Wow! Look at her!
She was stunning. There were no other words to describe the gorgeous black woman that was striding across the lawn towards me. Her slim hips moved gently in the faded Lee jeans and her heavy breasts bobbed beneath the silk shirt. She held her sandals in one hand and a computer bag in the other.
“Excuse me. Are you Greg?”
I was so surprised that she had spoken to me that it took my brain a few moments to process the words. “Uh, er, yes.”
“Great! My name is Simona, Simona Anders. You called for computer help?”
“Oh!” Now my brain kicked into gear. I had made a call to the Student Union earlier, asking if they knew of someone that could help me learn Excel and Access. Their recommendation had been Anders Computer Services and I called, got an answering machine and left a message. Someone called back to say that one of the associates would meet me outside my PoliSci 101 class at 11:00am. And here she was, a gorgeous chunk of tasty milk chocolate.
“Yes, I did.” I smiled, wondering if she could tell how nervous I was. “I need to learn Excel and Access.”
“Any particular time schedule?”
“Not really. Just before this year end.”
“Well, that gives us some time.” Simona smiled at me and I gasped at the beauty of her white teeth against that dark skin. “Are you hungry?”
“Always!” I laughed and she did, too.
“Good. Why don’t we hit Maxie’s and start a lesson plan for you?”
Pass up lunch with this beautiful creature? You must be kidding!!! “Sure!”
Over club sandwiches and cold beer, we talked. She turned out to be one of the most interesting girls I’d ever met. I loved hearing her voice and watching her animated face. And she had the loveliest hands, short, manicured nails and thick, muscled fingers, no doubt from working on the computer. Our conversation flowed easily from software to music to student activities and I loved that she was so knowledgable. We finished the meal with slices of strawberry-laced cheesecake and black Colombian coffee.
“Mmm.” I sighed, setting my mug down. “I love black coffee.”
“Oh, yeah?”
We both laughed. I didn’t realize what I’d said and certainly didn’t think of how it might be interpreted. “Simona, I hope you don’t take this the wrong way, but are you busy tonight?”
She laughed. “Greg, you must be desperate if you’re hitting on a computer geek!”
“You’re not a ‘geek’ by any stretch of the imagination, Simona. My roommate’s a Theatre major and he gave me tickets to tonight’s performance. I thought that if you weren’t busy, you’d like to join me.”
Simona closed her laptop, stowing it carefully in her bag. “I’ve always wanted to see
Les Miserables.”
“Then it’s a date?” I watched the war going on in her face, wondering why it was such a problem for her. “You can say no, Simona.”
“I don’t want to say no, Greg.” I didn’t expect to see the tears in her eyes. “It just that … “
“What?”
“It’s been a long time since I was asked on a date.”
“Are you kidding? A knockout like you?” When she didn’t respond to my attempt at humor, I moved in close and whispered, “How long has it been?”
“Almost three years.” She laughed shakily. “I guess when I came to college and fell in love with computers, everything else was secondary.”
“So how about it?” I boldly stroked her hand, loving the feeling of her silken skin under my fingertips. “We can have dinner after … “
“Okay.”
“Good.”
We parted with a hug and I felt like an Olympic runner as I sprinted to my house. I spent the next hour going through every article of clothing that I owned, trying to find a perfect outfit. My roommate, John, came in and stood in the doorway, laughing his ass off.
“A date?” I nodded and he laughed even harder, putting an arm around my shoulders. “Come and check out my closet. We both know how much you’ve shopped these last few years.”
I hated him at that moment, but he was right. My extra money had been spent on the one gigabyte tower in the corner of my room and its accessories: larger hard drive, lighted keyboard, plasma monitor … I guess that was why I clicked so well with Simona. I had always had plenty of girlfriends in high school. My Swedish white-blond hair and blue eyes coupled with a soccer player’s physique had taken care of that. But my love affair with college had killed my dating. Between language labs and research papers, I had no time.
