"Oh shit," I said to myself as I felt something hard poke me in the small of my back as I stood in front of the store, doing guard duty. The Super Store located near Baseline Road in the Nepean sector of Ottawa has a reputation for being quite sketchy, hence why the security company sent my six-foot-three, beefy and dark-skinned self to work there. I've stared down a lot of bad apples, and figured one of them might have come back to send a brother to Hades, if you catch my drift.
"Gotcha, Stefan, you so totally fell for it," said Kelly Coleman, and I turned around to see a five-foot-ten, bodacious and simply ravishing brunette with mischievous dark eyes looking me up and down. Damn this woman, I thought, as I smiled in spite of myself. When you have a well-deserved reputation as a prankster like I do, people tend to try to get back at you. Comes with the territory, I guess.
Usually, most people fail miserably because I can see their bullshit coming a mile away. Kelly succeeded because, well, prior to sneaking behind me and poking me in the small of my back, she sent me a picture text guaranteed to distract any red-blooded human male. Seriously, if you saw that picture of Kelly's spectacular ass in black Yoga pants, taken in front of a bathroom mirror, you'd understand.
"Blindsided by a booty shot, you sure know a Haitian brother's weakness," I replied, sighing deeply and Kelly looked at me, and flashed me that fearless smile that I liked, no, loved so damn much. I guess those psychology classes at Algonquin College really paid off for the lovely Miss Coleman. Kelly smiled back, and seemed about to say something when the sound of a throat clearing snatched us out of the, ahem, moment, as it were.
"Ahem, Miss Coleman, we're short on cashiers, could you please go to cash fifteen?" said one of the store's seemingly endless list of managers, a stocky, bald-headed white dude named Rod. The bozo looked at Kelly and I, and I swear, disapproval rolled off of him in waves. Lots of middle-aged white dudes seem to have a problem with brothers talking to white chicks, I guess.
"Sorry, Stefan, got to run," Kelly said, and she gently touched my arm before taking off. Rod looked at me, shook his head, and then walked away. Dude went to bug the gals working in the bakery, for it's part of his managerial duties to make people working at the Super Store feel bad. Nobody likes Rod, I swear. Since I'm a security guard contracted out to the Super Store by my company, I don't directly fall under Rod's command, and this irks him.
Why am I putting up with all of this? Well, I'm in my final year at Carleton University, and I can't tell you how excited I am to graduate. I've been at Carleton since September 2011 and I'm dying to get out with my Law degree. The only snag is that I owe the school a couple of grand, which I must pay before they hand me that glorified piece of paper.
Most students have like six months after their graduation day to start paying back their student loans, but since I'm a brother from the island of Haiti and not a Canadian citizen, I don't have that luxury. Long story short? I came to the City of Ottawa, Ontario, a few years back. The circumstances that brought me here were, ahem, on the dire side but I'm glad to be here.
My paternal aunt Martha Pierrot who lives in Kanata, Ontario, sent for me after the 2010 Earthquake which devastated the island of Haiti, where I was born. I'd like to think that I've adjusted nicely to life in Canada. I have a work permit and a study permit along with a social insurance card and a provincial health card, but I'm not a Canadian citizen. I've applied for permanent resident status, though. Wish me luck, eh?
Why am I telling you all this? Simply because I want you to understand the situation that I'm in. Years ago, I saw myself leading a very different life. Canada wasn't even on my horizon, but fate brought me to this place. I want to build something here. A new life. And I want Kelly Coleman to be part of that life. We met a few months ago at the Super Store, and while we butted heads at first, I found myself falling for her. Kelly, the tall, nerdy white chick who speaks fluent French, loves comic books and superhero movies, and has a soft spot for yours truly.
"Hey, meet me at Mucho Burrito at one o'clock," read a text message from Kelly, accompanied by a smiley face. I smiled and answered in the affirmative, then quickly tucked my cell phone away. The Super Store is one of the most treacherous workplaces in the world. Behind the phoney smiles, a ton of drama. The associates and the customer service managers hate each other, and tattle on each other like school chums. I honestly don't want any part of their politics. As a security guard, I'm stuck in the middle. Welcome to my life.
"Sounds good to me, K.C." I added, and then went back to my daily routine of pretending to be interested in the customers entering and exiting the dreaded Super Store. My job is boring ninety nine percent of the time. When the buzzers at the front door beep, it usually means something fishy is going on and I have to ask the person departing the store for his or her receipt.
Most of the customers are polite about it, but some, mainly old white dudes, seem to get mad as hell when I ask them for their proof of purchase. It's almost as if being challenged by a young black man in a security uniform irks them. I don't do racial politics. I'm just doing my job. Black or white, male or female, if you beep while exiting the store, I will stop you. Got it? Cool.
Finally, it's one o'clock and I tell Joel, the old greeter that I'm going on break. I grab my coat and rush out of the Super Store, cross the parking lot and then enter the Mucho Burrito restaurant. The plump redhead working behind the counter looks at me, a dour expression on her face. I check my cell. Should I wait for Kelly or order right away? I sigh, and then decide to order.
"Large shrimp burrito sandwich and a lemonade please," I say to the redhead, and she makes it, then rings the cash. I take out my MBNA Mastercard, and then pay. As I finish paying, Kelly walks in. clad in a black tank top, black Yoga pants and black leather boots, Kelly is smoking hot. It's cold outside but my gal can handle it. Unlike me. I'm a tropical dude, I got to bundle up to face the Ontario winter.
"Hmm, smells good," Kelly says, and she greets me with a kiss on the lips. Just a quick peck, but it nearly causes me to drop my tray. Luckily I've got good reflexes. As I speak to Kelly, I notice the redhead looking at us from behind the counter, a mixture of surprise and revulsion on her face. In Ottawa, people are quite racist but passive aggressive about it. Me? I'm the opposite. If I don't like you, I won't hide it. I'm not fake.