MMI

GENESIS II

Waitress: "Pardon the interruption, what will you be having for your complementary dishes?"

"Saved by the bell," I smile at that thought . As I move our smoothies aside and turn to face the waitress, a rather pleasant thought crosses my mind - a way out I had not considered before. The waitress is about five foot six, slim waist and possesses the rare elegance that comes with her height. T makes her order first as I study her closely, probing for any trace of insecurity. Her body language is a code I am more than determined to crack. It's my turn, the waitress' attention is now singular - fully focused on me. Bloody awesome. Inside, I feel my impish side bubbling with pride. I look right into her eyes , holding the gaze for a second too long before breaking the silence. A tiny smirk flashes across my face as her eyes betray her. From the corner of my eyes, I can tell that T has noticed it as well. Perfect. The waitress nervously excuses herself. Time to gain even more ground. I loosely comment on how I can relate to the waitress having also been on the other side of the counter when I interned in a large pharmaceutical outlet back home. Her facial expression reveals her lack of interest in building on that subject. Time to draw her in.

J: " Have I ever told you the story behind my first kiss - if one can call it that?"

T: ( In a tone that betrays her curiosity) " Hell nuh, spill."

I had not thought it was possible , but seeing her really interested makes her appear even more alluring. I literally slightly shake my upper body to get rid of the chills. Her beaming smile tells me she gets it.  

I first saw the girl in church, seated a few rows ahead.  After constantly needling her friend - who I happened to know, she finally relented and gave me her contact details. Several texts later, I convinced her to join me on a picnic in a nearby public park. The chemistry was off from the get go. Not off like fireworks , more like non-existent.  Few awkward conversations later, feeling it was the right moment , I proceeded to make my move , just like in the movie I had watched the previous night. There are two instances that really stick out in terms of my realization of the grey area that exists between scripts and reality. The first instance involves the time I mischievously took a crawling spider and placed it on my left wrist, for a few seconds. The confused creature scampered away hurriedly.  As I laid on my  bed that night, all I thought about was Peter Parker - powers, webs and of course, the six pack. So, to say that I was dismayed in the morning when I woke up to only a small rash on my left wrist and no abbs  would be one big understatement. Thanks Spiderman!  The second instance is what transpired as I moved in for the kiss. Even my inexperienced self knew that kiss was whack. For like a full minute, there I was, doing my best to switch between the upper lip  and lower lip, exactly as I had seen the  male character in the movie do. All the while, the girl's mouth remained shut, like sealed tight! I opened my eyes to take a peek and realized her eyes are also open! Needless to say, we lost touch pretty much afterwards. That should be the ending and the craziest part of the story, it is not. A few days later, my younger brother and I tagged along with my dad to visit his friend who happens to be a  prominent farmer. As we toured around his massive farm, we reached the beehive section. The others noticed smoke from a distance, sensed danger and scampered for safety.  As usual , my ever playful mind had me distracted. By the time I noticed the danger, one of the pissed off bees had also noticed a captivating feature on my face. I guess in a hilarious way, nature always has to create a balance. I arrived home later that night with a super juicy, super swollen lower lip. My younger brother, not one to sit back and let such moments pass him by, took to humoring me about how lucky I should have been feeling to be so favored as to have been personally chosen by mother nature. In truth, all I felt was pain and a desire to remain indoors for a long, long time. 

By now, T can hardly contain herself, her milky white teeth on full display. Tiny streams of tears coming down her eyes. She places her left hand on my right hand that is on the table in a consolatory attempt then busts out laughing even more uncontrollably than before.

The waitress is back with our orders. As she lays them down, T excuses herself to pick a call outside. Jealously is a potent weapon, but as with everything in life, timing is key. I introduce myself and I get to learn her name - Circe. The Greek goddess of magic, as I say it aloud, she is astonished that I know that particular fact. I tell her I am really into ancient history. I can always tell if a lady I am interacting with has ink, even if it is hidden. Ladies with ink happen to have a particular vibe that one can pick on if one really, really pays attention. I tell her that I bet she also has ink. Her eyes sparkle as I read her lips, "perhaps."  Intriguing.

T: "Give us a moment."

Circe walks away rather elegantly. T stares at me for what feels like a pretty long time before finally taking her seat. I hold her gaze, this time making sure to keep my eyes also expressionless. I can tell that she is pissed, I draw a sick sense of satisfaction from that realization but I am mindful to conceal it. She plays with the food on her plate as I dig into mine. The atmosphere is icy and I am determined not to break the silence. 

T: "I got a question for you."

J:" Alright. Shoot."

T: " Tell me something, ain't it hard keeping it so hardcore, all the time?"

J: "Huh!"

She places her left hand on my right hand, this time looking right into my eyes. Before I can fully register the emotions expressed by her eyes, she stands and walks away. Lil Wayne's lyrics crosses my mind for a brief second, " I hate to see her go but I love to watch her leave."    However, back to reality, back to the present, she is gone!