Disillusion Meets Delight (20 page)

I walked out of the office feeling defeated.  I knew that if I said anything further, I myself would be at risk of looking for a new job.  Tempting as it was, I was not in a financial situation to up and quit my job. 

“Nora? Nora?  Hey we’ve got flowers here for you.  They came when you were in your meeting.”  The forty year old wearing a scrunchie walks towards me with a beautiful autumn bouquet of flowers.  At this point, I have learned to overlook the fact that she can never remember my name. 

“Marcia, I’m sure they are for someone else.”  After all, I don’t think anyone has sent me flowers since my dad died.  Why now?

“Here, we tried to open the card but it was sealed.”  Marcia hands over the flowers with the card in her other hand.

“Thanks.”  I walk back to my desk to read the card and to my surprise they are from Jake.  The man never ceases to amaze me.  Is it possible that he really sincerely likes me?  Or is this a calculated ploy to get me into his love den?  Little does he know that HOT MAN+
can’t remember the last time I had sex
=
not a big challenge.  However, pretty flowers always help. 

“Jenna he sent me flowers!”  I exclaim in amazement.  I can hear the children in the background arguing precociously with one another.

“I know!  Weren’t you totally surprised!  Oh I knew it was meant to be.”  Jenna gushes.

“What?  How did you know?  You’ve never even met Jake.”  I ask completely confused.

“Huh?  Jake?  No silly!  Ian!  Wait, who’s Jake?”  Now Jenna is totally confused.

“Hang on a sec Jenna someone is calling my name again.”  I put Jenna on hold, turn around and see another bouquet of beautiful flowers come towards me. 

“Jeez, Nicole you sure are popular today.  You must have had an interesting weekend.”  Marcia states with one eyebrow raised and walks away to probably gossip about what a ho’ her interim supervisor is. 

I open the card and read the note enclosed.

Natalie-

I’m sorry that I was a jerk.  I had a very nice time with you on Saturday.  Maybe we can try again?  I call a truce if you do.

Ian

“Jenna?  I got flowers from Ian too?  What is going on?  I go from never getting flowers, to all of a sudden getting a florist shop in mere minutes and how did
you
know about it by the way?”  This is all too much for a Monday morning. 

“Don’t worry about it.  All I know is he felt badly for something he said or did or something.  So, do you like them or what?!”  She asks excitedly.

“Well, yeah, of course I do.  They’re gorgeous.  But I feel like I’m in a bit of a dilemma.  I never have two guys showing interest in me at the same time!  What do I do?”  I ask desperately.

“Nat, listen, I gotta go.  Victoria  is trying to prepare her own lunch.  Last time she did that we had orange juice in granola, broken china and some pissed off parents.  Call me later okay?”

“But…”  Jenna was gone and now I have to figure out how to focus on work instead of the floral display that was once my cubicle.  Not so fun.

Fortunately for me, Laura has yet to find a job and consequently has free time during the day.  That meant lunch and a lot of catching up to do.

“So, what do you think?  Should I call Ian back about the flowers or wait for him to call?  It’s just so awkward.”  I say picking the excess lettuce out of my veggie sandwich.

“What do you mean should you call him?  The man sent you a bunch of flowers.  Of course you should call him.  I think the question you’re really asking is should you like him.”  She points out to me with a narrowing eye.

“I don’t want to give him the wrong idea Laura.  I like Jake, you know.  He’s hot and is everything that I wasn’t expecting and more.  All I get from Ian is torment.  Who wants that in a guy?”  Am I right?

“Dear child, must I point out the obvious?  Okay, apparently it’s necessary.  You enjoy torment.  You enjoy a man who annoys you and interests you at the same time; a man who is intelligent but can be humble once in a while.  Figure A. this card.  You will grow bored with a man like Jake.  Sure, he’s hot but do you two actually have something in common?”  It seems I need to pitch Jake a little better.

“Laura, he went to college.  He has a degree and everything so he can’t be that dumb.  He just needs to work on conversational skills with women.”  There that’s better, I think.

“If you believe that then you also believe all the jocks you partied with in college can now discuss the importance of intellectualism in today’s relationships.  I may not have gone to college, but I went to lots of college parties.”

“Whatever.  Jake deserves the chance for me to get to know him.”  I contend.

“And Ian doesn’t?”  She argues.

“Ian got his chance.  It’s not going to work.  We are oil and vinegar.”

“That’s oil and water.”

“Whatever!”

“Okay, listen, I’m not going to give you anymore advice.  Well, okay this is the last of it.  If you 110% know that you don’t have feelings for Ian, then thank him politely for the flowers and leave it at that.  But, if there is one tiny voice in your heart that says Ian may be someone you could see yourself shopping for furniture at Pottery Barn with then I urge you to rethink your decision.  Do you promise Natalie Everett?  Do you?”  Good gracious I feel like I’m about to spit in my hand and shake hands. 

“Like the Sumatra bed and the cranberry velvety soft bedding?”  I ask realizing that I’ve always truly wanted to have a man to share the experience with.  Well, and I shamefully must admit, the income to help pay for it.

“Yes, Laura, I promise.”  We didn’t spit in our hands and shake, but did end our lunch with a big hug and an agreement.  Unfortunately, I was just as confused if not more now.  I think life was easier when guys didn’t talk to me.  Even worse, I now have a huge desire to go to Pottery Barn. 

I know that we all complain incessantly about being stuck in rush hour traffic, but sometimes I don’t really mind it.  It’s a way for me to think without the distraction of television or other people to talk to.  It’s my quiet time with some music and my thoughts. 

