Their Double Blessing

Patricia did her best to ignore Mary. In her mind the poor man saw Mary’s real intent from a mile away. Men who were wealthy and forty knew who the women who went after them were. Those who wanted money and those who wanted that plus being the next Mrs. She had seen enough television to know how most of those worked out. Usually ending in ugly divorces or worse. It was a relief that Mr. Kent wasn’t looking for another temporary lay. Especially with her sister, which made the night guard’s skin crawl. How Mary could debase herself to be nothing more than a guy’s plaything was beyond her understanding.

“Maybe it’s because I’m too dark. Men like this enjoy having a light-skinned woman on their arm. Lessens the chance of having babies that look too different from them,” Mary went on.

Patricia did her best not to throttle the ignorant girl beside her. Anyone who thought like that wasn’t worth going after. Racism was still alive and well. Worse, black people like her sister embraced it and tried to change themselves to fit in. She had a good mind to throw out all Mary’s bleaching creams and have a good old showdown about race and equality. “Please stop talking. I don’t need to hear that asinine rhetoric right now, Mary.”

“Fine, be alone for the rest of your life. See if I care,” Mary pouted.

When there was a break Mary stormed off before Patricia could even rise from her chair. There would be hell to pay later on but if she could get some peace and stretch her legs, it was worth it. She loved Mary but some of her values were just dead wrong. Hating black babies was just a terrible way to think. Maybe I should go freshen up, she mused.

“Excuse me, are you Patricia Williams?” A bodyguard built like a tank walked up. Why on earth would this man need to talk to her? Much less know a random woman’s full name. If Mary did something stupid to get them thrown out she would put that idiot on the streets.

“Yes, may I ask what’s happened?” Patricia put on her most polite voice. If anything was wrong being on her best behavior might help mitigate some of the blowback.

“Everything’s fine Ma’am. Mr. Kent is requesting a word with you. He’s waiting by the lobby. I can escort you there right now.”

Patricia raised an eyebrow. Could this be the moment George told her off for speaking out of turn? She never thought it would be in public. But then again you never knew what to expect with these white folks. Better to get this over with. “Lead the way.”

Upon entering the lobby she saw a nervous man pacing, instead of an angry one. His face lit up when he saw her. What should have been a moment of relief instead had her on edge. Why was this rich stranger so happy to see a woman he didn’t know. “What’s going on?”

“I know this is awkward but I just need a moment of your time.” George escorted her to a more secure wing.

“Right, you better tell me what this is right now. I’m grateful for the luncheon but I’m not doing anything weird.”

George’s face went redder than a tomato. It took a moment before he could speak. “I’m sorry if my actions startled you. I was hoping to ask you something in private. Your plus one seems to be having a great time, by the way.”

“What my sister does is none of your business. Besides, she thinks you’re gay.”

“Um, why would she does think that?” George raised an eyebrow.

Patricia shrugged. “She’s not your type or something. I couldn’t care less.”

“Oh, I guess that’s her opinion,” George said. “I was wondering if you would like to go on a walk with me.”

Patricia looked around. “Am I being punked? Are there secret cameras in here?”

“I suck at this. I want to ask you out on a date. But I was trying to not be creepy, clearly I’ve failed,” George sighed.

Patricia burst out laughing. After worrying she might get kidnapped or having to beat a white man up, this was all about going on a date with her. “Tell me this is a joke.”

“It’s not, trust me,” the bodyguard said and he looked as mortified as his boss.

George took a deep breath and started rambling. Telling Patricia about the first time saw her. That he thought she was beautiful and captivating. He did research to find out more and discovered her love for activism and her community. Which only made him more anxious to meet face-to-face. That his love life was dead and that liking her surprised him as well. Then he just hung his head and apologized for wasting her time but begged for a chance to make things right. Suggesting a walk and leaving his number for her to decide if they would ever meet again.

“Okay,” Patricia agreed.

“Really?” George perked up.