The Truth Behind The Lies (10 page)

I didn’t feel this dire need to interrogate Bash. It was like I already knew him. He hadn’t done anything that gave me pause. He didn’t chew weird. He didn’t chew with his mouth open. He didn’t talk negatively about random people on the street. He didn’t try to force his opinions on me. He didn’t try to act like he was smarter than me. He just didn’t. I like that about him.

We drove for about thirty minutes and ended up in Brookfield. As far as I knew there was only one thing in Brookfield and that was the Brookfield Zoo.

The zoo, is that where we were going? Bash parked in the parking lot and we crossed the street to get to the entrance. I hadn’t been to the zoo in over a decade. I didn’t have any kids. My sister and my nephew lived in Arizona. I had absolutely zero reasons to be at a zoo.

After Bash paid for us to enter we went through the turnstile. Bash immediately took my hand in his. I could get used to this, the intimacy. It seemed this was the best place for us to be. Chilling at the zoo with the stinky animals. I liked his date ideas.

“You ready to see some lazy animals?” Bash asked.

“Yeah I got a few of them at my job in the claims department.”

Bash laughed out loud and squeezed my hand. “Well are you ready to see some smelly animals? You got any of them at work?”

“No, no. Geez I hope not.” I snickered. He was always saying what I was thinking.

“Hey.” Bash stopped walking and forced me to do the same.

“Hey.” I smiled waiting for whatever would come out of his mouth.

“Would it be offensive if I told you that you are the most beautiful shade of brown I’ve ever seen in my life?”

My lips inched into a smile. “No, that wouldn’t be offensive.”

“It’s true. You are so.” He closed his eyes. “Pretty… I’m sure you hear that all the time.”

I was so lost in his eyes I couldn’t think. I searched for words. “I hear a lot of things but it sounds like the truth when you say it.”

“Damn Nina.” He looked directly at my lips. “Nina, Nina, I think you’re changing me.” Bash grimaced and he was still very handsome with his chiseled frown.

“Do you want to change?”

It took forever for him to respond. He was searching for words, phrases or maybe just a suitable answer.

“Yes. I do. I want to change. It’s time.” He pulled me into an embrace that was sweet and not at all sexual. It was a good old-fashioned earnest hug. I stopped breathing while he held me. People milled around us but it didn’t matter. We were the only ones that mattered at that moment. He mattered to me and I mattered to him. I just knew it.

Bash pulled back and smiled at me. “Let’s go to the snake house and check out a boa constrictor and a king cobra.” He pulled my arm when he took strides in a random direction, probably the snake house direction.

I toddled behind him but soon caught up. “You like snakes?”

“Not really I just haven’t been to the zoo in a long time. I’m kind of excited.”

“Me too. I want to see the bats. I hope they still have the bat cave.”

“There’s a directory.” Bash pointed with his free hand. “We can see.”

We both walked over to the stationary directory. There were only a few people in front of it. I forget I had a map in my bag. It didn’t really matter much. I was going to go with the flow. I liked seeing Bash do his thing. We inched closer to the directory. I touched Bash’s arm and it was burning up.

“You are hot.”

“Yeah it’s blazing out here. I forgot to wear sunblock. I hope I don’t burn out here.”

“I have some sunblock in my bag.”

“You do.” He looked down on me.

Black people wear sunblock. “Yeah I do. Let me do your exposed areas.”

“Yes ma’am. You can do all my areas.” He grinned. “We’re going the right way. The bats are up ahead.”

“Come with me.” I pulled his arm. He followed me over to an empty park bench under a tree. “Sit.” I ordered and he took a seat.

“Shade.” He hummed.

I dug into my shoulder bag that was crossed over my body and rested on my hip. I removed my tube of sunblock. I put my rear on the bench next to Bash and tried to ignore his beaming eyes on me. Whoever said it’s not nice to stare, never had Bash’s eyes on them. I like when he stares. His eyes hammer my heart and ignite my core.

