HEAR ME TOO!

PART TWELVE

Ben was nervous during the drive to Isabel's apartment and he couldn't figure out why. It wasn't as if their outing tonight was a big deal so why exactly were his palms sweaty? She had called him around past 5 to reschedule the time to 7pm so they would be able to get to the location on time. When he got to her gate, he looked at his watch and saw he was five minutes early, then he called her.
"Hey, I'm at your gate. Can you please tell the gateman to let me in?"
"Oh don't worry about driving in because you're just going to drive out again. I'll meet you at the gate in a few minutes," she replied.
"Alright then, I'll be waiting."
After he hung up, Ben wondered if he was overdressed. Maybe he should have worn a T-shirt instead. Not wanting his mind to get the better of him, he got out of the car and leaned against the front passenger door to wait for her.
The gate opened a few seconds later and she walked out. Ben froze when he saw her. She was wearing a strapless knee-length black dress that highlighted her curves, simple earrings and a necklace. She had light makeup on and her hair was packed into a bun. He looked at her feet and saw she wore white sneakers as well. Man, he thought, this woman is beautiful!
"Are you okay?" Her voice brought him out of his trance and he realized he had been staring.
Way to go Ben! He thought to himself and then said "I'm fine. You look really beautiful."
"Thanks," she replied shyly, a brilliant smile on her face.
Trying to hide his own smile, he opened the car door for her and she got in then he closed the door and headed back to the driver's side.
By the time he got in, she already had her seat belt in place. Just as he was starting the car, she exclaimed "Yay! Sneaker buddies!" He looked at his feet and laughed, he had noticed they were both wearing white sneakers but had been too entranced to see it was the same pair of Nike Airmax 97s.
"You are a Nike fan?" He asked her while driving.
"Hell yeah! Nike forever," she said happily.
"You know what's up," he said and they both laughed.
When they got to the Jabi Lake mall, he parked and going around to her side of the car, he opened the door for her to get down. He chose this spot because it was peaceful and the lakeside was so beautiful. They went into the mall and headed for the cinema, all the while chatting about this and that. Their movie was starting at 7:30pm and it was already 7:20 so Ben took her to the snacks counter and they got popcorn and drinks.
"I think we should get more popcorn," she said, looking at the popcorn carton with uncertainty.
"This one won't be enough?" Ben asked.
"Nope. I love popcorn and the movie will last for about 2 hours. There has to be enough popcorn to last that long."
Ben laughed at the serious look on her face as she talked about popcorn and said "Okay, I'll buy three more then."
"Just buy two more, thanks."
Ben got the popcorn and carrying their loot, they went into the theatre.
*******
When the movie was over, they walked out of the auditorium with happy looks on their faces.
"That was a really nice movie," she said, looking up at him.
"Yes it was. I can't believe you finished two large cartons of popcorn."
"I love popcorn! Don't judge me," she said, giving him a light punch on the arm.
Ben laughed and said "No judgement, just amusement."
"I mean, it tastes sooo good! Before I launch into explaining the delicious snack that is popcorn, where are we going next?"
"Umm, I was thinking we could get some food if you're hungry and then we could get some ice cream and sit by the lake for a while."
"Sounds awesome, I'm actually famished, even though I ate all that popcorn,"she said.
"It's probably because you only took two sips of your drink."
"Probably. After we eat, I'm paying for the ice cream and please, don't refuse."
Ben was going to say no but he saw the look of determination on her face and decided not to argue about it.
"Alright then. But first, let's get some food."
They went into the Chinese restaurant, made their orders and while they waited for the food, they struck up another conversation. Ben was having so much fun that he was already thinking of the next time they would hang out. Isabel was not just beautiful, she was brilliant and very interesting. She was funny too, he hadn't laughed this much in a while and was glad they reconnected.
Their food was served a few minutes later and they dug in. The conversation was light as they ate and Ben was so happy their outing was going well. He had been scared for nothing and at this moment, he didn't think anything could go wrong.
"Fancy meeting you here Isabel," a deep voice said, making Ben and Isabel look up. Isabel froze when she saw who it was.
"K-Ken?" she stammered.
"The one and only," the man who had interrupted them said with a smirk and continued "You look lovely, as always."
"What are you doing here?" Isabel asked, her hands slightly trembling.
"I'm here to eat of course. What else would I be doing here?"
"I mean, what are you doing in Nigeria?"
"Oh, I missed my country, and you of course so I decided to return. I've been looking for you since I got back."
Ben watched their exchange, unsure of what to say or do. Isabel looked really uncomfortable and he decided it would be best if he took her away from this man.
"Let's go Ben," she said suddenly and stood up. Ben stood as well and quickly motioned for the waiter to bring the bill. He paid and then took Isabel's hand and they started walking towards the exit. Just as they got to the door, Ken said loudly, "Out of sight isn't out of mind Isa, you can't replace me."
Isabel ignored him and they kept walking until they got outside the mall. Stopping abruptly, she pulled her hand away from Ben's and said "I'm sorry Ben but I want to go home."
"Okay, I'll drive you."
"No, I'll take a cab. I just want to be alone right now," she said and walked away, leaving Ben behind.
"And here I was thinking nothing could go wrong," Ben said and with drooping shoulders, walked to his car.