by Rich Amooi
“Ha! Not bad? Your eyes are still closed, so I think it was much better than ‘not bad.’”
Ellie opened her eyes and blushed. “Okay, it was … outstanding. Just don’t let it go to your head.”
“Too late. By the way, I’ll be having my very first sushi experience with you.” Cedric grabbed her hand, smiled, and led her into the restaurant.
Chapter Twenty-Five
Ellie glanced around the packed restaurant, admiring the many happy faces and moving chopsticks. “I can’t believe you’re a sushi virgin.”
Cedric laughed. “I’m a creature of habit. I have so many things that I enjoy, I didn’t think it was necessary to try anything new.”
Ellie smiled. “What made you change your mind?”
“You.”
“Me? What did I do?”
“Let’s just say you inspire me to get out of my comfort zone.”
They sat and Cedric agreed to let Ellie order various items from the menu and a couple of beers. When the first order arrived, Cedric perked up and pointed to the plate. “What’s that again?”
“California Roll. Avocado and crab. I wanted to break you in slowly.”
Cedric awkwardly pick up one of the rolls with his chopsticks and then dropped it on the table. He tried again, this time dipping it in soy sauce, and squeezing it into his mouth. He nodded and chewed. “Love it.”
“You need to mix some wasabi with the soy sauce and ginger.”
“No, no, no. I had a friend who mistook wasabi for avocado and almost died after a spoon full. I’ll start off slow, as you suggested. No wasabi.”
“That’s fine. I’m impressed with your enthusiasm so far.”
They were silent for a spell and ate. Then Cedric broke the silence. “I want to let you know even though we’re not talking, I’m still enjoying your company and think you’re incredible. There, I said it.” He grabbed another California Roll and dipped it in soy sauce.
“Likewise.”
Vlad walked up, picked up one of Ellie’s California Rolls with his fingers, dipped it in her soy sauce, and popped it in his mouth. “Mmm. So good. Just like you, baby.” He licked his fingers. Cedric stood up and opened his mouth to say something, but Vlad cut him off. “Easy tiger. I just stopped by to say hello to Ellie. I saw her car outside.”
“Judging by her body language, she doesn’t look like she wants to talk with you.”
Vlad inspected Cedric from head to toe and then shrugged, looking back to Ellie. “What are you doing with this guy, Ellie? You deserve better.”
Ellie signed. “And you’re better? Please leave.”
“We all have flaws, Ellie.” He grabbed a piece of her edamame and ate it.
Cedric stepped closer to Vlad. “Get out of here. Now.”
Vlad laughed. “Okay, tough guy. But make sure you ask her to tell you about the time she killed her mother.”
“You bastard.” Ellie pushed Cedric out of the way and punched Vlad in the chest.
“Is everything okay?” asked the waitress. “You want police?”
“I am the police,” said Vlad. “And I was just leaving.”
Ellie and Cedric sat back down as Vlad walked out of the restaurant. The waitress placed another order on the table and Cedric pointed to it. “What’s this one?”
The waitress smiled. “Spider roll.”
As the waitress walked away, Cedric slid the plate in front of Ellie. “Don’t know about this one … spiders. Hmm. There’s a Mexican place downtown that serves deep-fried grasshoppers.”
Ellie forced a smile. “Spider Roll is just a name. There aren’t actual spiders in it.”
Cedric grinned. “Is that right? Please tell me more.”
She could see what type of person Cedric was. Kind and compassionate. He obviously knew what just happened was embarrassing to her and he was trying to distract her. Sweet. She could kiss him for that. She also felt she needed to say something, to explain things. “He likes to torture me.” Her eyes started to burn.
“Well, he’s gone now. We can just pretend like it never happened.”
Ellie wiped her eyes and forced another smile. “It’s probably good for you to know the truth. He wasn’t always an asshole. The change occurred after he started working on the force. It was like things changed and that was all he cared about. I didn’t want to be with someone who valued money more than they valued their relationships.”