I removed the tube’s top and squeezed a little of the white lotion in my hands. I took his arms and rubbed the lotion carefully up, down and around his muscular arm. This was arousing for me and I couldn’t really explain why. My eyes were glued to his arm but his eyes were glued to me. Oh my. The heat.

“Other arm.” Bash took one arm away and delivered his other. I repeated my rub down and paid extra attention to his bicep. This innocent act was so unquestionably sensual. I placed his arm in his lap.

“Don’t forget my face.” Bash reminded me, dare I say gave me the permission to touch his face.

I squeezed more sunblock into my hands. I carefully rubbed the lotion on the bridge of his nose. I massaged it over his entire face as he closed his eyes. A sudden urge to kiss his lips overtook me. I traced his defined cheekbones. I ran my fingertips over his brow and all the way to his chin. I made my way to his neck and collarbone. I made sure I massaged the lotion on the back of his neck and up into his hairline.

Bash quickly grabbed my wrists. “Hey lady, you’re trying to make my dick hard?”

I smiled with closed lips and batted a bashful eye. “No I’m not.”

“Yeah right.” He leaned into me and placed his face at my ear. “Just because I fucked you with my fingers doesn’t mean you can fuck me with your fingers.”

Ohhh! My pussy yearned with need. I felt heavy with carnal desire. It was like someone dropped cinder blocks on my stomach. Why did he have such an effect on my mind and my body?

“I’m just trying to make sure you don’t burn.” Finally I had words for this man.

I was done with my rub down and just like that Bash grabbed the back of my head. He kissed me quickly on the lips.

“Thanks.” He said with a glint of something mischievous.

No thank you Mr. Vandervol.

Bash stood and held his hand to me. I took it. I’m going to take him too.

We braved the heat and got relief every time we stepped inside an air-conditioned building. We made it to the bat cave and I latched onto Bash’s arm like a leech. It seemed like a good idea. There were hundreds of bats hovering over our heads in the darkness of the cave. I couldn’t wait to get out of there. Why was that cool? What seems cool when you’re young now seems dangerous, stupid even.

Bash didn’t seem to be bothered by the flying rodents at all. I have been around cowardly men plenty of times. Bitch made, selfish lying bastard motherfuckers. Bash was far from that.

Bash was spontaneous, clever, sweet, chivalrous and honest. He did kiss a random old lady at the Blues Fest. I’m not going to hold that against him. Willie Mae was an old sexy bitch. Thinking about it makes me smile.

Things had barely changed at the zoo. We did the Dolphin show. Cute. We did the snake house. Gross. We did the children’s farm. Baby chicks. Adorable.

My favorite house was Tropic World Asia. The chimps are cute and the apes are huge and scary. Seeing the exhibits with Bash was like seeing them for the first time. His perception was impeccable. He saw things in awe and wonder. It felt like I was on a date with a younger man.

I realized I don’t know how old he is. He might be younger. I will keep the question in my mind. I decided to ask him if I remembered. I would have to tell him my age if he asked. I was more comfortable and okay with that now.

We stopped off at a family restaurant for dinner. I made a point to stay away from alcohol and Bash followed my lead. As we walked to his car we both noticed a white man and woman looking at Bash’s Porsche. The man was actually gawking and the woman was just standing nearby.

The woman alerted the guy that Bash and I were approaching. When the man turned to us I could see he was very young, maybe twenty-one. He was blonde like Bash but not as tall. The girl I assumed was his girlfriend. She was a brunette. She looked young too.

The guy backed away from Bash’s car. “Dude, is this your car?”

“Yes this is me.”

“It’s sweet. Is a Porsche 911 Carrera GTS Club Coupe?

“Yeah you have a good eye.”

“There are only a few of these in the world.”

“Yeah they made sixty of them. Only forty-three in the U.S.”

“Cool. My first time seeing one on the street.”

“Take a look inside.” Bash opened his driver’s door. “Get in.”

“Serious?” The young man’s face lit up like a Christmas tree. His girlfriend stood awkwardly near him and decided against giving me eye contact.

