“I know. I know.” He stepped back and shook his head. “Look, where’s your car? I’ll just walk you to your car and say goodnight.”
“It’s down the street, but I can get there by myself.” I wasn’t comfortable with Julian walking me to the car. That would surely lead to an odd moment where we’d have to find a way to say goodbye. That would make me weak and I wasn’t about to let myself break down.
“You sure?” he asked. “I don’t want you walking down the street alone.”
“Please, there are still people out here, silly.” I pointed to the last few stragglers heading out of the theater.
“Fine,” he said reluctantly. “I guess this is it then.” He paused. “But before you go, I just have to say one thing, then that’s it. Okay?”
“What?”
“You’re one amazing woman. All any man could want.”
“Thank you,” I said, half praying he would keep going and stop at the same time. My weak side wanted to—needed to—hear what he was saying, but my strong side knew it was a bad idea to listen to the pantry-charming play.
“No, I’m serious. You know, as we walked around in there, I was watching everyone and thinking about you and how you were the most beautiful woman in the room.”
I couldn’t say anything. I was speechless. Well, not exactly. I was happy to hear his words, but at the moment all I could think of were a few choice questions. The first one was, “Well, if you feel that way, why did you break up with me?” But time and experience taught me that asking that would only amount to me pushing him and the last thing I needed to do to a vulnerable man that was expressing himself was push. He’d just run. Julian would have to figure out the answe
r to that question on his own.
“It’s hard being around you right now,” he continued, “I just want to hold you and take you home with me.”
“Well, we have to do what’s right. As friends.”
“Yeah…I know. So, when do we friends get to hang out again?”
“I don’t know,” I teased. “I guess I’ll have to let your people get with my people and then maybe we can work something out. I’m a busy lady, you know?”
“I know,” he said. “I’ll have to have my people get with your people then…sooner rather than later.” He hugged me and gave me a quick kiss on the tip of my nose. “Goodnight beautiful.”
I felt like I’d lost ten pounds, walking back to my car. I was light as a feather, floating on air like an angel. The perfect result of step one was all I could’ve wished for. Miata’s wicked spell was already breaking and I was so happy, so very happy that I didn’t notice the gaping hole in the space where my car was supposed to be. I looked up and down Adam Clayton Powell Boulevard, trying to remember where I’d parked, when I realized I was standing there. Right there. The first thing that came to my mind was that someone had stolen the car. I pulled my cell phone from my purse.
As I dialed 9-1-1, I looked up at a sign that was posted on the curb beside the spot where the car had been. It was one of those red and white parking signs that people tend to miss when they’re in a rush. I was afraid to read the sign. Afraid to discover the fate of my vehicle.
NO PARKING 6 p.m.–6 a.m., Fruitlessly—since it was 10 o’clock at night—I tried to remember when I’d parked the car. It was at least 7:30 p.m. I remembered because I’d been late meeting Julian. I closed the phone just as the operator picked up. My car hadn’t been stolen by a damn fool. It was towed because my fool ass had parked it illegally! I wanted to fall out right there in the empty space, but then I’d ruin my new DVF dress.
Just as I contemplated walking back inside to explain everything to my parents, who’d never let me live it down, a black BMW pulled up beside me.
“Need some help?” the driver asked. I peeked in the window to see who it was. Rev. Dr. Hall had shown up in the nick of time again. “Car get towed?” he asked, looking up at the sign behind me.
“Looks like it,” I answered reluctantly, turning to face the theater to make sure my parents hadn’t sneaked up behind me. Kyle smiled and turned on the light in his car.
“It’s pretty late. You need a lift? I can take you to the garage to claim it or home if you just don’t feel like dealing with it tonight,” Kyle said, sounding a bit too hospitable. I imagined that he was behind this entire drama. He’d set up the entire thing: He’d scheduled Julian at the hospital so he would have to leave early; he’d made me park in the stupid spot so my car would get towed; and he’d called the tow company. Yeah, I know, it was a stretch, but he was tight with the man upstairs.
“Okay, Kyle,” I said, walking up to the window. “I’ll let you take me home as long as you promise not to tell my father this ever happened…like, ever.”
“Well, I can’t tell a lie if he asks me directly, but I can try to avoid the topic.” How smug. It was gonna be a long ride back to Chelsea.
I exhaled and looked up and down the street. Not a cab in sight.
“Okay,” I said and got in.
Kyle and I laughed the entire way downtown to my apartment. He did an impression of the look on my face when he’d pulled up beside me on the street, and I couldn’t stop giggling. Maybe it was the wine I’d had at the bar earlier. Maybe it was just because I really needed to laugh. But he was hilarious. He said I’d looked like I was about to key every car on the block because mine had gotten towed. “I had to stop you from getting arrested,” he said jokingly.
I found Kyle’s humor comforting. He seemed to know just what to say to make me smile, and while I couldn’t get over the fact that he was somebody’s pastor, I was beginning to like him. Maybe I could hook him up with Tamia, I joked with myself as Kyle pulled into a space in front of my building.
“Oh, you don’t need to walk me up. I’m fine from here,” I said, watching him turn off the ignition. What was he trying to come upstairs for? Evening worship in my bedroom?