“I get it, but it’s the past and it’s time to move on.”
“Well …” She looked toward the door. “The problem is, my past doesn’t want to go away.” She took a sip of her beer and set it down.
“He’ll get what’s coming to him.”
She nodded. “As for my mom, he’s right. I blame myself for her death.”
Cedric covered her hand with his. “You don’t have to talk about it, if you don’t want to.”
“Thanks, but since we’re getting to know each other, it’s probably good you know. This particular story is connected to my … issue.”
“You only have one issue? I’m impressed.”
Ellie smiled and kissed Cedric on the cheek. “You’re a doll.” She took another sip of beer. “But let me tell you.”
“Okay.”
“I was tied up at work one day; we were preparing for a used book sale. I lost track of time and I didn’t get my mom to the airport on time for her flight. She was going to see my aunt in North Carolina, who was very sick. Because of me, she missed her flight by five minutes. So … my mom had to take the next flight and—” Ellie pulled a tissue from her purse and wiped her eyes. “Well …” She thought for a moment. “Because I made her miss her flight, she got on the next one, and that plane crashed.”
“I’m sorry.”
Ellie wiped her eyes again. “They say that things happen for a reason, which I normally agree with. But, you know what? I haven’t been able to figure out the reason for removing these precious people from my life.”
“You can’t blame yourself for those things.”
“I can and I do. That’s why Julio says I’m obsessed with punctuality. That’s why I freaked out when you were late today. That’s why I freak out when anyone is late. Five minutes was all my mom needed and she’d still be alive today.”
“You don’t know that. Something else could’ve happened. Anything could happen to us on any given day. I could have died from that golf ball hitting my head or I could even get hit by a UPS truck.” Ellie smacked him on the arm and sniffled. “We can’t predict the future and there are some things that are just out of our hands.”
“I could have prevented her death, I know that. She died because I was late.”
“I don’t want to argue with you, but let me say this. The day I met you on the corner? I was on my way to an appointment and was running five minutes late.”
“Right. I get it. You didn’t die that day. I’m not saying something bad is going to happen every single time you’re late. I’m just saying bad things can happen when you stray from the plan.”
“And good things. Or amazing things. Or the best thing ever in your entire life.”
“I highly doubt that.”
Cedric scooted closer to Ellie and grabbed her hands. “Okay, I’m going to start again, but this time, let me finish what I have to say. Promise?”
“Promise.”
“Okay. I had an appointment and I was running five minutes late. Now for me, I don’t have a problem at all with being late, because if I hadn’t been five minutes late that day, I wouldn’t have met you.”
Ellie sat there and stared at Cedric for a moment. A tear fell from her eye and she could see Cedric’s eyes follow it as it traveled down her cheek.
“Now I know we’ve only just begun.” He wiped her tear away. “And I know there’s still so much we don’t know about each other. But holy hell, I met you because I was late! And that’s the best thing that has happened to me in years. So what do you have to say about that?”
&n
bsp; Ellie sniffled and smiled. “Kiss me you fool.”
Cedric kissed her on each cheek and followed it up with a kiss on the lips. “God, this is scary …”
“Death?”
“No. I was thinking about how good this feels. You and me.”
“Yeah …”
“Pardon the urge, but I want to kiss you again.”
“What a coincidence, I want you to kiss me.”
Cedric kissed her and smiled. “Now I guess I need to eat some spiders.”
Ten minutes later, they finished the last of the sushi and beers. Ellie felt much better and more relaxed, enjoying Cedric’s company.
“This place is amazing and I definitely want to return,” said Cedric. “But I want to take you somewhere else. Somewhere special. If we hurry, we can get there before it gets dark.”
“Where?”
“It’s a surprise.”
“I swear, you’re just like my grandpa Frank.”
“Is that good or bad?”
Ellie pretended to think about it for a moment. “Good, I suppose.”
“Good to know. I think he’s a pretty cool guy. You okay with leaving your car here?”