“Yeah get in.” Bash offered. The young man got into the driver’s seat. Well no he actually hopped in like he was related to Bugs Bunny. Man and cars, I still can’t figure that shit out.

“Cool.”

“You drive stick?” Bash asked.

“I sure do.”

“Let’s go around the block.”

“Really?” The stranger animatedly said.

Bash turned to me with his dimpled smile. “Will you be okay here? It will be a quick go ‘round the block.”

“Yeah sure.” Is what I said. I was thinking,
are you serious? You don’t even know this person
. I smiled to hide my indignation.

“Be right back.” Bash beamed and jogged over to the passenger seat of his own car. I walked over to the wood and iron bench at the entrance of the restaurant. I sat and watched as the guy’s girlfriend ambled over to where I was. I guess I could be friendly since her man had completely ignored her. But no, I won’t.

The car’s doors closed. I watched as some stranger backed out of the parking space in Bash’s Porsche. Bash lowered the passenger window and had the nerve to wave at me as they drove off. I wanted to be mad but I didn’t have any reason too. What if Bash dies in a car accident? Who the hell is this young guy driving him around? Does this guy even have a driver’s license? Oh my god, I sound like someone’s mother.

I was thinking like a crazy person when I felt her eyes on me. “My boyfriend really likes cars.” She speaks. “I guess your boyfriend does too.”

“He’s not my boyfriend. We’re just on a date.”

“Oh he seems like he really likes you.”

“Yeah maybe.” Why was I being such a bitch? Stop it! “I’m Nina.”

“I’m Karen and my boyfriend is Rick. We’ve been together for a year.”

Not even sure why she shared that. “That’s cool.”

“Yeah he’s like the best boyfriend I ever had. He’s supercute. He looks like Colton Haynes.”

I shook my head. Who the hell is Colton Haynes? I guess some white boy that looks just like this white boy.

I listened for about ten minutes as Karen rambled on and on about her relationship with Rick. It wasn’t that bad. It took my mind off of my missing date. Karen and Rick seemed innocent enough, just young. From what I saw of Rick they made a decent looking couple. They were both young pretty white people. That was all I could gather from a few minutes.

Bash returned with Rick behind the wheel. The geeked young man whipped into the same parking spot. The duo emerged from the car donning huge smiles. Ugh, this man car love stuff is so gross. I only had seconds to decide if I would act pissed. I wasn’t like ten minutes sitting on a bench next to Karen was torture. It was like a bathroom break or watching a whole bunch of commercials. Pretending to be mad seemed stupid. I vetoed that idea.

Everybody said their goodbyes and Bash and I drove off.

He glanced over at me when we were stopped at a red light. “Nina, I’m sorry I left you.” Damn he seemed like he was always reading my mind.

“It’s okay.”

“I want to explain. I have felt like a caged animal for years. But since I met you, I mean it’s just now, now I feel like I can be myself. The way I was before.” Bash turned back to the road even though the light hadn’t changed to green yet.

“Before what?”

“Uh the divorce.”

“Oh.” The light turned green and I was at a loss for words. The ride to my condo was quiet. So quiet I could hear my heartbeat. I wasn’t sure if I said something to warrant the silent treatment. A bell rang in my head. I never said anything foul. Maybe it was how I was acting. Bash was the one that started apologizing for leaving me high and dry. His blatant reserve scorched me. I didn’t like it.

Three lights and two stop signs later we ended up parked behind my garage.

“Bash, I wasn’t upset at all. You were only gone for ten minutes. I talked to Karen, the girlfriend and she was nice.” I was talking too much. I wanted old happy Bash back. Where did he escape too? I need cheerful Bash to return to me.

“Really?”

“I thought I sensed an attitude.” He said with one brow hitched up high.

“I’m a black woman. I always got a attitude.”

Bash laughed out loud and all the tension faded away. I didn’t laugh at my own jokes. I didn’t think I was all that funny. Half the time I was being serious and not trying to be funny.