The Odd Ballerz (14 page)

It was all about the testing in this dating game business as for as she was concerned. Wasn’t that the point? Testing to see just who this person was, what they liked, and if it matched up to what you wanted. She preferred to meet for drinks first, and if things went well—mutually agreed upon, of course—then dinner could follow. It was expensive here and if he made a fuss about it, then she was prepared to treat him, or even if he didn’t make a fuss, sometimes she treated them to see what they would do with the fact that she could. All of it was useful information to her.

“Memphis Jones?” someone with a smooth baritone voice said, interrupting her musings. She turned to look and smiled.

“Yes,” she said to the smooth voice and the smooth man—her first impression anyway.

“Drew Stanford,” the deep voice continued with its smooth delivery. “Sorry I’m late,” he said, sliding in to the bar stool beside her. She laughed, and her mind was filled with thoughts of Z and his late phobias, and good thing he wasn’t around or this dude would be toast. And it was not good to be thinking of some other man, she reminded herself.

“You’re not. I’m early,” she said. He was nice looking, dressed professionally in a dark suit and snappy tie. He had a nice smile, nice teeth, shining brown eyes, and looked to be about her height. The very pretty bartender walked over to them and Memphis watched him interact with her, totally not judging, merely observing. She was past all of that getting angry over can-you-believe-he-looked-at-another-woman stuff. No need to get angry, it was so a better use of her time to ask herself if she wanted to put up with it or not.

“What can I get for you?” the bartender asked.

“I’ll have what she’s having,” he said and smiled at Memphis.

“A white wine,” she said.

“White wine’s good. I like plain sometimes,” he said, smiling. “So, how do you and Aubrey know each other?”

“We lived next door to each other, go way back to grade school,” she said, still running his “plain” word choice through her brain.

“That
is
way back,” he said, chuckling.

“You?” Memphis asked, watching as he pulled his wine glass toward him with one hand while sliding his credit card with the other towards the barkeep.

“These two,” he said, his finger moving to indicate he was paying for them both.

“Thanks, you didn’t have to,” Memphis said.

“Yes, I do,” he said and smiled. “I met Aubrey when she was looking to purchase one of our cars, which she didn’t. I lost out to a Mini Cooper, I’ve since learned,” he said, shaking his head. “So you sell insurance too? We should exchange business information in case I have a client with insurance needs,” he said.

“Sure, that would be great,” she said, handing over her business card. He did the same. “So Aubrey mentioned me? It’s been a while since she was looking for a car.”

“Why did it take so long for me to call you is your question,” he said, and smiled. “No reason, just got busy, with family and life, you know?”

“I do,” Memphis said, smiling.

“So what else should I know about you, besides insurance seller and good friend to Aubrey?” he said, settling back in his chair.

“You and I are married and I’ve developed breast cancer. I have to have a mastectomy.”

“Excuse me, what?” he asked, surprised, and choking on his drink.

“It’s a thing I do, a game I play where I ask questions. It can seem a little strange at first to some, I’ll admit, but it works for me, oddly enough,” she said, and smiled. And yes, she was well aware that it was off-putting to some men, made her seem a little strange, but she was what she was and was done apologizing for her way of getting to know men. They either got her or they didn’t and she’d rather know that sooner than later. All else was a waste of everybody’s time.

“Just jump right in, I see,” he said, laughing. “You have to admire that,” he said, his laughter dying down to chuckles. “You don’t think it’s too early for game playing?”

“I’m weird that way. You want to play or not?” she asked and smiled.

“Sure, as long as you can handle the answers, then I’m all yours,” he said, chuckling.

“So, what would you do if I had to have a mastectomy?”

He laughed. “Actually I can speak from experience. My wife actually had breast cancer and it was a scary time for the both of us.”

“I’m sorry,” she said, and squeezed his hand. “She didn’t survive?”

“What? No, she beat it,” he said, chuckling.

“So you’re divorced?”

He was quiet for moment, before his gaze slid over and locked with hers. “No, I’m not divorced.”

“Oh,” she said quietly. Had not expected that answer.