“Of course.”
“Great. We need to stop by my house and pick up a hairy boy who’s going to be very happy to see you.”
Fifteen minutes later, Cedric drove down Highway 101 South as Tofu sat on Ellie’s lap, perfectly content being pampered.
Tofu reached up and gave Ellie’s chin a lick.
Cedric looked at Tofu. “Hey, stop that.”
Ellie laughed. “You jealous?”
“Hell yeah I am.”
As they passed through Morgan Hill, Ellie said, “The outlets in Gilroy?”
Cedric glanced over to Ellie and then moved his eyes back on the road, laughing. “You think the outlets are the special place I wanted to take you to? Obviously, you’ve forgotten I’m a guy and most guys don’t like shopping.”
“Yes, I guess I forgot. You may need to refresh my memory.”
“You just wait until I stop this car.” Cedric turned into the farm.
“Promises, promises.” Ellie smiled up at the countless palm trees along both sides of the entrance to the farm. “Syagrus romanzoffiana.”
“Bless you. Kleenex?”
Ellie laughed. “That’s the scientific name for queen palm trees. I just love them.”
“And they are native to?”
“Is this another round of drill the librarian?”
“Yes. Your answer?”
“South America.”
“More specifically, please.”
“Northern Argentina. Eastern Brazil, and Bolivia.”
Cedric parked in front of the garage, turned off the engine, and leaned into Ellie. “Very impressive. You’ve just won a hundred kisses.”
Ellie pushed him away. “That’s just not going to do. Double or nothing.”
“Okay.” Cedric thought for a moment. “Largest populated city in the world.”
“Shanghai. Eighteen million and change.”
“Smallest town in the U.S.”
“Ha! Buford, Wyoming.”
“Population?”
Ellie gave Cedric the ‘you think I don’t know this?’ look. “One.”
Cedric turned to Ellie. “One what?”
“One person.”
“Impossible.”
“No it’s not.”
“Yes it is.”
“Nope.”
“Yup.”
Ellie watched Cedric as he ran his fingers through his hair, obviously considering the possibility of a town of one.
“God,” he said. “The poor bastard must be lonely.”
“Why would you assume the person is a he?”
“Because men can be idiots.”
She smiled. “Well, I certainly can’t argue with that. But, maybe … it’s a woman who is hiding from those so-called idiots?”
“You need to stop doing that.”
“What?”
“It’s bad enough your beauty almost debilitates me. Add your intelligence into the mix and I’m just a blubbering mass of helplessness.”
“So, I can take advantage of you?”
Cedric grinned. “Yes, please.”
Ellie slid across and gave him a kiss. She wanted it too. She loved the conversations with Cedric. They were fun and energetic and stimulating.
Cedric broke the kiss and smiled. “Come on, time for a tour.” He opened his door and Tofu jumped out, making a beeline for the chickens.
He grabbed Ellie’s hand and walked with her through the garlic field. Ellie inhaled deeply and moaned as she exhaled. “Love that smell.”
“Yeah. I never get tired of it.”
“How many acres do you have?”
“Thirty. They give us around three hundred thousand pounds of garlic every year.”
She looked around, considering the quantity. “That’s amazing.”
“We don’t sell everything. Twenty percent of the harvest is saved to plant next year.”
“Still, I’m in awe.”
“Well, compared to the big time farmers, it’s just a drop in the bucket. But I can’t complain. I’m grateful for what I have.”
Humble. Ellie liked that about Cedric. “How did farming in your family begin?”
“It started with my grandfather, Papa George,” Cedric said proudly. “He discovered a variety of garlic on a visit to Spain many years ago and thought it was the most flavorful garlic in the world. He had never tasted something so bold—with a denser concentration of nutrients and minerals. The Spanish had been cultivating it there for centuries. He was so excited about it that he brought it here and planted it in his yard. Five years later, he bought a farm with a partner and became an instant garlic farmer. A few years after that, he outgrew that farm, sold it, and bought a bigger one. This farm. In fact, I’m trying to buy that original property to build a garlic museum there.”
