Sophia

The next morning, Sophia woke up with all the covers thrown off her. It was hot! She looked up at the wall next to her bed. Her room was decorated as sunnily as possible, with yellow, orange and red everywhere. She sniffed the air through the open window next to her bed. She brushed her hair back out of her face and nearly sprang out of bed. Summer was coming. It was only two weeks until she was on a plane. Finals were the only things between her and a sweet summer. It was going to be a good day; she could feel it.

On the train again, Sophia's mood stayed light. She watched people on the train, rather than studying, allowing herself these few minutes off. She kicked off her sandals and tucked her legs underneath her. This morning, she had put on a light, yellow dress that fell to her knees and covered her shoulders (work rule). She grinned to herself. She felt giddy and happy and altogether as though finals didn't start tomorrow.

She hopped off the train when it stopped and started to walk leisurely towards the café. She thought she was on time, and anyways, even if she wasn't, what could matter on such a fine day? She felt the sun on her neck, under her drawn up hair, and thought unexpectedly of Miguel. She wondered how he was and how tall Lucia had grown.

And then her thoughts turned suddenly to Tom. That man from the café. He and Miguel had nothing to do with each other, of course. Miguel was a sweet, serious man who looked after his sister and was passionate about La Casa Soleada. Tom was an arrogant, flirtatious man who worked for rich people and was so full of himself he couldn't take a hint. And she wasn't interested in either of them, not that way. But in the warm sunlight and light breeze, she was inclined to be lenient in her judgments. Eh, Tom probably wasn't that bad, for the right person. To each her own.

The morning passed quickly as Sophia chatted with customers. The usual group of regulars came by, and several complimented her on her dress. Everyone was in a good mood, due to the weather. Halfway through her shift, Nina came up behind her. "You know, if that man comes by while you're wearing this, you won't be able to get away this time."

Sophia laughed lightly. "Oh, I'm ready for anything today."

Nina looked disbelievingly at her. "I'm watching you, girl. Sweet, quiet Sophia acting dangerously—not a good sign."

At his now usual time, Tom Anderson walked in the door. Sophia was at the register, as usual, and watched him approach. She was ready to come back with something sarcastic when he asked her for a date. "Yes?" she asked.

"A small chai latte." He smiled mischievously at her. Wow, his eyes got all crinkly when he did that. She suddenly felt uncomfortable.

"Sure. $2.35. Coming right up." He didn't try to touch her hand when he gave her the money. What was that about? Had he given up? His smile told her otherwise. She watched his retreating back suspiciously.

When she brought his coffee, she smiled at him, ready to believe he'd given up and was now going to be a good regular customer. "Good day?" she asked.

"Sure. Not too busy. And yours?"

"Great. Couldn't be otherwise, with this beautiful weather. I can't wait for the summer."

"This has been a long winter, hasn't it?"

"The longest."

"Nice dress." He looked her up and down appreciatively.

"Thanks. It's in honor of this wonderful day."

"Why not sit? You don't have any customers at the moment."

She thought about it and then thought, what the hell. She sat.

"There we go. So, what classes are you taking? At Columbia."

"Well, two bio classes, one great and one horrible. A statistics class, and then my favorite, a class on Pablo Neruda."

"Really?" He leaned forward and she didn't lean back. "I've got his complete anthology at home. In English, of course. Do you like him?"

"Oh, he's wonderful. I think his love poems are the only ones I can take seriously." She felt excited to have found a poetry reader.

"How so?" He looked interested too.

"Well, you know, love is the most overdone subject in poetry. Sometimes love poems try to be too strong and just come out limp. But his poems—they suck you in."

"You know what? I know what you mean. There's something magnetic about the way he writes. Even in translation. Do you speak Spanish? Are you reading the original?"

She wondered whether or not to end the conversation. But he seemed to only have a friendly interest in her, and she was glad of the opportunity to talk to someone interesting. "Yes and yes. I was born in Venezuela, and I didn't move here until I was 14."

"Really? You have no accent."

"My mother's first language was English. She was an interpreter at the American Embassy in Caracas."

"Wow, pretty international. So how'd you get interested in medicine?"

"Well, every summer I go back to Venezuela and work at a children's clinic. I'm just an assistant, but I guess that's what sparked my interest. What about you?"

