"Excellent! Rain! Thank you so much for making my life easier Universe! " I mumbled when I left the subway.
I would have to walk just 3 blocks from the subway to Candy Roll, but with that horrible rain this short ride would be enough to make me soaked from head to toe. I took a deep breath as I waited under the awning of the bakery at the exit of the subway and decided to face that horrible rain. It was early, until Kaya found me at the ice cream parlor (if she was!), I would have had time for my clothes to dry a little to the point of not looking like wet bread. But what I could do, it was sunny when I took the subway, I couldn't imagine that the weather would change completely in half an hour. Yes, I could, but I thought it would be ridiculous to show up on the first date with an umbrella on a sunny day like that. I decided to take a chance and as the Universe always cheers for chaos, I was there suffering the consequences of the sadism of some omnipresent supernatural being who liked to turn my life into a real low budget sitcom.
Like a cat I hunted my victims along the way, taking advantage of their umbrellas while they did not realize that I was taking advantage of the tiny space that was left over from them. I did it during the first few blocks and I was hoping to get to Candy Roll practically dry when, distracted, I didn't see a car fly by a puddle and see all my effort go down the drain as it was as if someone had thrown one. bucket of water right in my face. There was only one block to go. I looked at the sky, took a deep breath, and recognized that I was not going to beat the Universe.
"OK! 1x0 for you to be omnipresent that cheers for my defeat! Next time send me a tsunami! "
I started to laugh at what I said.
Was I nervous? It is just a date, like many others. Why was I nervous?
I walked the last block more calmly, letting the rain wash away the little dignity I had left.
When I arrived at the door of the Candy Roll, I took advantage of the awning that was at the entrance to twist the shirt and the hem of my pants a little so I wouldn't drip inside the ice cream shop. When I looked up to open the door, I saw Kaya's reflection behind me.
She was beautiful, her curly hair fell like a waterfall over her shoulders. She was wearing a flowered knee-length dress, light makeup outlined her eyes, her red lips smiled at me in the reflection, and she WAS WITH AN UMBRELLA. When my eyes met hers, I saw that she was laughing, not at me, but at me.
I turned around in disbelief, how long had she been after me?
She came towards me and with a delicate movement she opened the door of the ice cream shop for me.
"I'm impressed with her swinging to get a space under someone else's umbrella. Too bad it didn't work! " she laughed and walked right by me.
I was looking at her without believing. That girl saw my commitment to being presentable for that meeting and just let me suffer, was that it?
I watched her through the glass door until she sat down.
Our eyes met and with the index finger she called me inviting me to sit next to her, the smile on her face showed that she had had fun with my suffering. I crossed my arms and she laughed out loud that I could hear outside.
"I'm going to marry this woman!" I thought.
-
The Candy Roll had a whole 60's vibe, a jukebox in the corner all colored, the walls with vibrant and futuristic colors, the rounded benches and individual stalls left the atmosphere welcoming for the first meetings of the couples that were forming in the city. The menu with the most diverse ice creams and sandwiches was not the kind of sophistication you wanted for important meetings, but it was a good size for a first meeting. The waitresses brought rollerblades to the Beatles and we were transported to golden times while ordering our snacks.
I remembered going there when I was a kid. My father always brought my mother to eat there when he wanted to celebrate something, be it a job promotion, be it the love he felt for her. I removed the emotional charge of that environment from my thoughts while Kaya placed her order for the waitress.
I picked up the napkin from the table and started to fold it thinking about how to break the ice on that first date.
Kaya anticipated and started to speak.
"So, Thommas, right ?!" she asked.
At that moment I realized that we had not performed decently. We had just said our names in the elevator.
That moment was our first decent conversation.
"Exactly! But you can call me Thommie! And you are Kaya, right ?! " I replied.
"Yea! And you can call me Kaya because no one in my family found a worthy nickname for this different name! " she laughed.
"I think it's a beautiful name! Does it have a strange meaning or is it just a combination of random letters? " I asked.
"Kaya are fortified villages in a region of Kenya in Africa. Venerated as sacred sites. My father came from this region to the United States in 1940. he gave me that name as a reminder of the place he was born! "
"Wow! My name was a tribute to the street baker I was born in! " I replied.
"For real?" she looked at me hesitantly.
"Of course!" laughs a little louder than it should. I was nervous.
She laughed too and we stared at each other for a few seconds. Her look mesmerized me.
"Then. Thommie, The baker, what do you like to do when you're not looking at the women's skirt on the bench ?! " she said, settling herself more comfortably in her chair.
"First of all, I don't do that - not often, but she didn't need to know that - it was just an oversight. You impressed me that day! But answering the purpose of your question - I continued - I usually run in the park, paddle on sunny weekends, drink beer on the terrace of Milo's house and when I feel ashamed in my face, I visit my mare in Flemington. " I replied.
