Hugging a Stranger

Chapter 7

Friday I got home from work and still had a few hours to kill before going to Alicia's, so I decided to call my dad. He answered the phone, but I was immediately reminded why I usually call him on Sunday mornings. It was obvious he had been drinking, but he wasn't slurring, just being talkative. I told him I was still working, and then I told him I'd met a girl.

"Yeah, I figured that," he said. I could hear ice clinking in the background like he was swirling his drink. "I noticed your cell phone usage just went through the roof."

"Oh, sorry, Dad. Do you want me to send some money to cover it?"

"Nah, don't worry about it. I got one of those mega-plans since it's a business expense. Just don't be going on the internet too much lookin' at porn. Your brother showed me how you can watch porn right there on the damn phone. The tiny screen is too small for my eyes, but not your brother. You gotta be careful with that shit, Raymond, you can get over-stimulated and then the normal stuff doesn't work for ya anymore and you start gettin' weird. I tell ya back in my day we thought seein' a set a hooters was a big deal. One of the kids in the neighborhood would get his hands on a Playboy and it was a big deal! We'd pass it around and I'd stare at those babes for hours, ya know what I mean? Now, one or two clicks and the things you can see! Hell, your brother -- he showed me one..."....

I zoned out after that. Here's the thing about my dad: he always dominates the conversation. I wanted to tell him about Alicia and how smart and pretty she is, but instead he starts talking to me about porn and I'm really not interested. As soon as he paused to take a drink I tried to tell him I had a date and couldn't talk much longer, but as soon as I mentioned I was going to her house he launched into his spiel about condoms, "Cuz I got lucky with your mom, she was a keeper, but most of the time guys get stuck and regret it. Hell, not to mention all the diseases. Raymond, you dunno know where this girl's been, you could be number two or three for her just this week for all you know. Hell, remember your friend..."

"Dad, I'm sorry I have to cut you off, but someone's at the door," I lied before I got really pissed. I hung up the phone and saw that it was 6:10 p.m., still plenty of time to walk to Alicia's apartment. I could take the subway, but I like walking and I wanted to pick up some flowers on the way.

At the flower shop I stood in front of the display of bouquets wondering what to get. I couldn't spend too much money, but nothing seemed quite right. The arrangements on display looked kind of audacious. I didn't want to buy a single rose because that seemed kind of cliché and I had heard that different colors mean different things and I wasn't sure what they meant. I'd hate to give her the "Sorry someone died" color by mistake.

There was a girl working there, but she didn't look anxious to help. She had her nose buried in a book in the typical anti-social fashion, uneager to help me. She was perched on a stool and had huge black-framed glasses. She had that cool nerdy look going on with black hair in a sharp angled cut and colorful tattoos covering one arm. She was very pretty, but not in the soft-pretty way like Alicia. This girl was all sharp edges and color, like a piece of modern art.

There were flowers sold individually in buckets and I was considering putting a few together in a do-it-yourself bouquet, but I wasn't sure if that was allowed or what to do. I walked up to the girl at the counter and noticed the book she was reading was called The Buffalo Hunter.

"Is that a western?" I asked.

"What?" She looked up from her book, then turned it over and looked at the cover. Laughing she said, "No, it isn't. It actually takes place in New York."