It had been a long day. Clara showed up to work and didn't have to be there, only after preparing three day's worth of food and deserts, so she was extra tired. After getting back in her car, Clara looked down at her phone and noticed she had a missed call from a number she didn't recognize. She thought about calling it back, but the song that was playing on the radio caught her attention. She began to smile and sing along as the chorus of "Tender Kisses" melodically made her feel some type of way. From the look on her face, you could tell that she was reminiscing about something.
As the song came to an end, Clara put her car in reverse to exit the driveway. Her phone rang again from the same number that called her earlier. Clara was hesitant about answering the call because she was in no mood to deal with any foolishness. "Hello!" Clara said. "Hey Cupcake," a familiar male voice said on the other end. Clara sat there frozen because she was not expecting to hear from this man. "Matter of fact, how did he get my number," she thought to herself.
The phone went silent for a few seconds, but to them, it seemed like five minutes had gone past with nothing but silence and breathing. "Hey Chris, how r u? What makes you call me out of nowhere?" Clara wanted to ask more but didn't want to bombard Chris with so many questions at once. Just as he was about to answer, Ang was clicking in. "Chris hold on, don't hang up," Clara said while switching calls.
"What's up," Clara asked Ang. "I was just calling you to see if you wanted to hang out tonight. I'm getting off in a few hours and I know u should be getting off shortly thereafter and I just want to make these last couple of days memorable in case I can never have you again." Clara held the phone, bit her bottom lip because nothing good was going to come out of her mouth. "I'll let you know, I'm on the other end with Sister, so I'm going to call you back." Clara ended both calls, she wanted to ensure that Ang had hung up, and then called the number back Chris had called her from. On about the third ring Chris picked back up.
"What's up Shawty? Why you hang up on me?"
"My bad. That was my wife. I had to hang up the line to ensure she wasn't still on the phone. But anywho, I have been cool. Working, working, and more working. Sooo, umm, how did you get my new number?" Clara asked as she pulled into the parking lot of the mall that was a few minutes from her job.
"That was a mouth full," Chris said as he put a piece of crispy fried chicken in his mouth.
They both laughed and then the phone went silent again. Clara sat there wondering what to say next because the call was very unexpected. "It's like he could sense that I just divorced my wife and that my check engine light was on. He must have known that my body needed some servicing." Her mind was on its way to the times they once shared with one another, but that was interrupted with Sir chewing loudly in her ear. He was being funny because Clara was not saying anything.
"Really," Clara said.
"Yes, really. Talk to me," Sir said as he still continued to chew loudly in her ear.
"Look, I'm about to go in this mall and grab me some more Bath and Body Works, so call me later around 10."
"Alright, I can do that."
They both said goodbye and the call disconnected. Clara made her way into the mall. She always parks at the entrance that's closest to B&BW, so she can be in and out.
As soon as she walked into the store, the store associate knew exactly who Clara was. "I see your back again," the short white woman said to Clara. They both laughed. Clara made her way through the store picking out all the scents that were on sale that she didn't have in her collection yet.
She had finally made it to the register. The lady that greeted her was the same lady that rung her up. They stood there discussing random topics, as the employee continued to scan all her lotions, body sprays, and body washes. "Your total today is $33.45," the clerk said. "That's what I'm talking about," Clara shouted.