He leaned back and she could see his expression cloud a bit. "Oh, I got interested in college, and I switched from math to bio. Not a very interesting story." He looked at her, and she felt startled again at how green his eyes were.

"Sophia!" Nina called from the counter. "Customer!"

"Oh, wow, I gotta go. Sitting down on the job and all that." She hastily stood up and she could feel him looking at her legs.

"Wait." He reached out and touched her arm: their first contact today. "How about this Friday, tomorrow? I swear I'm not as creepy as I've come off these past few days. You just… intrigued me." He kept his hand on her arm, and she pulled it away carefully. She wasn't in that good a mood. He fixed her eyes with his, and she began to feel a little fidgety.

She looked at him and considered for a long moment. He really didn't seem creepy. And he'd backed off a bit, which made her feel better. "You know what? What the hell. Okay." She held her hands up in surrender.

"Really?" He looked up at her and grinned a wonderful, boyish grin, like the kid who'd just got the last cookie.

"Sure, why not?"

"Great! Where can I pick you up? Columbia?" He got a memo pad and pen out of his jacket pocket.

"Nah, just tell me where to meet you." She wasn't going to let him make this a real date.

He put his memo pad away. "Okay, well, how about at the southwest corner of Washington Square Park? I guess we can walk from there." He looked a little annoyed.

She smiled sweetly. "That will be fine. Since I guess you're picking the restaurant, what time?"

"Seven." He grinned again. "But I get to drive you back."

"Whatever," she said, turning and walking from the table. Just because she'd given in didn't mean she had to act like her life depended on the details of the date. She glanced back to see how he was taking it, and saw with dismay that he was still grinning.

"See you then," he said, as he saluted her and walked out the door.

Wow, it worked, he thought in amazement. He was very careful the whole way through to not make any advances he wouldn't want her mother seeing. But then what was that about meeting him somewhere instead of letting him pick her up? Did she have a boyfriend? He'd never thought of that possibility. Then again, she'd seemed so thrown off by his come-ons that it seemed unlikely. No, she was too shy.

For some reason, he felt more excited about this date then he'd felt about all his previous "Fridays." This one had taken work, and plus, Sophia wasn't exactly his run-of-the-mill choice. He'd have to turn the charm on high to make sure this evening would end with them both at her room. He thought about taking her back to his apartment, but quickly shook himself. He wasn't going to break his rule now, just because she was a little different.

That night, tucked in her little room, Sophia found it a little difficult to study. She had her first biology final tomorrow, but for some reason, the fine points of gene duplication seemed to give sudden rise to thoughts of Tom. She thought about his eyes and his hands. Was she nuts? This is exactly why she had a policy of not dating. Here she was, the day before her final, unable to concentrate just because some man made eyes at her. She sighed. This was going to be a long night.

*****

The next day, as Sophia sat her final, she realized that not only did she have trouble concentrating because visions of a strange man kept popping into her head, she was also excited. She wanted to go on this date. It was a strange realization. She turned herself fiercely back to her exam paper. Not now!

Tom also found it a little difficult to concentrate that day. It was just because she's not a normal date, he told himself. What would they talk about? What would he say to her? She didn't seem to go for the suave compliment. And he had to keep this evening moving. He told himself it was because he wanted a reward at the end of the night, but some sneaky little voice in the back of his head told him he also wouldn't mind seeing her again. He shook himself. He was usually able to keep the women he saw and his work completely separate, but now, thoughts of Sophia's smile and hair and legs were intruding on the operating room. Hmmm.

Sophia stumbled back to her dorm room. That exam was quite long enough, thank you. All errant thoughts of Tom had disappeared as the test gained momentum, and now all she wanted to do was sleep. She unlocked her door and threw herself onto her bed, face-first. She fumbled around and found the alarm clock, which she set to 5:00, and fell fast asleep.

Beepbeepbeep! Beepbeepbeep! Sophia awoke with a jerk and scrambled to hit the off button on her alarm. Her legs, still weak from sleep, slipped out from under her, and she landed with a hard thump on the floor. She groaned and leaned her head back on her bed. She turned it slightly to look at the time. For a moment of panic, she thought it read 5am. She almost scrambled to her feet before she realized it was 5pm. Her heart rose and sank at the same time. It was good, really, that she didn't stand him up. But a small, vindictive part of her wished she had, even inadvertently. He didn't seem like the type that happened to very often.

