Not Nearly Metta

Don Parker

          Who in the hell is this damn lady walking on my site. I’ll be damned if she gets hurt and then try to sue. From the looks of it she might be the clumsy type. Seriously who comes to an construction site in heels unless you’re looking for trouble.  I said as I looked down from the second floor. I was expecting the work that was being done. Oh no Francesco is confronting her.

        “Lady you have to go now” I heard Francesco yell when I made it to them. WOW she is stunning I thought. She was slim like a model with the height to match. But her beauty was beyond that. She didn’t have another face panted on top of hers but she did have on this bright red lipstick that made me want to stop whatever I was doing and give her my undivided attention. Her hair on the other hand was cut short but it was edgy and went with her face. “Um Francesco I will take it from here, thank you” I said patting him on the shoulder and never taking my eyes off of her. “Okay boss but she is a hard headed one” he said walking off shaking his head. “I apologies for him, what he meant was you need to wear a hard hat” I said knocking on my hat. “Sir, as I was trying to explain to the fat, rude man I don’t want to be here any more then he wants me to but the couple that you are building the house for asked me to come and pick up some papers from David” she said. “Oh ok the Artest, from what I heard they are a nice couple and friends of David” I said. “Yes as well as mines” she said. “Okay but please understand I can’t let you  back there because it is dangerous but if you give me a few minutes I will go get him for you Mrs..” I said. “Actually it is Ms., Ms Walker, Carson Walker and I would appreciate that” she said rolling her hands to imply that I tell her my name. “Excuse me, Don Parker” I said smiling and extending my hand to her. “Well Mr. Parker I will wait over there if that is okay with you” she said. “Sure as long as you wear this hard hat, I wouldn’t want anything to happen to you on my watch” I said as she smiled and held the hard hat over her head.

    “DAVID” I yelled. “Yea what’s up Don” he said walking toward me. At my company we are on a first name basic. I built this company myself for my people. Some were getting looked over because of the color of their skin but were very qualified and others that needed a second chance in life. “There is a woman by the name of Carson Walker asking for you” I said. “Oh yea Cars I have to give her some papers to give to Tony, the couple who house we are building” he said. “Yea so I heard” I said. “So is she your girlfriend” I asked. “Naw bro she is just a friend” David said shaking his head. “Well do you know if she is seeing anyone” I asked. “Not to my knowledge” he said. “Okay well what can you tell me about her” I said getting frustrated, how can they be friends and he not know if she is seeing anyone. “Ummm she is a hell of a cook in fact she owns her own restaurant slash bakery called Our Kitchen, she is childhood best friends with the wife who the house is being built for. I am the husband frat brother that’s how I know her. You must be feeling her” he said smiling. “I wouldn’t mind getting to know her, she is cute” I said. “Bro whatever you do don’t call her cute to her face” he said laughing and shaking his head. “Don’t tell me she is conceded” I asked knowing something had to be wrong for a beautiful woman like that to might be single. “No not at all, clumsy yes, bold yea, but not conceded. And if you call her cute she’ll just say cute is puppies” he laughed. “We’ll she does have a point there and since you said she is clumsy lets hurry and get back to her till she get hurt and we get sued” I said.

     “Ms. Walker I hope to see you again soon” I said shaking her hand and leaving them to their business. Privately I hoped he would put in a good word for me, usually I wouldn’t mind doing it myself but there was something different about this one I just can’t put my finger on it just yet.

      “Mr. Parker” she said in a sweet voice. “Please call me Don” I insisted. “Okay well Don you look like a man who would enjoy a nice mouthwatering meal I would like to invited you to my restaurant as my personal guest if you would like” she said. “I would love that” I said as she handed me her business card with her cell number written on the back. “Good you can get the direction from David and how about tonight at 9” she said. “Nine it is beautiful” I said kissing her on the hand”. 

       Dinner was great and David was right she is a great cook. We’re going out again tomorrow but this time I am going to cook. Well I’m going to try to. This could be the start of something great or the start of something terrible depending on how dinner goes I thought.

      Well I end up burning dinner but she didn’t hold it against me. We ordered out and enjoyed each other company. She told me about her hundreds of brother and sisters and how she wasn’t from here which was a shock to me since she cooked like she was. She originally just wanted to open up a bakery because that was her passion but she felt like at the time a restaurant would make her more money so she just combined the two and got the best of both worlds. 

     I on the other hand like to create things with my own hands. I loved to make what I draw on paper a creation in life. I also told her my late grandfather was the reason I started my own construction site for African Americans. He told me how he was not hired because of his skin even though he was more skilled then his opponent. Even though racism is not something that is spoken of or out in the open it does not mean that it does not happen anymore. Our life story went on all night and even when she left home it continued on the phone.