“That’s wonderful.”
“Papa George was a genius. He knew everything there was to know about farming. He nurtured the seeds over the years and now we are one of only two commercially grown heirloom garlic farms in the entire United States. That was long before Gilroy was promoted as the garlic capital of the world. But you probably know it’s really not the garlic capital.”
Ellie smiled. “China produces almost eighty percent of the world’s garlic.”
“Yeah, but who has the best garlic?”
“Uh … Cedric Johnson?”
“Well, technically, Papa George, but it’s all in the family. It’s something I’m very proud of, but to be honest, I have a lot of help.”
“From who?”
“The Garcia family, consisting of my best friend Tony and his mom and dad, Antonio and Ana.”
“Is this the same Tony who put you on the dating website?”
“The one and only. You’ll meet him soon. In fact, I would like to apologize ahead of time for everything that he says and does.”
Ellie laughed.
Even as they stood in the middle of the farm, admiring the acres of garlic, Ellie still had a hard time picturing Cedric as a farmer. More like a world-class athlete or swimsuit model.
Great.
The thought of Cedric half-naked had her craving another kiss and even more than that.
Cedric held her hand up. “Your hand is sweaty. You thinking about last night?”
Ellie blushed. “Maybe.”
Cedric pulled her against him and kissed her. This kiss felt different. Better. More intimate. She was falling for Cedric, and it was getting more special by the minute. No turning back now. Not that she wanted to.
Cedric deepened the kiss and she wondered if it would be wrong to rip off his clothes right there in the field.
“Hola Cedric,” came a yell from the guesthouse. “¿Qué tal?”
Cedric waved. “¡Muy bien! Traigo a una amiga conmigo.”
No way. Cedric spoke Spanish. Ell
ie looked back toward the guesthouse at an older Hispanic couple holding hands. Obviously Antonio and Ana.
Ellie turned back to Cedric with her mouth open. “You’re fluent?”
“Sí, señorita.”
“I must say, the more time I spend with you, the more you impress me.”
“I would have to say the same about you.” Cedric kissed her on her head and walked toward the guesthouse to meet the Garcias.
After the introductions, Ana said, “Well, you must be a special woman, Cedric never brings women here.”
“Never,” added Antonio.
Ellie turned to Cedric. “Is that so?”
Cedric shrugged. “I guess you’re a little bit special. Or a lot.”
Ana waved them into the house. “Come. I’ll prepare something for you.”
“We just ate,” said Cedric. “But thank you.” He turned to Ellie. “We’ll need to come back another day for breakfast so you can try Ana’s chilaquiles. It’s the most amazing thing in the world.”
“Gracias, hijo.” Ana kissed Cedric on the cheek.
Antonio pointed to the farm next door. “You have to take her to see the cherries. They’re ready.”
“Great idea. We’ll see you later.”
They walked down the path toward the cherry farm and Cedric grabbed Ellie’s hand.
Ellie smiled. “Antonio and Ana are sweet.”
“They’re the best.”
“Arf!”
Cedric and Ellie turned around and watched as Tofu ran toward them.
“Looks like someone was pissed off to be left behind.”
Ellie laughed and bent down to stroke Tofu on his back. “Did you think we were going to leave you, Tofu? We wouldn’t do that!”
It was happening again. Cedric was getting attached to a woman. Ellie broke through his crusty barrier and conquered his heart. And he loved the feeling. As he held Ellie’s hand and led her to his cherry farm, he hoped her feelings were as strong as his. He smiled just thinking about how happy he was.
“What?” Ellie obviously noticed his smile.
“Nothing.”
“Right. Nothing. You going to be one of those typical guys who hides his feelings or are you going to have some balls and say what’s on your mind?”
Cedric laughed. “Well, since you put it that way, I’m going to show you my balls.”