Dark Or Cream

He had lit two candles and spread out a tablecloth. The place settings were correctly laid out, pleasing Kaja to see his etiquette. She set the serving tray between them and fixed their plates. The flaky, salted fish melted on the tongue and the buttery rolls were chewy and delicious. Served with iced tea to wash it down, the food was unbeatable. Rashan ate every crumb and offered his plate for more, which Kaja graciously supplied.

They talked about his coursework at college and how he had met her younger brother playing basketball. He told her more about his future goals, and Kaja confided her dream of eventually opening another restaurant.

“I don’t know. I’d say my wife would be the stay at home kind. I’d want her cooking and cleaning only for me,” Rashan said.

Kaja looked up, surprised. “That’s a little old fashioned, don’t you think? What if she wants to work?”

“I mean, a little part time might not hurt, but I’m the provider. She can’t make more money than me cause when women do that they start to feeling like they run things.”

Kaja cocked her head to the side, peering at Rashan like she was seeing him for the first time. “Is that so?”

“Well, maybe not every woman, but most of them do.”

“What if her work makes her feel needed and fulfilled? It’s not like men are the only ones who are capable of getting out and taking care of their families. I always thought relationships were about being a team.”

“Exactly! Teamwork. See, that’s the problem with modern women. These days they don’t understand that. I’m glad you recognize it. Teamwork means you be there to assist me in making these goals, right? You support me, you encourage me and you help me win for us.”

Kaja bit back a retort. He had completely ignored her reference to feeling needed and fulfilled. “So, hypothetically, if we got serious, you’d expect me to give up my restaurant?”

“What? Nooo! Not at all. I’m sorry, you thought I was talking about you?”

“I thought we were talking about relationships.”

“Wow! I was about to fu*k myself talking about women shouldn’t work and sh*t, huh? Let me explain what I mean. Someone like you, you’re a special case. You own something. If we were to get married, I wouldn’t want you coming into this restaurant every day. I think I would prefer you work from home, though. The way technology is set up, you can do that. Meanwhile, you keep our home looking nice and dinner ready when I get off work. What more can a man ask for?”

“Hmm…and what about the part about a woman making more money than you?” She had no need to point it out, but her salary would easily swamp a teacher’s paycheck.

“We’d, uh, cross that bridge when we got to it.” He squirmed in his chair and Kaja got the sense he was sticking to his guns. He was old fashioned and a little bit misogynistic.

She smiled tightly and dropped her napkin on the table next to her meal. “Gosh, look at the time! I better get this place straightened up so we can both get home at a decent hour.”

She ignored his protests to sit and talk a while longer, as she gathered up the plates and serving tray and took them to the back. Kaja cursed under her breath and dumped the dishes in the sink. Fine, functional and fun, was he? She snorted and turned on the faucet to run steamy hot water over the plates. She should have known he was too good to be true. Rashan wouldn’t be able to handle dating a woman like her.

She returned to the table where he at least had the decency to help her clear away the rest of the dinner stuff. “I’m sorry if I offended you,” he apologized softly, grabbing her wrist before she could walk away with the folded tablecloth and used candlesticks.

“You didn’t,” Kaja replied with a small smile that didn’t quite reach her eyes.

Rashan sighed and used the damp cloth she left behind to wipe down the table. Within minutes, the restaurant was back in order and Kaja was marching ahead of him out the door. He raced around to open the car door for her, but she did herself and climbed into the Range. He drove her the short distance to her house and tried to kiss her at the door, which Kaja deftly deflected by turning away just as his lips descended. The kiss became a peck on the cheek, and she unlocked the door and left him standing on the stoop.

“Ugh!” she said as she closed the door behind her and leaned against it. She didn’t care if he heard. How could a man that fine be that clueless about women? He was of the mindset that a woman was a servant and subordinate. Kaja had never been overly dominant, but she definitely wasn’t about to be with a man who felt like her only place was in the kitchen. She was a chef, and she could cook her ass off, but she was a businesswoman. She wanted to be respected for her intellect and capabilities. She didn’t ever want to have to worry about a man being insecure with her making more money. The ridiculousness of the situation made her laugh out loud as she shrugged away from the door and ambled to her bedroom to get ready for bed. She couldn’t wait to tell Ebony about this.