"Do you have a mare?" she asked curiously.
"Yea! My grandparents own a property in the city and I got a mare when I was about 8 years old. She is beautiful! But I haven't visited her in a while! "
"I love animals! Unfortunately I don't have time to take care of one, but I would love to have a house full of them. Maybe in the future?" she said.
"I like it too, but I'm in the same situation as you! No time and no space! Nagy is a beautiful mare. One day if you want I can take you to meet her ... "- we had just started that meeting and I was already programming a second.
"How cool does that mean we are going out again ?!" she laughed.
I hadn't yet gotten used to Kaya's beauty, and while I tried to find the direction, our conversation continued unassuming while waiting for our sandwiches.
Kaya told me about her coming to New York while I tried to fish as much information as possible trying not to look like a fool who looked at her with a dizzy face, and definitely looked like a fool. She was beautiful and aroused in me desires such as getting married, having children, animals and going to live far from the city on a farm full of animals. My unconscious laughed at my nervousness.
As Kaya talked about her life, she liked to go to the cinema with the few friends she had made in the city, Tessa was one of them, I noticed that she had a serious problem with the hair that often twisted the wires in hers. lips. It was funny to see her pause every few minutes trying to find a way to tame them. At one point, when her hair insisted on sticking to her lips, I reached out almost unconsciously, and pushed my hair back from her ears.
"Ready! Better that way!" she said and I didn't realize it was too close to her face.
Kaya paused her monologue for a brief second and I saw her cheeks flush, until she realized it was almost glued to her face.
I sat back in my chair, took a bite of my sandwich and let it go.
As we talked, I saw the rain seeping out of the window and a thin beam of light radiated over the street, the sun was coming out that winter day.
Kaya noticed when I hung up on the conversation watching the sun outside.
"I should have scheduled a snack for 11! "She said, pointing to my soaked clothes.
I had forgotten that I was completely soaked for our date. It made me feel so good that I had simply forgotten everything around us.
"Do you like to walk?" I asked.
"Not that I like it, but if you feel like it, I will!" she replied smiling.
I got up from the table and indicated to the waitress that the lunch money was under the salt shaker. She smiled and nodded.
We grab our ice cream and go out the door.
It was hotter than when we arrived and Kaya decided it would be a good idea to remove the jacket that covered the top of her dress. A little awkward between the bag and the umbrella, I went to help her when the coat got tangled in the tip of the umbrella. I pulled her coat by her arms and when I finally saw her face we were too close. I felt his hot breath on my face.
Our eyes met and I saw a smile form on her lips.
"Thanks! I am a little stupid at times! " she said and I could see a little bit of embarrassment on her face, and that look made me a little more confident. Something was going on there!
I folded the coat over my arms and held one out for her to hold.
Kaya bent her knees in thanks, feigning a bow, and accepted my arm for support.
We were, for the first time that day, so close that I could feel the softness of her skin. She was radiant under the sun. Her smile, the way she talked about the city, and the animals, and the parks and the work were lovely. It took us a few moments to synchronize our steps, she laughed when I stopped and showed her which leg had to go first to walk in time.
I felt good by her side in a way that I didn't face other women. She let everything flow. We talked as if we had known each other for years, but we had been together for less than 2 hours.
We were walking through the park when I heard a whistle and looked back in time to see a bicycle in our direction faster than usual. I took my hands out of my pocket and quickly pulled her close to avoid the bike. The man passed so close that I had to press it against my chest so he wouldn't hit her.
"See where you are!" I shouted at the man far away by now.
I looked at Kaya and asked if she was okay, she nodded.
It took a second to realize that I was hugging her to my chest. Our bodies joined and I could smell the perfume she wore. The same scent I felt when we saw ourselves in the elevator the second time. This time I didn't want to leave, and she didn't seem to mind.
"I love that perfume of yours!" she said at last.
"It's the same one I was using ..." - "In the elevator! I know!" I interrupted her.
I found in that instant that it was easier to formulate sentences when I was closest to Kaya. My head was bubbling with information, I wanted to have the Candy Roll conversation again, but close to her that way.
With the other hand I brushed her hair away from her face and while I was drawing her cheek with her hands she closed her eyes and smiled.
I was tempted to kiss her. I wanted to kiss her. It was my wish all day, but I wanted to enjoy that moment more than anything.
"Do you mind if we walk like this?" I asked, taking her out of her daydreams.
"So embraced?" she answered.
"This!"
"No! As long as you save me from uncontrolled bicycles! " she laughed, and as my arms wrapped around her shoulders, I felt her embrace my waist. The heat he felt going up his spine was a new sensation. I had never felt as good about a girl as I felt about Kaya. On her side I forgot all the problems I had. By her side I felt free.