Traffic was especially difficult today.  It was beginning to rain and although Portland is a city that is infamous for long bouts of rainfall, we seem to never know how to deal when driving in it. It’s kind of like when you see warm climates all of a sudden get a freak invasion of snow.  People start panicking and driving into one another or leaving their cars on the side of the road.  Ok, we don’t abandon our cars on the freeway at the first sight of raindrops but nevertheless, the drives home are always far more challenging. 

I needed time to think.  Ponder on what was happening in my life.  Yes, I know it isn’t life altering but it’s taxing all the same.  And for once, it’s drama that involves me.  Not that I’m welcoming it but sometimes I grow tired from stressing about other people’s problems. 

Although I feel some stress, right now, sitting in my car with the raindrops on my windshield driving very slowly over the Marquam Bridge listening to my favorite radio station, I feel content.  I’m happy I live in such a beautiful city, rain and all.  I have a nice warm car with excellent windshield wipers and for once, my gas light isn’t even on.  Life is ok. 

It’s funny how that all changes by a simple ring of a telephone and caller ID.  It was Jake, presumably calling about my flowers.  Although I knew I wasn’t ready to talk to him, it would be even harder for me to call him back because I hate calling guys.  Picking up the call would be the wiser thing to do, no contest.

“Hi Natalie.  I was just calling to see if you got your flowers.  Oh and see how your day was.”  It was so sweet how he tried so hard to say the right thing. 

“It was such a nice surprise.  They were really pretty.  Thank you so much!”  I reply with a smile.

“So what are you doing right now?”  He asks in a cute boyish tone.

“I’m driving home.  Don’t you just love how the trees by the zoo turn such a beautiful shade of brown and orange?  I think fall is my favorite season here.”  It really is.  There are so many trees in Portland and although the leaves don’t stay on too long it’s just so pretty. 

“Uh, yeah definitely.  So, I know that we have plans for Friday, but I thought if you weren’t busy you would want to have dinner tonight?”

“Tonight?  Oh, I don’t know.  I mean, I don’t have any plans but…”  I hesitate.

“It doesn’t have to be anything fancy.  We could just go somewhere casual.”

“You know, I have absolutely no idea what I was going to have for dinner anyway except that it was going to be alone.  Sure.  Do you want to meet somewhere around 7?”  That gives me enough time to go home and prepare myself to look as though I hadn’t really taken the time at all. 

“Is Chili’s too casual?”

“No, that’s fine with me.  I’ll see you there at 7.”  Wow, I have a date with Jake.  It’s somewhat unexpected but perhaps necessary.  It seems that I need to prove to my friends that Jake actually is the guy for me.

Since traffic was beastly, I didn’t get home until after 6.  So, that gives me about 45 minutes to get ready.  No big deal.  I run my hair through the straightening iron since the humidity made it wavy again.  Yes, I know wavy is popular again but my hair doesn’t look chic wavy.  When not properly styled, I look like some guy from a seventies rock band; or bless them, one of the Bee Gees.  After seeing to my coif, I put on a pair of jeans, a three quarter sleeve brown cowl neck sweater and my tan Uggs.  Maybe not the sexy option but my feet need a break from heels once in a while.  After a touch up of make- up and lip gloss, I am good to go. 

I don’t really like meeting people in public places.  I hate that awkward moment when you walk in, not knowing if they are there yet, doing the quick scan of the room.  And then, what if they see you and you don’t see them?  You look like a dork because you don’t see them.  I know I worry too much.  As it turned out, Jake arrived at the same time that I did. 

“Have you been here long?”  He asked, brushing the rain off his Columbia jacket. 

“No I just got here too.  Should we sit in the bar or the restaurant?” 

“Let’s sit in the bar.  The game is on in there.”  He says as I follow him into the testosterone filled bar.  He was correct; the game was on, at every television in sight, actually. 

“So, what did you do this weekend?”  I ask trying to start small talk.

“What?  Oh, I went out with the guys on Saturday. I drank too much so I lounged around on Sunday.  Sunday is kind of my time.  I don’t talk to people.  I just do whatever I want to.  I call it ‘Jake’s Day.’  It’s important, don’t you think?”  He asks while sipping his beer.

“You are so right!  I love Sunday’s.  I have a morning thing that I do.  I always get up and…”

“Yes!  Touchdown!  Woo!  Oh sorry, what did you say?”  He asks again, taking another sip of beer.

“Oh, I was saying that I appreciate my own time on Sunday’s too.  I like to get up and watch
This Week with George Stephanopoulos
.”  I say proudly.

“Who’s that?  Oh, is that the guy from Sesame Street?”  He asks bewildered.

“No Jake, that’s Mr. Snuffleupagus.  Who, depending on how you spell his name, could also be Greek.  That was a great show though huh.”  For a moment I reminisced to myself on the enjoyment I got from watching Sesame Street.  Such as learning to count to ten in Spanish from Maria and how everyone should be accepted, even if they are green and grumpy and live in a trash can.

“What was a great show?”  Jake asks me blankly.

“Well, Sesame Street.”  I respond feeling like I am in an Abbot and Costello routine.

“I didn’t watch that show much.  I always thought Bert and Ernie were homos.” 

“At the age of 4, you were debating Bert and Ernie’s sexual orientation?” 

“I liked Mr. Roger’s though.”  He added. 

“I wasn’t a big fan of that one.  The ‘meow-meow’ kitty really got on my nerves but it was fun when he’d go out in the neighborhood and stuff.”

“Yeah, I don’t know.  So, what sports did you play in school?”  He asks, obviously changing the subject, which I suppose is a good idea.  Arguing over which PBS kids show was better is probably not the finest of date conversations.