by Dave Welch
“Sore ua jūbun ni anata nonagia o torimashita,” a sweet and melodious voice commented.
I then turned to my immediate right, and in the corner next to the stairs, I saw her. The splendid…
Okani.
Posthaste, her smell doubled with intensity.
She stood propped up against the wall with her arms folded just like her brother. I looked at her heart-melting sight with no words to follow.
“Hmm…” she smirked as she unfolded her arms.
She walked over to me seductively.
“Koko ni. Watashitoisshoni arukimasu,” she softly stated while holding out her hand.
I didn’t have a clue what she was saying, which was probably why I hadn’t said anything yet. All I knew was that she was holding her hand out to me… Me!
I looked down to her hand for a moment before I reached out and gently grabbed it. From there, she and I walked slowly through the stadium corridor.
Man, I drifted off to paradise.
Her hands were so soft. It felt like I was carrying a tiny piece of a cloud.
We had been walking for a while before she began speaking softly again.
“Watashi wa hontōni dai kazoku o motte imasu. Kōri to watashi wa betsu no hahaoya o mōtte imash. Kare no hahaoya no Ñaijeria. Kare no hahaoya no Nihon. Watashihochichi wa kare no unmei o sai keisei shimashita Senso ga kita toki,” she said.
All of this foreign talk was going clean over my head. I was yet too in love to even care. But I still wanted to know what she was saying.
“I love this language you’re speaking. What is it?” I queried.
She looked into my eyes as she continued to walk slowly. I was trying so hard to keep my hands from sweating. I never had a woman come onto me like this.
“It’s Japanese…” She mumbled.
I just stared back into her beautiful eyes.
“I want to understand you.” I said.
“Sorekara watashi wa, eigo de hanasudeshou,” she replied.
“My father’s first wife was killed during a terrorist attack. Corey was just a baby then. The attack was sudden. You couldn’t brace for it. She was shot with an assault rifle. The bullets tore her limbs from her body. My father grabbed Corey in his arms and took off running as fast as he could.
One day he collapsed in front of a farmhouse and the owners took him and Corey in.
After hearing his story, the owners milked their goats and gave him about a week's food supply for them both. They gave him a duffel bag to keep the food, as well as several baby bottles, diapers, and even some extra cash for his travels. My father told me that he was so full of energy that he failed to notice his exhaustion. He used to tell me about how he’d stop running at night just to feed Corey. And after that, he would take off running again as fast as he could. As strong and as resilient as my father was, he was still only human. Some say that he was… Something else.” She explained.
“He finally passed out after reaching the outskirts of China. And that’s where my mother found him, still holding Corey very tight to his chest. They were balled up together, hiding behind an old decrepit building. He told me that my mother was walking by a large mass of rubble when she felt his heart beating. The vibration was so strong that it sent tiny tremors through the ground.” She said.
“My mother told me that she took it upon herself to nurse the two back to health. My father was holding Corey so tight that she had to pry him from his grip.” She giggled.
“It’s a wonder he didn’t crush him. If it hadn’t been for my mother, none of us would be here today.” She expressed.
“Wait… Your father traveled over how many miles?” I asked.
“Over 8,000 miles,” she answered.
“On foot?”
“On foot.” She inserted. “My brother’s childhood has always been fast-paced.”
Later, we reached an elevator with a sign next to it, reading ‘Restricted Access’. Under this sign (next to the elevator door) sat a small card scanner with an even smaller red light emitting from it.
Okani pulled out her access card and tapped it against the panel. The elevator doors opened. We entered as the doors slowly closed. Now it was just me and her.
In the elevator, she let go of my hand and wiped the excess sweat on the rear of her pants. She put her hands into her coat pockets as she looked over to me, giggling.
My palms had begun to sweat. I tried to stop this from happening, but I couldn’t. This queen opened up to me so much, that I truly didn’t have much to say, not at the present moment. I mean, the questions were there; they just hadn’t revealed themselves yet.
“So, how many languages do you speak?” I finally quizzed.
“Four,” she replied. “Derrick?”
I turned to look into her eyes.
“I am a hopeless romantic woman,” she said.
‘Man, I’m a hopeless romantic too,’ I thought to myself.
“I have no man because everyone assumes that I’m already taken. I have been poor but now I am successful. I appreciate the small things in life because I know how it feels to sleep outside, with only rice and kidney beans to eat.” She disclosed with a whispering voice of triumphant love.
I wished that the elevator ride would last for a few seconds more. Cause I could see myself kissing her.
The elevator doors opened, and she exited with haste.
We entered the lower levels of the stadium as the walk slowed in its pace. And there we were, staring directly into the Giant’s tunnel. Pretty soon, I heard the crowd and the players, the coaches, the refs and the cheerleaders. Everything was rocket loud.
Okani spoke with a watered-down accent that prompted me to ask more questions.
“I am in love with love. My heart is too big to sit alone, to age gracefully in my tiny chest,” she noted.
Everything she said somehow changed me. It was her choice of words that did it.
We neared the edge of the tunnel’s entry as the bright lights pierced into our eyes.
“I had no treehouse, no fancy meals, no boyfriends. But some guys liked me…” she said while folding her arms.
