Jerry had done was research her email to find her telephone number. She had asked Bill if she could do an entire background check. Of course, he would resent that.
This certainly was a sticky business. She was going to have to give some thought to how exposed she was and how far she was willing to go with everyone she met before she wanted to definitely check them out.
She decided since she was meeting Jerry in a public restaurant, just like he was a customer or a distant cousin, there was no reason she had to know everything about him in advance. If they ever progressed to the point where she would let him know where she lived, she would run the check first.
She rolled her eyes then, realizing that he probably already had her address. For all she knew, he had driven by her house and maybe even look through her windows. The whole thing began to feel very creepy, and she had to tell herself that she was overreacting.
Mackenzie realized that she had become more anxious over the past couple of days. She wasn’t sleeping as well. At first, she had written it off as embarrassment about Bill, but now she was thinking it had more to do with the fact that she felt exposed and didn’t understand how to protect herself. She felt vulnerable and spooked. She wished she could just meet the right guy and get this all behind her.
She counted the remaining days until Friday arrived. She was tempted to take the day off, to call in sick, but knew if she did that, Lucy would assume the worst and immediately come over to the house to check on her. She really didn’t want that interference. So, she went to work as usual and simply smiled when Lucy looked at her questioningly.
She had decided to wear one of the black dresses she had purchased. The restaurant where they were meeting was far nicer than the bar where she had m
et Bill. She had laid out her stockings, slip, shoes, and jewelry before she went to work. She would have little time to change and still make the early dinner appointment.
At 5 o’clock on the dot, she was out the door and in the elevator on her way down to the car. She made it home in record time and practically leapt into the shower, turning on her curling iron before she got in. Everything was a quick once over and after brushing her teeth, she headed to the bedroom and grabbed up her hair dryer.
Fifteen minutes later she had pulled off the unbelievable. She was completely dressed, her makeup applied, her hair curled and styled, her jewelry and shoes on, and she was shoving things into her black evening bag on her way out of the door.
She drove to the restaurant and saw there was no truck in evidence as of yet. In one sense, she was glad because he gave her an opportunity to calm down a bit. She was very nervous about this encounter and the butterflies in her stomach were promising that she wouldn’t have to order very much to eat. She looked in her rear view mirror and touched up her hair and lipstick. Right about then, a black truck pulled into the parking lot and pulled up next to her.
It was nothing like she had expected. It was, indeed a black truck. What he had neglected to mention, was that there was a variety of equipment hanging off its exterior. There were all sorts of extension ladders mounted to brackets, coiled hoses, buckets, brooms, and what she assumed was several sets of harnesses fastened to the exterior on hooks. She realized this was his work vehicle. For a moment, she tried to imagine it parked in her driveway and shuddered at the thought. She would have to make an effort not to judge people so harshly, she told herself.
A man climbed out of the cab of the truck. For a moment, Mackenzie thought she must have the wrong truck. The man who climbed out looked nothing like his picture and certainly was not 6’2” in height. This was confirmed when she emerged from her car at his wave and when he came toward her, she realized that he was actually shorter that her.
He grinned, and she noticed there was something a little odd about his smile, but was so self-possessed with what he thought of her that she didn’t think it through.
“Hello, it’s nice to meet you,” he said to her. “Why don’t we go in and have dinner?”
“Nice to meet you, as well, Jerry.”
He was staring at her in a very obvious, and even rude, manner. She wasn’t sure what he was looking at and wondered for a moment if she had toilet paper beneath her heel or the back of her dress wasn’t entirely fastened.
They went inside the restaurant and were seated by a waiter at a table in a corner. That’s when she noticed that Jerry had a bag in his hand. “Here, this is for you,” he said, shoving the bag across the table with an air of resentment.
Embarrassed, Mackenzie said, “You shouldn’t have done that, but thank you. That was very generous.”
“That’s okay. You can open it now or maybe you just want to save it until you get home. It doesn’t matter to me.”
Mackenzie thought that was a rather odd thing to say and wondered if that was due to his military upbringing. At least she hadn’t been so rude as to point out the fact that he was at least eight inches shorter than what he told her.
At that point, a waitress came to the table to take their drink order. Mackenzie led by ordering a glass of burgundy. Jerry looked at her momentarily with a bit of disgust on his lips and then told the waitress he just wanted water. Mackenzie was instantly humiliated, wondering whether she had overlooked the fact that perhaps he was a teetotaler or whether she had just blown his dinner budget. Just in case the latter was true, she decided to only order a salad so it would round out to a lower price.
“I would love it if you would let me treat for dinner,” she said thoughtfully. She thought to herself that perhaps this would alleviate whatever anxiety he was having any would relax and unwind.
“Okay.” That was all he said.
The waitress brought their drinks and Mackenzie lifted her wine glass to take a sip, hoping it would calm her nerves. There was something not entirely right about this meeting, but she was going to convince herself to be optimistic. She knew she had a tendency to overreact and it wasn’t fair to him to penalize the date for that reason.