"Are you alright?" Gary, her neighbor, peeked his head around the door. "What're you doing on the floor?"

She sighed and grinned at him. "My clothes had this sudden urge to become closer to the earth from whence they came, and I had no choice but to oblige."

"Ah," he said, as he sat in her chair. "That's alright then. Need help?"

"Nah, I got it," she said, as she dragged herself upright. "I just took a nap after getting pummeled by my biology exam. Oh, I completely forgot to ask, how's James?"

Gary flipped open her laptop with a little frown on his face. "James is no more."

"Really? I thought your first date went well." She went to the sink to wash her face.

"Yeah, well, the second was a complete dud. It soon became clear that he wasn't, well, my type." He said this carefully.

"What," she breathed, through splashes of water, "was he, heaven forbid, neat?"

Gary gave her a pained expression. "Not neat. Anal. Completely. He sent back his plate FOUR times on our last date. Clearly, it wasn't going to work out."

She laughed. "Okay, okay."

"So, what're you up to tonight? I was gonna head over to a screening of Psycho- couples get in free. Wanna be my date?"

"Sorry, Gary, I've got a real date."

Gary started and almost fell of his chair. "What? Say that again, I'm sorry, I must have an unusual build-up of earwax. I thought you said you had a real date, but we both know that can't be true."

"It is."

"Wait, why didn't I hear about this? What's he like? Where'd you meet him? Is he cute?"

Sophia offhandedly filled him in on the details. "Now move, I want to check my email."

He wouldn't budge. "Now wait just a moment. You say your date is at 7? It'll take you at least a half hour to get there, you silly girl. It's 5:45 now, and you haven't taken a shower, or, I assume, chosen what to wear. Well, never fear." He stood up and grabbed her shower tote and thrust it at her. "You go take your shower and primp and all that, and I'll pick what you should wear. Go on now," he insisted, over her protests. He pushed her out of the room with an imperious wave of his hand.

She took a nice, hot shower that washed some of the weariness out of her limbs and brain. It was a public shower, but she had long gotten used to walking around the dorm in her towel. She wrapped it around her and stood in front of one of the mirrors and began combing her hair out. When it was down, which it rarely was during the year, it fell just past her shoulders. Usually, she liked it out of her way, but right now, she admired the effect it made around her face. She felt a thrill of excitement.

She knocked on her own door. "Well, am I allowed in my room yet?"

Gary opened the door, grinning. "I found the perfect thing." He swept her into the room. "It's gonna be a bit chilly tonight- I checked the weather. So here it is," he said, pointing her to the outfit laid out on her bed. It was a pair of white, tight pants that she didn't usually like to wear, and a dark red, simply cut spaghetti-strap dress that fell to just above her knees.

"Gary, you know I don't like to wear either of those things during the year."

"Oh yes, I know, because white pants and red dresses might bring down your GPA. You gotta watch those clothes, they're tricky." He sighed in exasperation. "At least try them on."

"Okay, okay," she said, waving him out of the room. She changed into the outfit Gary had picked and looked in the mirror. Not bad. She didn't like how the white pants hugged her pelvis so tightly, but the dress covered that. The outfit made her look… happy, for some reason.

"Come in, Gary," she called.

Gary opened the door and whistled. "Sheesh, Sophia, if I was straight…. But you gotta get out the door soon."

"Yeah, I know," she said from her computer, where she had already sat down to check her email. There was another message from Miguel, and she was just about to click on it when Gary pulled her out of her seat.

"Not now, you silly. Go on, here's your purse. Have fun, dear."

She grabbed for a hairband, but he snatched it out of her hand. "Don't even think about it. You look gorgeous. Someone has to have to successful date this week."

"What if I don't want it to be successful?" she asked, as she obediently walked out the door, not waiting for an answer. She felt a fleeting guilt at the thought of Miguel's message in her inbox. Why should she feel guilty about that? No reason, except that Miguel's warm face kept popping into her mind as she walked towards her date with Tom.

After coming home from his rotation, Tom dressed meticulously in black dress pants and a dark blue, button down shirt. For some reason, he felt a little apprehensive. He wanted to make a good impression, he told himself. That's all. He quickly changed his slip-on shoes to some low-rise black boots with laces.