“Okay. How do I look?” John gave me a thumbs-up and I sighed in relief.
“She must be something for you to take this much trouble to get all ‘gussied up’.” While I laughed, John hefted his bag. “I’ve got to get going. Will you bring her backstage?”
“Sure.” I rubbed my chin, pretending to be a Rodin statue. “That is, is she’s not scared off because of my duds!”
“My friend,” He laughed, closing the door. “You are a dud!”
I had nearly two hours to wait and I spent the last hour in front of a fan, desperately trying to make sure that I didn’t soak the armpits of my dusty blue buttondown. I was so nervous! Finally, I locked up and made my way to Groton Hall, her dorm and stumbled into the reception area as I saw her waiting.
If I had thought that she was beautiful before, I was convinced now. Thick, waves of luxuriant black hair framed her soft face, the eyes dramatically accented and her lips some shade of coral. The color matched her frock, a dressmaker’s dream of brushed silk that slid alluringly over her hidden curves and rested on her graceful shoulders with spaghetti straps. She clutched a light gauzy wrap in her hands along with a gold pillbox purse and looked up at me with fearful eyes.
“Wow.” It was the only word I could breathe as I moved to her side. She arose and I saw tears brimming in her lovely eyes.
“Thank you.”
I kissed her cheek, hesitating a moment to savor the warmth of her skin and the scent she was wearing, an exotic mixture of floral and spicy tones that sent chills traveling over my flesh. “You are absolutely lovely, Simona.” I pulled back to look into her eyes. “I am completely speechless.”
“Greg, you don’t have to … “
“Don’t have to what? Speak the truth?” I cupped her chin and turned her face back to mine. “I can’t believe that you’re my date!” She smiled and I handed her the carnation I’d bought at the store. “Sorry it isn’t more. I’m still waiting for a check from my parents.”
“You don’t have to apologize, Greg. This means more to me than dozens of roses.”
“Good.” I stood up, offering my hand. “Now, I suggest we get going before someone grabs our seats.”
I helped her pull the wrap around those beautiful shoulders, resisting the urge to drop a kiss on her soft nape and we enjoyed the cool spring evening as we walked to the McIntosh Theatre Building. I silently promised to kiss John when I found that our seats were in the third row, center and we settled in for what was a wonderful production. I watched Simona’s face out of the corner of my eye and my heart quivered at the emotion I saw her express. Confusion, fear, love, sadness. I had seen Les Miz before but it was as if I was seeing it for the first time, through her eyes.
When the lights came up and the cast took bows, she leapt up, giving a teary standing ovation, clapping madly. “Come on.” I grabbed her hand. “Let’s go see my roomie.”
We made a brief stop at the ladies’ restroom so that she could freshen up and headed to the backstage area. John welcomed me with a bear hug and a smile, then peeked over my shoulder to see my sweet Simona.
“Is this the lady?”
“It is indeed. John Gardner, meet Simona Anders, computer whiz extraordinaire. Simona, meet my roommate, John.”
I watch John’s reaction as she thrust a hand forward to shake his hand. “Nice to meet you.”
“Same here.” He grinned. “Boy, Greg, you weren’t kidding when you said that she was beautiful. The only question is why’s she with you?”
We laughed and the breath froze in my throat at the brilliance of her smile. “I’m hoping he has a big cock.”
John brayed with laughter and gathered her in a brotherly hug. “I like you, Simona.” He kissed her cheek. “Come on. I’ve got Cabo in my dressing room.”
The three of us went to John’s dressing room, one that he shared with two other guys: Andy Park who played Javert and Paul Johanssen who had played Marius. While I helped John pour the iced tequila, I watched Simona talk with the actors, gushing over their performances and talking about John’s portrayal of Valjean and a strange feeling burbled in my chest. It was pride. She had stepped up to the plate and had left ‘geekdom’ behind.
“Here, baby.” I slipped the shot glass into her hand, letting my fingers linger as they stroked her chocolate skin. She noticed and moved her body closer to me.