She looked out into the crowd of football players. I was still in shock because all this was happening so fast. I wanted to tell her how I felt, but I thought it was too soon to mention.
“You seem misconceived,” she gently noted.
“Naa… I’m just counting the days. I mean, I’m cherishing this moment. Cause I really…” I paused.
I hadn’t found the words, the right words. I wasn’t sure if I could just come out and tell her about my infatuation.
Should I just say it?
“You really, what?” She asked while piercing into my soul with those hypnotic eyes of infectious beauty.
“I’m digging you, Okani. When I first saw you, I felt my life changing. I couldn’t escape you. Your smell alters my walking. It forces me to a crawl. And I don’t know how to combat that.” I cried.
“Maybe you shouldn’t,” she whispered.
She stepped closer to me as her impeccable odor surged through my nostrils like an electric current. Her presence could power a nuclear plant. She grabbed my hand as the crowd rallied in vehement clamor. I just knew we were about to kiss.
“I am not your average woman. I know what I want, and I am not too fond of the traditional style of American courtship. Please, Mr. Derrick, do not confuse me for a whore.” She expressed.
“Oh, never that!” I hollered.
“I just refuse to dismiss this feeling so… early in makeup. Derrick, I spend about five to ten minutes in the mirror, and I’ve waited too long. I’ve waited forever for my love to just rot away. So now I’ve chosen.” She confessed, stepping closer to my ear.
I immediately felt my thug wither away like a poisoned weed. It was at that moment when I forgot about everything.
“You’ve taken my heart…and all you did was show up,” she confided.
Okani softened me so much that I teare
d up.
We stared into each other’s eyes for so long that I lost track of time. Okani was so gorgeous, but her personality and style lapped her physical appearance by hundreds of strides. This was truly the epitome of a woman. She’s the living product of every man’s dream.
“In irony, or in paradox to my farcical feelings…I know you.” She whispered in my ear. “It’s going to be really laborious for you and I to be. And I don’t want to change you, Crane.”
My eyes stretched wide from this bluntly rude shift in notable substance.
“You are a fugitive, a wanted man. Only Canieya and I, and maybe one other lady, know who and where you are. But, do not fret, I plan to keep my findings a secret. Father Quincy and my brother are not aware.” She affirmed.
“I don’t want you to lose your faith in me, Crane. So therefore, I will keep this secret between us for as long as the tides flow.”
Her words cut like a double-edged sword, and I craved for her even more. She was like crack and heroin mixed up into one.
“I—I can change!” I cried as she stepped back from me, shaking her head in dissension.
She put her hands in her pockets again and looked down at her clothes.
“You like my boots and my fishnets?” She asked.
I grabbed my face to keep from overloading the setting with rocky and volatile comments. She was, ‘pushing the limit.’
“I picked it out just for you…” she admitted.
I breathed roughly because I wanted her so bad now.
“I’m a virgin,” she secretly announced.
“Oh, God…” I exploded from an unsettling lust.
This craving desire was insoluble and wickedly granted.
Feverishly, I giggled, wiping the small drops of sweat from my face which cooled the flames of my fiery heart.
“Why you laugh? Sounds too good to be true?” She asked.
“Yea, it does. I should’ve known it was something.”
“It always is,” she briefly inserted while looking out to the crowd ahead.
“Did my brother tell you about my crush?”
“Yeah, he did.”
“Did you believe him?”
“No. I didn’t.”
“And that you shouldn’t. My brother is everywhere. He’s all over the place, and he says a lot of things that aren’t necessarily true - not yet.” She hinted, winking her eye.
“Winning me over won’t be a walk among daisies. But when you do, and you will, my love will be eternal, Crane.”
“Nooo… Hey wait?” I wailed as she began to walk away.
“How do I do that?” I asked sincerely.
She then stopped just long enough to indulge in my questioning. She shrugged her shoulders.
“Who knows, Arlo. Maybe the arrows of Amor will favor us in the future… But for now, take this idea of acquaintance as an awkward or embarrassing compilation of ridiculous discoveries.” She bellowed with a warm and beguiling smile.
Then, I was done.
I felt like a big nothing.
The goddess slowed in her perfected stride. I was still stuck near the green turf.
“Huh?” I bleated.
She stopped.
“You looking for some other way to verbally lower my expectations?” I cried with disappointment.
Hell, I was already on the edge. What else could this life give me instead of revenge? Death? Ha! That would be a gift in my eyes. Alternatively, love would evade me. But the goddess was still standing there with her back turned.
“I am sorry for your loss,” she expressed with passion.
I hesitated, astounded by how much she knew.
“Thank you.” I mumbled.
She looked over her shoulder, smirking softly.
“Watashi wa anata no kurēn o aishi,” Okani mumbled as she gracefully stepped away- into the bisecting hall.
“What the fuck are you saying?” I growled.
I wanted to chase her, but I couldn't because I had been stabbed to death. I had been, what they called, let down and creatively, I might add.
Her silence answered my question, followed by the interruption of her footsteps. Her sturdy steps clicked against the grounds below her urbanity, and her smell dissipated into the roars of the crowd.