As he drove his BMW towards Washington Square Park, he told himself that this was going to be a one-night date. It wasn't going to become two or three dates. Sure, Sophia caught his interest, but so had many women before. But… her obvious passion and serious nature were unusual for the women he usually chased after. And he didn't really understand her. That was attractive. He quickly pulled into a parking spot and realized that she may not have wanted him to pick her up because she didn't trust him not to kidnap her or something. He grinned. That would be fun, but probably illegal in several ways. Plus, then she'd never like him.

He hopped out of his car and then he saw her, turning the corner. She hadn't seen him yet and was looking around with a puzzled expression. He ducked quickly behind a tree, so he could get a longer look at her before she saw him. Wow, that was some dress. It showed off her nice shoulders and emphasized her small, round breasts. Plus, the pants, even though they were partially covered by the dress, flaunted her long legs. And her hair was down, framing her face beautifully. He realized he was actually hiding now. He felt a little intimidated. He chuckled at himself, took a breath, and stepped out from behind the tree. "Sophia Morales, you are a beautiful woman."

She jumped and turned towards him. "Oh. I mean, thanks. I mean, I'm not, but thanks." She fidgeted with her purse and her hair fell into her face.

He laughed at her and relaxed. No, she wasn't intimidating after all. Her fumbling was cute. "Whatever you say, little tiger. Now, why wouldn't you let me pick you up?"

She raised her head and suddenly looked more confident. "Because I didn't want you to get the idea that this was a real date," she said, defiantly.

He chuckled and offered her his arm. "Well, I'm afraid you've failed. I'm definitely under the impression that this is as real as dates get. Me and a beautiful girl going to dinner together on a Friday night… hmmm, seems like a date to me." When she didn't take his offer, he gently caught her hand and tucked it into his arm. "You'll have to forgive me if I'm old-fashioned," he said, grinning at her.

They walked towards the restaurant he'd picked out and talked. After the initial uncomfortable moments, Sophia seemed to relax and talk more easily. They chatted about Venezuela, his job, and her school. Tom noticed that when she relaxed a little, her face smoothed out and her hands flew gracefully as she talked. He found himself staring at her and laughing at all her jokes. He liked to hold back and let women show their interest first, but this time he couldn't help it.

When he pointed out the restaurant he'd chosen, classy but not too dressy, he could feel her stiffen a little. He pressed her arm and steered her smoothly into the restaurant. To his great surprise, she let herself be steered and sat down almost docily at her seat. She looked around a little timidly.

He was amused to see that she continued to be subdued when the waiter came, and let him order for her. Then he leaned over. "Is there something wrong? The little tiger seems to be suspiciously quiet."

She fidgeted uncomfortably with her napkin. "No," she said slowly, "I just don't usually go to places like this."

He laughed lightly. "That's why you get a date to take you. That's the only reason you agreed to go, right?"

She gave him a half-smile. "No, I agreed to go because the weather made me lose my head and I wanted you to stop bothering me. Though the nice restaurant is a perk."

"Ouch! Right to the heart!" He feigned a wounded air but was pleased to see her relax a bit. "Surely there are other nice parts?"

She grinned at him, almost mischievously. "Perhaps," she said carefully, taking a slice of bread from the basket in front of them.

He didn't press the matter, but instead tried to be as gentlemanly charming as possible without stepping over her appropriateness line. And for some reason, he didn't have an urge to make sexual comments or innuendos. Must be her age. She is awful young. How young?

"I hope you don't mind my asking, but how old are you? In a ballpark way?" he asked, almost tentatively.

"I'm going to be 21 this summer. And you?"

"I'm an old geezer. 28. Medical school takes time." He breathed out. So not exactly straight out of the cradle, but not experienced either.

"I can imagine. Where'd you go for medical school?"

They got off on the topic of medical school and Tom's career. He watched Sophia go through her now familiar stages of transformation as she got into the subject. He tried to keep his mind on the topic, but hey, he was a man, and her hair kept falling to the sides of her face and brushing the tops of her breasts. Damn, was that distracting. And the fact that she was all lit up at the moment didn't help either. All of a sudden he realized she'd asked him a question. "I'm sorry, what did you ask?"