When Love Did Come

CHAPTER EIGHT

It's mid-April and summer classes started once again. Rayel felt a sense of comfort and anxiety all at the same time upon knowing that west of him a 747 would be loading at California one of these days, Jenny settling onto her seat with a book by Rayel Capistrano, Manny Pineda running around the cabin looking for his Spiderman pillow. She'd once mentioned that Manny was a master at sleeping on airplanes but absolutely panicked and couldn't sleep at all without his Spiderman pillow. Rayel just smiled, fearing that Jenny might get offended if he would have laughed. Manny's also a superhero freak, he thought. And he also thought that the big "S" would have crushed Mr. Spideyduds if he wants to, whenever he wants to. Rayel could picture Jenny in her demure, wire-rimmed glasses, glancing at his book, then out the window as the jumbo jet lifted off and brought her back toward him.

Classes began in less than a week, and Rayel was in his office fussing around, hoping he might see Manny Pineda, which would be his signal Jenny had returned. The phone rang.

"Hello, Rayel how are you?" her voice was warm, soft, the diction clear and crisp as always, except when she was sitting at Starbucks talking to a man about secret things she felt and thought he might also feel.

"Jenny --- are you back or what?" he noticed his voice shook out just a little, and he didn't like it.

"Yes, we got in late last night. Manny's still sleeping, but I'm all fouled up timewise, so I've been up since four o'clock this early morning wandering around. Did you get the picture I sent?"

"I did indeed. Thank you. You looked well and happy." He didn't say anything about placing it on his desk. This was an intricate dance along the halls of ambiguity, and Rayel was feeling his way, not wanting to open things too rapidly.

"Yes, I am feeling well. I ran into one of my old friends from California on a movie house in Spring Valley. She got me back into yoga, and it does wonders for my body and my mind."

Oh, Jenny, Jenny, he was thinking, don't say anything about your body. Give the poor man space enough to breathe, space to be less wicked than you already had made him in his impure thoughts.

"Rayel, any chance we might meet somewhere? I'd like to talk, but I don't want to come to your office since I suspect Manny will be up at the university as soon as he wakes up."

"Sure, any place. You name it."

"How about Starbucks again?"

"Fine. When?"

"What time is it now?"

He looked at his watch. "Half an hour before noon."

Silence on the other end for a few seconds. "Would twelve push you too hard? I'd like to be gone when Manny wakes up so I don't have to think up some reason for going out."

"No, that's fine. I have the Crow tied down outside the building. Noon, then?"

"Yes... Rayel?"

"I'm here." Too cool, being way too cool.

"I'm looking forward to seeing you."

"Me too, Jenny. See you in half an hour."

It was only a five-minute ride out to Starbucks, so he went down to cancel his 12:30-1:30 class. He'd told one of his students to write No Classes Today by order of the President on his chalkboard to be sure no one's going to wait.

Jenny was already seated when Rayel got there with the Crow. He parked and secured the bike outside and locked it. He couldn't see her at first, partly because she was back in one of the corner booths off to his right.