“I’m married, but it’s what we, Cheryl and I—Cheryl is my wife—call an open marriage. You know what that is?”

“You two can sleep with whomever you want and the other person doesn’t mind,” she said.

“We try not to give each other limits, is a better explanation for it. It makes us much better as a couple, our marriage is stronger when we give each other room to grow and explore.”

“Right,” Memphis said.

“We weren’t happy before her cancer scare, had been considering getting a divorce. The cancer helped us realize how much we meant to each other,” he said.

“I can see that as a possibility,” she said.

“We’d been together for ten years before the scare and had decided against having children; neither of us wanted them. Afterward we decided to stay together, but to add a little spice… diversity to our marriage. Have each other and have others too,” he said.

“I see. So did you tell Aubrey this?”

“No, or I’m guessing you wouldn’t be here now,” he said. It was quiet between them. “I’m pretty good at reading people and I’m betting that this is the end of our night.”

“True, and I’m not angry, though. You were honest, which I totally appreciate.”

“I understand. I’m sorry you’re not interested. It would have been nice, I think,” he said, a soft smile at his lips.

“Me too, and again thanks for being upfront. You didn’t have to be truthful, many people aren’t nowadays,” she said, and smiled again. “If I’m ever in the market for a Lexus, I’ll look you up,” she said, standing.

“And I’ll still send a few clients your way.”

“Thanks. I’d appreciate it. Good night then,” she said.

“Good night,” he said.

# # #

She reached for her phone as soon as she slid behind the wheel of her car, shooting a
He’s married
text to Aubrey before calling Charlotte.

“So how did it go?” Charlotte asked.

“I’m giving up,” she said, frustrated and disappointed.

“That bad.”

“Yes… no. He’s married, however it’s an open marriage; both he and his wife are up for it, if I’m game.”

“I take it that you’re not.”

Memphis laughed, her anger leaving her just that quick. She could always count on Charlotte to lift her spirits. “You’re not as funny as you think you are,” she said, continuing to laugh. “Maybe this whole marriage deal isn’t for me, you ever think of that?” Memphis asked, starting up her car.

“No, and you can’t quit. You can’t find him if you’re not looking, that’s for sure.”

“I read somewhere that it’s best
not
to look. It’s better to get lost in the building of your life, to live it… grow you, and whomever will show up when the time is right.”

“You and your theories, all of them limiting in some way, you know that, right? There are so many men in this world, and you only need one. And since we’re on the subject of limits, you shouldn’t bind yourself to a certain skin color either, that’s just ridiculousness,” Charlotte said.

“And just like that, we are back to the dating-outside-my-race subject again.” She knew where Charlotte was heading. She said it often enough.

“Yes, that again, and you don’t really have a race. I keep telling you people that,” she said. Well, it was more like she screamed the last of her sentence into the phone. “No one listens. There is no race! Not a biological one anyway. Have you ever done any research on just where and how this race stuff started? Nooo… you just keep eating what’s fed to you, no thought to maybe it’s all a lie, that there is no race beyond the human one.”

“I didn’t really call you for this, you know,” Memphis said, running her hand over her face, trying to decide which way to turn, leaving the parking lot. Right, she decided.

“Well, you should have. You are not a cat trying to get with a bird. You are a human trying to get with another human. Why is that so hard to understand? People!! Race is a made-up thing, for Christ’s sake, by people who needed an excuse to take from others or a way to enslave. It’s not true, then or now. We are all humans, all equal under our creator, and you can leave your little race box anytime you want.”

“Please, Charlotte, not tonight,” Memphis said, laughing. “God, I knew I should have kept my mouth shut. I get it. I don’t need another lecture on race and if you’ll be quiet for a minute, I’d like to tell you something, and, God, I hope I don’t live to regret telling you this. Please don’t make me regret telling you this.”

“Tell me what?” she asked.

“I am interested in someone of a different race.”

“UGH!! See, you’re not listening. No one listens. Please don’t say race again,” Charlotte said, and Memphis groaned. “Someone with different skin color, or if you have to anything, please say a different culture or ethnicity next time,” Charlotte added. She sighed, took a breath. “Okay, now who is this man?”

