The Upward Ripple

 *****

When a confirmation email from Nate Duncan on the wee hours of Saturday morning arrived, the excitement set in. She could hardly sleep after reading that email. All she could do was think about the imminent meeting. She was finally going to meet the legendary Nate Duncan. So, what was she going to wear? Where were they going to meet? Were they going to have a sit down first or were they just going to meet at the property grounds?

Her heart was racing as she tossed and turned. At five in the morning, she was already out of bed. She cleaned her room, living room and kitchen before she finally took a long relaxing shower. She brewed a strong pot of coffee and sipped from a cup as she tried to figure out what she was going to wear to her meeting. She had learned a long time ago that people first passed judgment based on how you looked and being an African American woman in a small predominantly white town, Cynthia had to step up her game. Stepping up her game and staying on top was how she had managed to be a name synonymous with successful realty.

Cynthia was a small, curvy woman. At only five two, the small waist and large hips made her look way curvier than she actually was. It was why pencil skirts and bodycon dresses suited her ever so well. She settled on a black bodycon dress with white stripes and a pair of black stilettos. Her long-straightened hair was in a French braid that hung loosely on her left shoulder. She threw on a red trench coat and stood in front of her full-length mirror. The outfit was perfect. It was not too much but at the same time, it was not underwhelming.

She looked at the clock on the wall and sipped on her coffee. It was only six thirty. She was going to need another cup of coffee or maybe ten. Perhaps a sports drink as well. She had a long way to go before their meeting at nine.

 *****

Looking into the mirror, Nate felt like he was looking at another person. He had chosen to get rid of his locks and went with a bade haircut and he was also spotting a beard. He had on a grey suit paired with a black shirt and black tie. He had definitely transformed. The receptionist at The Duncan Plaza could hardly recognize him when he walked into the hotel lobby. He’d had a good long nap on the flight over and he was confident that he could power through his meeting with the realtor.

He was taking a last look at his reflection when Deloris walked up to him, a bowl of fruit topped up with ice cream in her hands.

“You look the ever-dashing gentleman,” she said as she stood next to him. Nate smiled.

“Thanks.”

“So, are you getting an Uber or something? Maybe get one of the company cars?” Leon asked and Nate shook his head before he turned around and walked to the bedroom coming back out with a leather jacket and a helmet. “Dude! You cannot be serious!” Leon exclaimed.

Nate shrugged as he put on his jacket.

“What?”

“You are going to put leather on a custom-made Italian suit?” The look Leon had on his face said it all. He felt like the world had betrayed him.

“I am not riding in the back of some car… there is something about the Harley. It gives you total and complete control… you feel it all over you as you ride. Feeling the horsepower right between your legs…”

Leon put his hands up.

“I don’t need to hear about this…. please.”

Deloris giggled as she put her bowl down.

“So, divide and conquer,” she said as she looked at Nate. “You meet the realtor and Leon and I will wait for Frank Montgomery who is bringing the dossier you requested.”

“Yeah, then we will meet you for lunch at Alfredo’s,” Leon added.

Nate nodded and sighed loudly.

“I should probably get going.”

“I still can’t believe that you are putting leather on top of that fine suit, man!” Leon called out. “Not cool.”

Nate had a smile on his face as he walked out of the suite but as soon as he stepped into the elevator, his smile disappeared. It was finally here. The thing he had been dreading for so long. The Duncan Plaza was just a short distance from the The Spilt Bean where he was supposed to meet his realtor, but he could not help but ride around for several minutes as he fought to regain composure. He was having a conflict within himself, arguing that the hardest part of the whole process was going to be when he met Elise. He kept on telling himself that the meeting with the realtor was not going to be as hard as he thought it to be but for some reason that was all he could think about.

As he approached The Spilt Bean, a red sports car sped past him causing him to swerve into the parking lot. There was a woman who had just stepped out of her car and his swerving caused her to lose her balance. Luckily, her car broke her fall, but Nate could almost swear that she had hurt her back in doing so.

“Oh, my God!” He secured the brake on his bike and took off his helmet before running to where the woman was. “Are you alright?” he asked as he stretched his hand out to take hers in his.

“Yeah… I’m fine. That woman should not be driving,” she said in a soft voice.

He got her coat from the ground and dusted it off before handing it back to her.

“I’m so sorry. You look like you hit that side panel pretty hard,” Nate said as he looked at the woman in concern. “Are you alright?”

She nodded.

“Yeah, I guess.” She took a long, deep breath regaining her composure. “Thank you, for your help. I just hope I don’t look like a completely mess. I have a meeting in a few minutes…actually right now.” She stroked her French braid and tried tucking the stray strands behind her ear.

“You look fine. Perfect actually.” He smiled at her. “I actually have a meeting here too and I am not looking forward to it.”