Color Blind(9)

“Oh, I didn’t realize. Who’s going to babysit?” he asked her.



“You’re unbelievable,” I laughed.



“That’s even more reason to go out with me,” he tried to persuade me. “I’m not just any guy. I’m Dale Halloway, owner of St. Louis Gas and Electric District. This will give us the opportunity to get to become better acquainted. How old is your daughter?”



“She’s eight, going into the third grade.”



“I bet she’s as cute as her mom,” he declared. “I’ll tell you what. If you’d like, I can take you and her out for lunch one afternoon and spend time with both of you.” Dale suggested.



“I don’t let strangers around Nevaeh. It’s nothing personal, but…”



He cut me off. “I presume Nevaeh is your daughter?”



“Yes, that’s my little cutie pie.”



He could hear Kimberly’s voice smiling through the phone as she spoke about her child; it warmed his heart.



“That’s a lovely name. How about this: what if I took just you out to lunch? Is there a relative or someone you could leave her with?”



“Well, I have a sitter, but I spend my days off with my little angel. That’s the only time we get together.” I explained.



“What if I promised that I would only take up an hour or two of your day? Would you go out to lunch with me then?” Dale pressed.



I hesitated as I processed the fact that this man wasn’t going away. “Okay, you’ve got yourself a date. What did you have in mind?” I questioned, eyeing my closet, trying to figure out what I would wear. Most of my apparel consisted of work clothes; I didn’t have an extensive wardrobe.



“Where ever you want to go. What kind of food do you like?” He asked.



“Mm,” I thought for a moment, “I’m good with Italian, Chinese, and Mexican. I’m not much of a picky eater. What’s your favorite?” I quizzed, rifling through my garments as we spoke.



“I can eat almost anything. Where do you live?” he questioned.



“I live outside of St. Louis City limits, by South County Mall. Do you know where that is?”



“Yes, I do. Actually, that’s where our call center’s located.” Dale purchased the mall; it was just one of the commercial properties he owned. “There’s a great little authentic Mexican restaurant near there. We could have lunch there if you’d like.”



“Okay, that’s perfect. I’m off Sunday’s and Monday’s, but you work Monday, don’t you?” I asked.



“I do, but we could go out to lunch on Sunday if that works for you.” He paused, giving me a chance to answer.



“Yeah, that’s fine. What time?”



“Oh, how about one o’clock?” Dale suggested.



“Sounds good. Did you want to meet there?”



“No, I’ll come pick you up,” he demanded. “What’s your address?”



Oh, this isn’t going to be good. I can’t let Nevaeh, or anyone else for that matter, see me with a white guy. What if it got back to my mom or brothers?



“Actually, I’m not comfortable giving you my address just yet. How about if we meet there? I promise I’ll be there,” I tried reassuring him.



“If I didn’t know better, I’d say you’re not a very trusting person,” Dale said.



“No, it’s not that. Well, sort of, but I don’t like my daughter seeing me with a man unless we’ve been together for quite a while and we’re serious about taking our relationship to the next level.”



“Hm,” Dale hummed into the phone. “I don’t know if I believe that. I get a feeling you’re trying to stand me up. You wouldn’t do that, would you?” He said in a sexy, flirty voice.



“No, I promise. I’ll be there.”



“You know if you stand me up, I’ll come up to your work again. Don’t make me do that or you’ll regret it.”



I wasn’t sure if he was playfully teasing, or if he was actually serious. “Don’t worry; but listen, I need to get off here. Nevaeh has been really sick lately so I need all the rest I can get. I’ll talk to you later.”



I smiled as we said our good-byes and hung up. He was pleasant and the thought of dating him caused an electrical charge to course through my body—he even insisted on picking me up. In my past, I had to meet the guy there or go pick him up; this was a delightful and welcomed change. The only problem was going to be explaining this to Lorraine. She was the only person I’d ask to babysit. If I dare told my mom that I had a date, she’d press me for all the details. As I drifted off to sleep that night, I dreamt of our lunch date and how I might say the wrong things or spill my drink on myself. When I woke up, I recalled the dreams and wondered why I was so apprehensive. What made him so different? Yes, he owned a business, had money and seemed nice, but there was just something about him.