“Alex’s coach?”

“Zachary Sloan. Really? He’s a cutie. I noticed him last year right off. He has a lot going on, that one does. I actually thought about him for you, would have mentioned it to you, but it would have been a waste of time, that skin color thing again. Does he know of this interest?” Charlotte asked.

“No, and from what I’ve seen, I’m not his type. Aubrey is.”

“Maybe. You never know. Most men just like women. We are the ones that rule ourselves out most times, that box thing again. Too long believing the slave master’s rhetoric regarding our value and our options.”

“Please don’t start up again.”

“Okay, fine. So what’s the problem? You can flirt, can’t you?”

“They have a rule. No romantic anything between players and coaches.”

“Who has a rule?”

“The Ballerz,” Memphis said.

“Trust me, from what I’ve heard, you probably won’t be playing with them for long.”

“So harsh are my sisters to me,” Memphis said, laughing. “Anyway, I don’t know if I would work with someone that takes football playing so seriously.”

“It’s what he did for a living. It’s probably hard for him not to. I didn’t tell you this the other night but since we’re on the subject of football, I’m glad you’re trying something new, however hard. I thought you would have quit by now, especially after you found out about the camp and the little boys. But you didn’t. Did I tell you that you’re my hero?” Charlotte sang the last of her sentence. “So try with the coach. What do you have to lose?”

“My pride.”

“I hear you. I mean, if you lose that, then what’s to keep you warm at night?” she said.

Memphis laughed. “Okay, crazy militant woman, and my life isn’t as bad as you and Alex make it out to be.”

“Your life’s not bad. You could be into worse things beside work, and what else is it that you do?” Charlotte asked, laughing. “Oh, nothing,” she added, laughing again. “I happen to know, however, that you want more. That’s what this evening was about, right?”

“You are in rare form tonight, and yes, it was,” Memphis said, laughing too, and feeling so much better.

“So don’t give up. Loosen up, flirt with the coach a little; he might just flirt back. I love you. You’re the best big sister Alex and I could ever have and we want you to be happy.”

“So do I. I love you too,” Memphis said, disconnecting.

# # #

Wednesday

Aubrey had grown up knowing how to stand out in a crowd. It was instinctive, this trait, and invaluable, particularly so, as she’d seriously delved into her search to find a husband. Compassionate, kind, and thinks of others first, were a few of the other necessary traits she’d nurtured within herself, to use in finding men of high caliber and quality.

Some women wanted in-the-spotlight players, athletes, entertainers; others were happy to have whatever showed up, but not her. She was all about the potential, where would they be in fifteen years or so, and with the help of a strong woman, maybe they could be even further. A helpmate, as her mom had been to her father, which had paid off handsomely. Her mom was retired now, living the stay-at-home, country club, free-to-do-whatever-she-liked-with-her-time life. And Aubrey wanted the same.

She was done with her laps. Of course she was. She hadn’t put all that time and effort into staying in shape for nothing. She knew the importance of being fit, which worked perfectly with her other carefully crafted character traits. She scoffed at Memphis, with her theories of being yourself and the one that appreciated you for you would find you. Good luck with that, she thought but didn’t say. Nope, eyes on the prize was the way to reach a goal and finding a man was a goal like any other.

She scanned the fields, searching for him—her prize, she’d decided. He stood in the middle of it, eyes turned in the direction of Memphis again, who was currently running beside Luke, the red-headed kid, the last ones, of course, and her irritation flared to life again. What
was up with
this interest in Memphis?
Seriously, dude
, she wanted to say to him.

Memphis was trying. Aubrey could see that. Not sure if she would ever be any good, but she was at least moving away from her horrible middle school years of being mocked. Who knew the little girl with so much going against her would turn out halfway decent? So little money, so many problems had been Memphis and her family’s story.

Aubrey, with a plan firmly planted in mind, started toward Z. He was still alone, standing in the middle of the field. She tapped him on his shoulder when she reached him. He turned to face her, wearing those shades he liked so.

“Hey,” she said, smiling at him.