“Okay, great. We got some funds in the kitty for those platform lifts you need. Invoice the club for them and purchase on the credit card I gave you. We raised the funds from the community drive last year,” Ryder said.
“Okay, done. I’ll get that up tomorrow and shoot you an email.”
“Sweet. And good job, Diego. We’re happy to have you as part of the chapter.”
“Me too. I’m loving it here.”
“Glad to hear it. Take care ‘til next time.”
“You too. Thanks, Ryder.” Once the phone clicked off, I set to work wiping down benches. There was one platform bench already set up, but I would need a whole lot more. It already had built-in shelving, so I just needed to fill it. As one person, I could only do what I could. Once a few more people came on board I could hire a couple of guys or they could volunteer and help out. My mind drifted to Misty. It hadn’t been that long since I’d seen her, but my mind kept thinking of her. I’d called her a few days ago.
“Hey, sexy man,” she’d answered.
“Right back at you, minus the man part,” I said. “Is there anything you don’t like to eat? I wanted to see when you’re free for dinner at my place.”
“Can we do mid next week? These exams coming up have my nerves frazzled.”
“C’mon! You’re gonna ace it. I know you will. I’m not taking no for an answer. So anything you don’t eat?”
“Ok yeah, sorry. Maybe a break from studying will do me good. My mind is just a bit scattered right now. I’m in the library. No. I’m a meat eater, nothing too crazy but I’ll eat anything... I have a Spanish appetite.”
“Good. I’ll surprise you then.”
“Wow. I didn’t know you could cook. You get points for that,” Misty said.
“Oh, do I? I hope I can get a few more points with you.” My bold response made her laugh.
“Haha. We’ll see. I gotta go to class right now. But I can’t wait to see you.”
“Me too. Bye, mamacita.”
“Mwah.”
As I hit the backstreets of Merced to my apartment, I felt like I’d done a good day's work. I got in the door and grabbed a well-deserved beer from the fridge. I guzzled it down and prepared to hit the shower. Misty was arriving in a couple of hours. My apartment was neat and there were no things I needed to take care of. I liked space and clear areas. I wasn’t a messy dude. I showered and got all the ingredients out for the recipe I wanted to impress Misty with. I turned on some soft melodic music to set the mood. I breathed easy as I retrieved the bowls and plates for preparing the ingredients. The dish of the evening was shrimp carbonara. I had on a fresh navy blue collar shirt with the sleeves rolled up and jeans with bare feet. I even ran the brush through my hair. It stayed blonde on top because of the California sun. In winter it turned a few shades darker. I cut my beard down to a number one. I was almost clean-shaven.
The doorbell rang a couple of hours later and I sang out, “Speak now or forever hold your peace.” No sound came from the other side. “Hello?”
“Well, you said forever hold your peace. It’s Misty,” she replied jovially. I opened the door and a goddess stared back at me. I breathed in her soft perfume. Her thick auburn hair framed her face and hung level with her breast line. Her denim jeans hugged her curves in the right places and her tight white top shone in the dark. She fingered her gold necklace as she waited to be invited in.
“Damn, you look good,” I said with a wooden spoon in my hand.
She pointed to it and stifled a laugh. “So do you with that spoon in your hand.”
I hid the spoon with one hand behind my back, leaning forward to kiss her. “Come in, beautiful.”
She entered and looked around, sniffing. “Hmm, something smells fantastic. I’m a foodie so I’m excited about what you’re cooking.”
“Might not be what you think. No Spanish flavors tonight. I’m cooking shrimp carbonara. Any objection to carbs?” I asked, skimming my eyes over her body.
She returned the favor. “Nope.”
“Can I get you a drink? Do you like red wine?” I asked nervously.
“Yes I do.” I poured her a glass and she continued to look around my apartment.
“Go ahead, take a look around. I’m putting on the fettuccine now and stirring the sauce.”
“Okay.” She scooped up her glass and moseyed through the rooms. She returned a few minutes later, sitting at the kitchen island in front of me. “Are you going to decorate a little bit? It’s kind of bare.”
