Devil Mail (7 page)

“Shall I get this?”
She picked up the bill.

“No, the entire day is on me.”

“I can pay the tip.”

“No, the entire day is on me.”

“Thanks. I really appreciate all of this.”

“This is nothing…some of our best days are still ahead of us, remember.” Those were Julia’s words and Angela had cringed when she read them, but seeing the effect that they evidently had on Aiden, made Angela wish she had devised them
herself. We have to drive over to the green; we can take my car.” He spoke as if this was the obvious course of action to take, and any objections would be misplaced.

Angela’s hesitation, evidenced by her open mouth, clearly searching for polite words to express her discomfort, made
him slow down. “Or you can follow me in your car if that makes you more comfortable.”

“Oh, no, we can go in your car, that’s fine.” The words came from an u
nfamiliar place from within her; a place of guilt that scolded her for not trusting this man who had changed his plans at the last minute and had devoted the day to her, at no small cost to himself.

The familiar voice of caution and reason, presented itself on the drive to the green. She really didn’t know Aiden,
and her uncharacteristic behavior today was justified by the very fact that by driving her own car, she would maintain control; yet here she was in his car, trusting him to take her where he said he would.  His earlier double-entendres flashed through her mind, as did the fact that in all their conversations, he hadn’t mentioned much about his faith. Whilst she didn’t want to be with someone who was holier-than-thou, she had been careful to select men who, like her, stated that their faith played a significant role in their lives. Suppose he wasn’t who he said he was? Suppose his intentions were less than honorable? She had placed herself in a precarious position with few options by way of escape.

“Flip through the CDs and see if there’s anything you like.” His speech startled her, and he chuckled at the realization. “Relax, you’re the one with the skeletons in your closet, remember, not me.
First you play truant from school, and now, here you are playing truant from work, dragging me down with you. I was a good boy until I met you.”

She knew he was joking, but the
painful truth stung. She had never been one to shirk her responsibilities at work, yet, she was driving around Disney with him while someone else was covering the trial for her. She forced a smile.

Upon finding
a Miles Davis CD, she promptly popped it into the CD player. “You’re a jazz lover too, uh?”

“Unashamedly!”
He replied, smiling. As the conversation turned to jazz, her tension-ridden body gradually began to relax, aided by the blissful surrounding scenery.  She always made a point of taking in the simple beauty around her, and many parts of Orlando, aptly called The City Beautiful, boasted simple, natural beauty. The lofty palm trees danced in the same cool breeze that drifted through the open window, giving flight to her hair. Transient in nature, it provided little relief from the punishing heat.   

Mini golf
delighted her more than she would ever have imagined. Aiden was a tender teacher, and seemed to relish the moments when he was able to stand behind and embrace her, all in the name of ‘instruction’. Angela raised no objection. She breathed in his faint virile scent more than she listened to his directions, thus, prolonging the lessons. His complements at the end of the game were kind, but baseless.

Window shopping and a stroll along the boardwalk brought the day to a satisfying end. Aiden took the liberty of reaching for Angela’s hand as they walked.
He revisited the subject of her career. “Your job is so fascinating.”

“I like it.”

“Do you do many depositions?” Angela was surprised at how much he appeared to know about the legal system.

“I have done some, but I enjoy trials the most, so I tend to get those assignments.”

“What types of mistakes do people make when testifying during depositions or trial?”

“They often volunteer too much information instead of just answering the question posed. Sometimes they answer before the attorney has finished asking the question, only to find that they answered a question that was not being asked, and they sit there looking stupid.”

“That’s funny. I’d love to be a fly on the wall.”

“You seem to know
quite a bit about the law. It’s unusual for a guy to take so much interest in my work; it’s sweet.”

“I had considered studying law, but opted for ac
counting. I’m better with figures,” he said glancing down at her waist and hips.

Angela shook her head. “You’re incorrigible, aren’t you?”

“I could be if I knew what it meant.” They both smiled broadly and continued walking. The warming zephyr caressed their faces, and in a moment of contented silence, they both took a deep breath in. Their eyes locked together and they were sure that their thoughts were synchronized – “
this is perfect!
”

“Soft hands,” Angela commented,
breaking the silence, “means you haven’t done a hard day’s work in your life.”

“Or it could mean I know how to take care of my body,” he shrugged. His thumb stroked the back of her hand, ensuring that even though she
was looking at various items in the shops, he was never far from her mind. “Let me know if you see anything you’d like.”

“I don’t need anything. B
esides, you’ve spent more than enough on me today.”

“I tried to get tickets for
Cirque du Soleil, but they were completely booked for tonight. Then I tried to get us dinner on the Grand One yacht, but they were booked until next weekend.”

“Are you always this generous?” Angela didn’t have a figure in her head as to how much he had spent, but she knew that the day’s events did not come cheap.

“When I think someone’s worth it, I don’t mind spending my money to let them know how I feel about them.” He did not wait for a response. “So, you know that means you owe me a date for next Saturday night – you and me, dinner on the Grand One?”

“How could I refuse?” Never in her life had Angela been so pampered, and she was
loving it. She reckoned that this was a taste of what it must be like to be in Rachel’s shoes.  

Beside her car, Aiden turned to
face her. “Are you sure you can find your way home from here, or do you want me to escort you? You could drive behind me.”

“No, I’m fine.” Angela had already given more than she had planned to; it was definitely too soon for her to have him over at her house.

