Dark Or Cream

Chapter 8 – Heat It Up

“I want the details. Spill the beans.” Ebony met Kaja as she was leaving her house for her Sunday morning walk.

Kaja knelt down to tie her running shoes and said, “Where did you come from?”

“I ran away from home. We can walk together.” She stretched out her arms and displayed her velour pants suit. “So, how was the date?”

“It was fantastic. It was beyond fantastic. He was funny, he was charming. He was cute!”

They set off up the sidewalk at a brisk pace. “Say what? Did he beat my main man?”

“By a landslide. I don’t know, Ebony. Rashan’s touchy-feely behavior made me sizzle, and Eric wasn’t anything like that. But, his mindset and personality were such a great fit. I couldn’t stop giggling and laughing with him!”

“Pluses across the board, huh? Sounds like it.”

Kaja sighed. “I don’t know, sis. What you and Isis said has been replaying in my head, and I think I should give Rashan another chance. He left a voicemail last night asking me if I want to go out again.”

“Do it!”

“Didn’t you hear me say I’d give him another chance? Yeesh.”

“My bad. I’m just trying to see you happy.”

“What do you think about the assessment from Isis that I shouldn’t date a white guy? She said there would be cultural differences, social differences. She said black men could better appreciate a woman my size than white men. Something about my hair. Girl, she said all kinds of stuff. Bottom line was she thinks Eric is a bad idea.”

“She has a point, Kaja. I knew a black nurse from work once who married this white doctor, right? They were divorced within six months. She said he expected her to dress and act a certain way around his family and was embarrassed to be seen with her at certain establishments. Broke her little heart, bless her. I think Isis was trying to caution you to sniff out the true from the false. I mean, what did he act like last night? Did he seem funny about anything race related?”

“He did touch my hair.”

Ebony pointed and wagged her finger at Kaja. “See? That’s what we’re saying. It’s not that you shouldn’t date outside your race. It’s just…well, I think it’s time for you to have something serious. Can you have that with a white guy? Experimenting is one thing, but long term? Hmm. It remains to be seen.”

“You’re probably right. He didn’t even have a solid response when I asked him his five year plan.”

“Sounds like somebody was trying to politely tell you he didn’t see you in his future.”

“Well, what’s worse? Cause Rashan’s future for me involved giving up my restaurant, and that’s not about to happen.”

Ebony shrugged and kept walking. “I can’t make up your mind for you, chile. Do whatever makes you happy. All I can say is this time give the man a chance to get to what he’s really trying to say. And, don’t cut your eyes at him like you’re doing to me now. That sh*t makes men nervous.”

For the rest of the month, Kaja dated both men because she couldn’t quite make up her mind on who was best. She kept Rashan and Eric in the loop about the unorthodox arrangement, making sure not to lead either man on until she knew her heart. Eric didn’t seem to have any problems with it, but Rashan became a little more testy each time she mentioned she had been out with Eric, and Kaja started to feel like she wasn’t doing either one of them a favor by seeing them both. It didn’t help that she had her sister and her best friend in her ear rooting for Rashan.

She was happy to note he wasn’t as bad as he had seemed after the awkward conversation that closed out the first date. Rashan showed off his sensitive side when he took her to a poetry reading on campus. He wrote a poem just for her and recited it in front of a whole crowd of people, talking about how she was his perfect ideal. Kaja was s*xually attracted to his chocolate brown skin and ethnic swag, she couldn’t deny. Whenever he was close, she tingled with excitement at the affection he doled out freely, kisses and touches.

Meanwhile, Eric was more hands-off and still managed to engage her mind. He took her to a baseball game for a team his company sponsored, and he even went to church with her one Sunday. When she was with him, there was a spark, a chemistry that was understated. He wasn’t overbearing or aggressive. He seemed to be following her pace. When she wanted to be cuddled, he hugged her, but they had never even kissed. Her only problem with Eric was he seemed aimless, in a sense. He never talked about his future plans. Kaja was future-driven. She was ambitious and set milestones, and she wanted to be sure the person she picked as a potential partner wasn’t a ship setting sail without direction.

***

“Hello?” Kaja answered her cellphone.

“Come outside. I’m in front of your house.”

She peeked out the blinds of her living room window. She had been dosing on the couch and wasn’t expecting any visitors. Sitting around in her lounge pants and a halter top, she wasn’t even dressed to go anywhere. “What are you doing here, Rashan?” she murmured sleepily, rubbing the sleep from her eyes.

“I want to show you I’m a provider. Let me take you shopping.”

“Are you serious? I’m not even dressed.”

“I can wait. Take your time, but hurry up.”

She hung up the phone, smiling. It was a pleasant surprise to wake up to an impromptu shopping spree. She threw on jeans and a t-shirt, wondering whether they were going to the mall or someplace else. She walked out the door and locked it behind her, pulling her jacket closer as she strolled to his Range.

“Wassup?” she greeted him.

Rashan leaned over and kissed her lips. “Hey, beautiful. You missed me?”

“I did. How did you do on your midterms?”

“Aced them. You know me. Let’s go celebrate with a new fit for my baby. How you like that?”

“You know I can buy my own clothes, right?”

Rashan smacked his lips and smirked, but he grinned at her while he said, “Let a man feel like a man, baby. Put your seatbelt on and let me drive. I got this.”

“Alright, Mr. Man,” said Kaja.

They drove to the mall, and the first store he zeroed in on was a ritzy dress boutique. “This looks fresh. Yeah, I can picture you in that itty bitty black one.”

Kaja looked the mannequin in the window up and down, noting the dress he was talking about. It wasn’t something she would normally wear, but it was sleek and attractive. She had shopped at the store a time or two, but she tended to steer clear of places with price tags like this one. “Have you ever been here before?” she asked hesitantly.

“What you mean? Like, have I ever brought another chick here? No, baby. I don’t usually take women shopping. I’m doing this for you because I want you to know that I’m a provider. I want you to see how serious I am about you. Then, maybe you’ll let that other guy you’ve been seeing go.”

“Rashan—”

“Listen, listen, I don’t want to get into a long discussion about it. I just want you to have a good time. We good?”