I dropped my head, alone and confused, then turned around slowly to view the game from the tunnel’s entry. I watched, veritably foolish, invalidated and poisoned from love’s venomous sting.
It was only minutes before halftime when I found my way back to the club level. Again, I saw the clergy sitting in patience as I approached.
“What happened?” He asked as I finally plopped down in my seat. “You get her number? Where is she?”
Damn, Quincy was Johnny-on-the-spot with his questioning. However, he was onto something. The goddess hadn’t returned to her seat. She was like a ghostly vapor, that lifted into a cloudy fluff in the sky.
“Nope. No number,” I replied.
“Aggghhhh…that’s ok. Hey! You want some popcorn. They got some good popcorn here.”
“Naw man. I just lost my appetite.” I hissed.
Quincy stared into my eyes for a moment, smiling with hope as usual. sat back into our comfortable seats and finished watching the Speedster display his locomotive skills.
I came to a certain form of peace as time clicked the game to an end. The Giants won by a tremendous number of points.
Father Quincy and I took our leave from the stadium. We waited on the thousands of fans to depart first.
Who am I kidding…? I was waiting on Okani.
Quincy remained happy while I was brokenhearted. He talked away as I concealed my true feelings.
There were so many people in the stadium, so many conversations, so many smells. Quincy was talking low as if I could hear him over the louder noises. He would ask a question, and I would fail to answer, neglecting even my original designated remarks. I wasn’t being mean. I just couldn’t hear his ass.
The various walla and hundreds of voices dwindled in volume as we approached the exit.
“It’s no wonder they scored so many points. Did you see how fast he was running? It’s like his body is mechanically driven. I think he’s a car in human form.” The clergy stated.
“Uh-huh,” I quickly inserted.
Quincy kept talking. I wanted to explode so badly, but I was fighting between two different images… Two different urges playing tug-of-war with my emotions. I didn’t want to forget about Bookie, and I didn’t want to just give up on Okani.
“I think Corey should run in the Olympics. What do you think?” Asked the clergy.
I was still pondering and walking.
“Derrick?”
“Huh!” I hollered while looking over at him.
“What do you think?”
“Oh…yea.”
I didn’t know what he said. I was just responding out of admiration.
“I know, right?” He quickly added.
By this time, we had reached the exit doors. As we passed through, I heard a voice from a nearby corner.
“Egh!” someone screamed.
Quincy and I turned and there stood the Speedster.
Once again, startled by his sudden air, Quincy and I batted our eyes in amazement.
Corey stood up against the stadium walls with his arms folded as usual. Strange enough, was this precipitous viewing. But what was even odder, was that Corey was already in his civilian clothing. Unlike Father Harmon, who still donned his clerical attire. I started to think that these were the only clothes he had.
“Holy shit, man. Aren’t you supposed to be in the locker room?” I asked.
“Man, guess who I just ran into?” He responded. “The owner of Green Bay. He just offered me twice as much to trade teams.”
He gazed off into the distance like some sort of hero.
“How’d you get out here so fast?” Asked the clergy.
“You know what I told him?” The speed demon retorted as he b
egan to walk off.
The Speedster was purposely ignoring our questions like we already knew the answers. And, he was walking off like we weren’t in conversation. Or maybe he thought that we would take off behind him. Whatever the case was, the Speedster was still talking like we were right beside him.
“I told that fool I got nine kids to feed. Deez nuts! You damn right I’ll trade that 12.” He hollered in complete, but puzzling communiqué.
Quincy turned and looked at me. He was so confused, I almost burst out laughing. He then took off behind the Speedster.
“Ah man, this cat is fucked up.” I mumbled to myself.
I rubbed my hand through my head, and I walked off towards my car. My urge to kill returned with the swift beating of my heart.
Suddenly, I heard a goddess whispering aloud in my ear.
“Kon nani hayaka nolco shimasu?” A sweet and seductive voice echoed.
A mesmerizing smell whipped my vengeful rage to a pudding. And even though I had convoked a fair quota of resistance, my body turned in rebellion. I lost all sense of self-control.
I turned to see her…
Okani.
She was leaning against her red sports car. She had her arms folded, filling the pose with so much sex appeal. I couldn’t help myself. I began to smile uncontrollably because I just knew that I wasn’t going to see her again. She looked down to the ground as I approached. It was like she was blushing. Was she blushing? No, she couldn’t have been shy. Not Okani.
“Where are you going?” She asked as she looked up to me with those dreamy eyes.
My soul floated to the heavens. I then heard the Speedster and Quincy approaching from the left. Corey was still babbling on about something.
“Things don’t happen like that Q…not in my life. I run up walls like people walk on the streets. Ya dig?” He whaled as the two finally reached my side.
Quincy was gasping for air when he propped his hands up on his knees. He was only a few feet behind the speed demon when he asked.
“Do you, do everything fast?”
“Sis!” Yelled the Speedster.
The two embraced each other with a hug that lasted for a few seconds. Well, to me, it seemed a bit longer.
Look at me, acting like she’s already mine.
“Derrick? Right?” Hollered the Speedster as he looked over to me but pointing sternly at Quincy- then at me.