After Lorraine handed the customer his change back, she wiped her sweaty brow and face with a handkerchief and drank some water from her bottle. She sat back down on a folding chair next to her friend, Beth, in their tent booth that shielded away the sun's bright, glaring rays. People strolled up and down Center Street, occasionally stopping by to purchase some broccoli from their stand or to chat briefly before moving on to the other produce and fruit vendors. At the park behind them, an Afro-Brazilian band pounded their drums before a dancing crowd.
Lorraine was a tall Italian American woman with a thick, muscular build, and had developed a nice tan from being outdoors a lot. Her eyes were big and brown, and she had wavy, shoulder length hair that had been dyed jet black. She wore a tank top, tight daisy duke shorts that showcased her bulging butt cheeks prominently, and flip flops.
"I miss your platinum blonde hair," Beth said, smiling. She was a slender black woman who had her hair in braids.
"I do, too," she replied. "A couple of guys told me it turned them on, especially with the dark roots showing. Maybe I'll do it again or maybe I'll be a redhead next." She said sarcastically, "Hey, everyone, come and buy some broccoli and help fight cancer!"
Beth chuckled, swaying to the rhythmic beat of the drums. "I wanna dance."
"Go for it. I'll watch the fort."
After she left, Lorraine rung up another customer on the register. When she returned later, the other vendors were packing away their merchandise and breaking down their tents. Lorraine looked at the beautiful setting sun in the purplish-orange skies for a moment.
Seconds passed before one of the musicians from the drum band approached them. He was a tall, handsome black man with dreadlocks and Lorraine noticed him checking her out from head to toe.
He smiled pleasantly at Beth and asked, "How you doin,' Sista?"
"I'm blessed. And yourself?"
"I'm tired and sweaty from playing under that sun, but aside from that, I'm cool. I'm Marvin," he said, extending his hand.
After Beth shook it, she said, "This is my friend, Lorraine."
"Nice meeting you."
"Likewise, Marv," Lorraine said. "Ooops, is it okay to call you that?"
"Absolutely. You like Afro-Brazilian music, Lorraine?"
"Love it."
"Then why didn't you come out and dance earlier? I saw your pretty friend, but not you."
"I had to work. Otherwise I would've joined her whole-heartedly," she replied, smiling.
"You like hip-hop?"
"Oh, yeah."
He handed them each a card. "My cats are doin' a show at Ashkenaz next Saturday. You down for that?"
They studied the glossy 4X6 cards. "Sure," Lorraine said, thinking a moment. "I should be free."
"Awesome. You lovely ladies have a wonderful evening," he said, and left.
Beth shot her a mischievous grin. "Think he likes you," she said.
A busy week flew by with Lorraine plowing through another thirty two hours co-managing a comic book store. On top of that, she also lifted weights at the gym, attended her yoga classes, volunteered at a women's shelter, rehearsed with her band, spent time with her family and friends, and dabbled a bit with Internet dating. Whew! she thought. I think I've got a little too much on my plate right now!
And before she knew it, Saturday night was upon her and she and Beth went to Ashkenaz. She danced energetically throughout the performance, occasionally bumping into other bodies in the loud, packed venue. The air was warm and stuffy, and she lost track of how many guys asked her to dance. She did socialize with some men here and there, but mostly hung out with Beth, Marvin, and his buddies.
She was dressed in a black strapless, sleeveless blouse that revealed plenty of cleavage, and matching black skintight slacks that displayed her curvy, muscular thighs very well, not to mention her big ass cheeks.
During one vibrating, bass heavy song, she shook that butt in front of Marvin and his friends and they hooted and howled wildly.
Beth shot her a naughty look and said into her ear, "If you don't take him, Girl, I will. 'Cause I think his cock's gonna bust outta those pants!"
"It's just a fun, flirtatious tease," Lorraine said back into her ear. "I'm not gonna jump into bed with him, so be my guest."
"You'd better stop then 'cause he's gonna be pissed you misled him."
She nodded, and moments later, said to Marvin, "Thanks for the invite. It was a great show. We're gonna get going."
"Whoa, whoa, whoa!" he said. "The night's still young, ladies, and there's more music ahead."
"I have to get up early tomorrow," she lied.
"On a Sunday?"
"I have a class. Take care."
As she started to leave, he grabbed her arm, and said, "C'mon, stick around. What's the hurry, Sista?"
She looked at him angrily. "I said I have to go," she said firmly.
"How dare you disrespect me and my potners. First, you come here and shake your booty in front of us and get us all worked up. And now you wanna leave? You expect us to go masturbatin' in the parking lot or something?"
One of his friends busted out laughing.
"Naw, naw, it don't work like that," he said, taking a swig of his beer. "You're goin' home with us."
Suddenly, she grabbed Beth's wrist and they quickly threaded their way through the crowd. When they reached the cool, fresh air outside, they bolted for Lorraine's car. Glancing over her shoulder, she saw Marvin and his cats in hot pursuit.
They were within yards of them on the sidewalk. Even though she worked out consistently, her big legs couldn't seem to outrun these smaller, swifter guys. She ran faster, taking Beth's hand and jerked her along. They turned down a quiet side street and hid behind a car.
Lorraine caught her breath and tried to keep it low, hearing their footsteps rush by.
"Where'd they go?" Marvin asked.
"Dunno," one of his friends replied.
She saw the fear in Beth's dark eyes. They mirrored her own state of mind. She put her index finger to her lips, conveying to her to remain silent and still.
When the group of young men moved on, she held Beth tightly and sighed in relief. "Jeez, what a night!" she whispered.
"Ditto that," Beth said, shaking her head.
* * *
They went back to Lorraine's apartment near Lake Merritt, and sat on the couch drinking water. Her place had a large, panoramic window that overlooked the dark lake outside. The beautiful view calmed and relaxed Lorraine.