He drew her close and moved a few strands of wayward curls from the center of her forehead. “Ca
ll me when you get home then.” He sounded like a true guardian, and Angela lapped up his attention. His hug was firm but warm and sensual, invigorating all her senses at once. She wondered if this would be the time that he tried to kiss her. On the several occasions that she had mentally conceived it, she always visualized herself pulling away and making it known to him that she was not interested in a physical relationship. She had no such strength now.  He released her and held open her car door.

“I’ll never forget today. T
hanks,” she said quietly, as she climbed into her car. She couldn’t look at him. She did not look at him in her rear view mirror when she drove away. She needed to settle her emotions, which had gone haywire. On one hand she was wondering about the depth of his faith, while on the other hand she was nursing the pain of disappointment brought on by his failure to even attempt to kiss her.

W
hile sitting at a railway crossing waiting for an uncommonly long cargo train to pass by, she made two calls; one to Julia and one to Judith. She invited both of them to show up at her apartment at seven o’clock for some girl talk, and Judith was to bring take-out for dinner.  Neither of them needed any persuasion.

Upon her arrival home, she called Aiden and confirmed that she had arrived home safely. She was glad when he brought up the subject of their next date,
because she wanted to know, but didn’t want to ask. “Can I see you tomorrow?” he inquired.

“No, that’s my night to go to zumba with my sister.”

“Friday, then?”

“I think I’m free.
I’ll check and let you know tomorrow and we can confirm the details then.” Of course she knew she was free, but gaining some control and calling the shots augmented her self-esteem where hitherto, she had been defenseless against Aiden’s hypnotic character.

To fulfill her promise, Angela also called her mother. “How was work?” was one of the first things she asked. Did she know something or was the question completely innocent? Had she called her at work and found out that she didn’t go in today?
Her mother rarely called her at work, as she viewed it as an imposition. Her mother recalled how much she used to dislike being called at work as the substance of the calls usually turned out to be inconsequential or related to something that could, and had to, wait until she got off work.  But knowing Angela’s luck, today would be the day, if any, that her mother decided to call. Angela realized that her answer could potentially land her in hot water.

“It was just work. It will always be there
,” Angela replied casually.  She waited for her mother’s response on the subject, but none came. She liked to think that she was a grown woman who did not need to answer to her mother and certainly did not need her approval to take the day off work, but the truth was that she did care what her mother thought, and the little girl inside her still sought her mother’s approval.

Sh
e had time to check her Christian Blend inbox and found a message from ‘freakyfrank44’, a legally separated man who suggested that he had no time for games, was interested in serious relationships only, and only with women who had uploaded profile pictures. Angela believed that ‘Freaky Frank’ had more than a passing resemblance to The Joker in The Dark Knight movie from the Batman trilogy, and wondered if this really was the finest picture he could find to assist him in putting his best face forward. Aside from this, she considered a legally separated man to still be married, and therefore, unavailable to her.

There was also a message
from Matt who had added another profile picture, in which he was an attendee at a formal gathering. Angela noted that he did not appear to be at home in a tuxedo. His tie hung askew about his angular neck, the tuxedo was crumpled and his wavy hair was parted and brushed to one side, much like a little boy on his way to Sunday school back in the seventies. In the personal section of his profile, he quoted his height as being 5’11”, but from what she could see in the picture, he looked closer to being about 5’8” – shorter than her preference – and he was skinny; not slim, skinny.

Angela caught herself making judgments based on his appearance.
She told herself that she needed to rise to Matt’s level of maturity and place more emphasis on inner beauty, rather than external beauty which would ultimately fade.

She turned again to the message he had sent to her.
  He wrote about his gratifying day at work, inquired about how her day went, and added a paragraph about the job security of court reporters. He went into an analysis of the effect technology was having in the court room, as many court districts were now opting  to install digital court recorders, which were more cost-effective than having a court reporter physically sitting through every single hearing. He assured her that she need not worry, though, as some courts and other organizations favored tradition over technology, resulting in the expectation that the number of court reporter jobs would increase by 14% by the year 2020.

Such a message
, which confirmed his inimitability, needed consideration before sending a reply. It was a lot to take in. Angela would answer before going to bed, after her guests had left.

Julia arrived first. Angela refused to give her the update that she pleaded for, stating that she had to wait for Judith’s arrival, because she was not going to repeat the whole story twice. Judith arri
ved soon after with chicken fried rice, kung pao shrimp and hoisin pork stir-fry. The three sat around the kitchen table; Julia and Judith with bated breath.

Angela was not able to relay the magically events of her day without disclosing the fact that she took the day off work to spend it with Aiden.

Judith’s astonished response came first. “Have you lost your mind? You met up with this guy, who you don’t know from Adam, and spent the day with him instead of going to work?”

“Angie, don’t you think you should have gotten to know each other better before going on a date?” It was just like her sister to be
a little more sympathetic in the face of Judith’s harshness.

Angela f
ound herself back-peddling and defending her actions, saying things like, “But I drove my own car” and “we met in very public places”. However, neither her sister nor her best friend was convinced of the sagacity of her actions or purported precautions. Any cautionary advice from either of them would be futile at this stage, like closing the gate right after the horse had bolted.

“I’ll be careful.”
Angela sounded almost defeated. All the details that culminated into a special day, with a very special man were never fully expressed, due to their interruptions and statements of disapproval.  Marginally upset that the evening hadn’t turned out the way she had planned, she refused to allow it to be a damper on the memorable day. No one would ever be able to rob her of those memories.