Right then, my phone vibrates with a text from Hazel. What the hell does she want?
Hazel: How’s the date going?
I roll my eyes, but Raquel catches it.
“Everything okay?”
“Just my nosey ass sister. That’s all.”
Hazel’s intentions mean well, but she never knows when to stop. My love life is none of her concern, and the meddling needs to die down. I can handle it on my own.
I place my phone back on the table, after responding fine, and continue to eat my breakfast, which is getting cold at this point. Raquel tells me about some residents at the center, and how she thinks it’s going to be a great fit for my dad. I don’t know how she does it; dealing with the episodes with multiple people, and still maintaining a smile. I would think it would be sad to watch people slip away from themselves. Maybe she can give me some advice. I’m going to need all the help I can get.
She might have a relative that is going through this, but every day she goes to work and helps others dealing with Alzheimer's. It can’t be an easy job, which only makes me like her even more.
“I admire your dedication to your job. Not everyone is cut off for it. You seem to handle it pretty well.”
She maneuvers her hair behind her left ear and blushes. “Those people need someone to care for them, and even a brief conversation can make their whole day. Many don’t have visitors, and that breaks my heart.”
She doesn’t have to worry about that with me. My dad will see me every day, and he deserves that. It’ll be nice for him to have others to socialize with to, instead of being stuck at home, with just me and his nurse all the time.
Her phone rings, and she answers it.
“What is it?”
All I can hear is a man on the other side of the phone. He doesn’t sound pleased.
“I’ll pick her up tomorrow at five p.m. like the papers state. Don’t pull this shit, Dean. Bye”
It’s her ex-husband. He sounds like a complete asshole.
“Sorry about that.”
“Don’t be. Everything okay?” I ask, wondering who she is picking up.
“He wants to keep our daughter longer, and the arrangement is in place for a reason. He knows that. Yet, he thinks he can always talk me into giving him more time.”
She has a daughter? There is something I didn’t know.
“How old is she?”
“Eight. Sorry, since this wasn’t a date, I didn’t mention it.”
Is the fact that she has a daughter supposed to scare me away? It just makes me attracted to her even more.
“No need to be sorry. We are just friends, remember?”
She smiles, and we finish up the last couple of bites of our food. The conversation goes silent, but Dean put a damper on our evening, and I’ll have to remember to thank him for that later on.
“Need anything else before you go?” the waitress asks.
“Nope, just the check,” I reply.
She hands me the check and I hand her two twenties.
I stand up and maneuver out of the booth, and Raquel follows. The bell rings above our heads, letting the diner know someone is leaving. The night went well, and it is nice to get to know her a little better.
Raquel stands by her car, fidgeting with her hands, and I almost think she wants me to kiss her, but don’t want to ruin the night. She has made it clear this isn’t a date. As much as I would love to bring her close and see just how soft her lips are, it’s not happening tonight.
“I had a great time tonight. We’ll see each other tomorrow when I drop off my dad and get him settled.”
Her eyes meet mine, and she licks her lips, as if begging for a kiss. She might be in denial about wanting to be more than friends and wish she would just take the leap.
“I’ll see you tomorrow,” Raquel says, getting into her car.
I wonder how long she can resist our chemistry?