“So, I was very interested in hearing about your military career. It isn’t often that one has the opportunity to talk to someone who was considered an enemy not so many years before.”
Jerry turned and glared at her. “Enemy?”
She blushed and humiliation again. She felt as though she was sticking her foot in her mouth every time she said something. “I’m sorry. I meant no offense. You have to admit it’s an unusual situation, and I was simply curious.”
He picked up his water glass and motioned to the waitress. “I need a straw,” he said abruptly. The waitress seem surprised. Mackenzie had to admit she was, as well. The waitress had thoughtfully put his water into wine glass so both of them had a similar vessel from which to drink.
She didn’t argue, however, and reappeared moments later with a straw and handed it to him. As Mackenzie watched, Jerry removed the wrapper from the straw, placed it in the glass, positioned it carefully deep within his mouth and sucked noisily. Mackenzie noticed he had a very pronounced pucker to his lips.
“I don’t think I told you, but my grandmother was from Germany and we spoke German in the home when I was a little girl.” Mackenzie went on to ask him what his favorite color was in German. Jerry simply ignored her. She thought this a bit strange and drawing upon her high school Spanish, she asked the same question in that language. Again, Jerry in order ignored her.
The waitress had left a menu, and he grabbed it now and immediately opened it to the back panel where the side dishes were listed.
“Please order whatever you like,” she offered. Jerry pursed his lips as though approving. When the waitress returned, he ordered the steak and lobster combination, a stuffed baked potato, fresh asparagus, dinner croissants, and baked Alaska for dessert. Mackenzie flinched internally, recognizing that his dinner alone would cost probably a hundred dollars. She meekly ordered a salad for herself, which caused him to glare at her once again.
“I see that when you are paying, you go cheap.”
Mackenzie was so astounded, she assumed she must’ve misheard him. No one could be that rude.
When the waitress brought Jerry’s dinner, he told her to go back to the kitchen and bring him more melted butter. Mackenzie realized then why he needed more. It seemed that he enjoyed his meal more if there was butter spread all over his face, down his clothes, and even to the point of dripping off his lap onto the floor. She watched his eating with a sense of nausea. However, this was when Jerry pointed out something that made it all understandable.
“By the way,” he said. “I’m saving up and will probably get my teeth in about four years.”
She frowned, misunderstanding. “Your teeth? You mean you need to have your teeth fixed?”
Jerry shook his head. He turned towards her and opened his mouth wide, at which point she saw there was not a single tooth in his mouth. Add that to the fact that he was wearing a lobster bib, he looked quite hilarious. Mackenzie was torn between the impulse to laugh and to be horrified.
In all of their conversation so far, he had neglected to tell her that he had no teeth. At least it accounted for why he puckered so often. It also accounted for why everything he ate traveled down his clothing. He literally had no ability to hold food in his mouth. She simply didn’t know what to say.
“It was a car accident,” he said. “I was sitting at a red light minding my own business, and this bitch in a minivan decided to come over into my lane when there was no room. So, she tried to push my truck off onto the shoulder.”
“Do you mean to say that she pushed you so hard, that it hit you in the head?” Mackenzie was trying to visualize how this had happened.
“Hell, no. Her stinking minivan against my truck? Are you kidding?”
“I don’t u
nderstand.”
“Well, if you would listen, I would explain it to you. When she tried to push me off the road, I threw the truck in park and went over to wipe the street with her. What I didn’t know was that her husband or boyfriend or maybe pimp was in the passenger seat and saw me coming. He jumped out and punched me in the face.”
“Oh my gosh, what did you do?” Mackenzie couldn’t help but be fascinated by this bizarre behavior. In all her life, she’d never been around anyone who had such a pronounced lack of manners.
“I kicked him in the balls and when he fell to the street, I kicked his head in. What do you think I did?”
Mackenzie was frozen. She had no idea what to do next.
“By the way,” he said. “As long as we’re talking about truth in appearances, I’d like to know why you lied to me?”
“Excuse me?”
“Your boobs.”
“My what?”
“Exactly. In your picture, you made it look like you were at least a D cup. Sitting here, I say you’re AA at the best. Why would you lie about such a thing?”
Mackenzie was so flabbergasted, she was shaking. There were no words adequate for the situation. She turned in her chair, stood, and walked toward the kitchen and requested their waiter. She told him to give her the bill, at which point she handed him a credit card and he processed it and handed her card back.
Mackenzie made a beeline for the door and for her car. She heard a commotion behind her and turned to see Jerry, running out of the restaurant toward her. “Wait a minute!” he shouted. “You owe me an explanation and I’m not full yet. I want to try the Cherries Jubilee.”
She unlocked her car and flew in, starting it up without even buckling her seatbelt. Jerry tried to block her by standing behind the car, so she pulled forward into the grass between the parking lot and the street. Her car almost got stuck in the shallow ditch, but she persisted and finally made it onto the pavement.
She had driven almost two miles before it all hit her. She had the dual reaction of wanting to cry and scream simultaneously. Never in her entire life had she ever heard, much less witnessed such behavior.