Subway Girl Ch. 07

Friday I got home from work and still had a few hours to kill before going to Alicia's, so I decided to call my dad. He answered the phone, but I was immediately reminded why I usually call him on Sunday mornings. It was obvious he had been drinking, but he wasn't slurring, just being talkative. I told him I was still working, and then I told him I'd met a girl.

"Yeah, I figured that," he said. I could hear ice clinking in the background like he was swirling his drink. "I noticed your cell phone usage just went through the roof."

"Oh, sorry, Dad. Do you want me to send some money to cover it?"

"Nah, don't worry about it. I got one of those mega-plans since it's a business expense. Just don't be going on the internet too much lookin' at porn. Your brother showed me how you can watch porn right there on the damn phone. The tiny screen is too small for my eyes, but not your brother. You gotta be careful with that shit, Raymond, you can get over-stimulated and then the normal stuff doesn't work for ya anymore and you start gettin' weird. I tell ya back in my day we thought seein' a set a hooters was a big deal. One of the kids in the neighborhood would get his hands on a Playboy and it was a big deal! We'd pass it around and I'd stare at those babes for hours, ya know what I mean? Now, one or two clicks and the things you can see! Hell, your brother -- he showed me one..."....

I zoned out after that. Here's the thing about my dad: he always dominates the conversation. I wanted to tell him about Alicia and how smart and pretty she is, but instead he starts talking to me about porn and I'm really not interested. As soon as he paused to take a drink I tried to tell him I had a date and couldn't talk much longer, but as soon as I mentioned I was going to her house he launched into his spiel about condoms, "Cuz I got lucky with your mom, she was a keeper, but most of the time guys get stuck and regret it. Hell, not to mention all the diseases. Raymond, you dunno know where this girl's been, you could be number two or three for her just this week for all you know. Hell, remember your friend..."

"Dad, I'm sorry I have to cut you off, but someone's at the door," I lied before I got really pissed. I hung up the phone and saw that it was 6:10 p.m., still plenty of time to walk to Alicia's apartment. I could take the subway, but I like walking and I wanted to pick up some flowers on the way.

At the flower shop I stood in front of the display of bouquets wondering what to get. I couldn't spend too much money, but nothing seemed quite right. The arrangements on display looked kind of audacious. I didn't want to buy a single rose because that seemed kind of cliché and I had heard that different colors mean different things and I wasn't sure what they meant. I'd hate to give her the "Sorry someone died" color by mistake.

There was a girl working there, but she didn't look anxious to help. She had her nose buried in a book in the typical anti-social fashion, uneager to help me. She was perched on a stool and had huge black-framed glasses. She had that cool nerdy look going on with black hair in a sharp angled cut and colorful tattoos covering one arm. She was very pretty, but not in the soft-pretty way like Alicia. This girl was all sharp edges and color, like a piece of modern art.

There were flowers sold individually in buckets and I was considering putting a few together in a do-it-yourself bouquet, but I wasn't sure if that was allowed or what to do. I walked up to the girl at the counter and noticed the book she was reading was called The Buffalo Hunter.

"Is that a western?" I asked.

"What?" She looked up from her book, then turned it over and looked at the cover. Laughing she said, "No, it isn't. It actually takes place in New York."

"Really? What's it about?"

"This lonely creepy guy who reads a lot. He gets so into the books he is reading that he actually loses touch with reality."

"Oh, I didn't know my biography was out yet," I joked and got a laugh out of Flower Girl.

"You can't be that lonely if you are in here buying flowers for a girl."

"How do you know that? I could be buying flower for my mom or something."

"No, you aren't. I've been at this awhile and when guys come in to buy flowers there are three types. The first type is the 'I-fucked-up-sorry' guy. They're so guilty I can usually make good money off them. Then we have the, 'It's-her-birthday-or-anniversary-and-I have-no-imagination' guy. And then there is the least common type who is newly dating someone. They stress out the most."

"Yeah, what about the 'I-have-only-fifteen-dollars-but-don't-want-to-look-cheap' guy?"

"Oooh, a double stressor. I feel sorry for you!" She laughed at me and I didn't think it was funny, but she finally offered to help me. "What is she like? Give me five adjectives."

After pausing for a few seconds to come up with an authentic list, I answered, "Cheerful, enthusiastic, smart, sweet, hot."

"Gerber daisies," she stated, confidently.

"Aren't daises known for being cheap?"

"Not Gerbers. Come have a look."

They looked so perfect they almost looked like fake flowers. When I saw the vibrant orange Gerbers, they reminded me of Alicia's sexy shoulder shirt and her happy face. I could afford only four, but Flower Girl insisted on throwing in an extra one for free because odd numbers look better, she said. She wrapped the five of them with some green leafy stuff and they looked really good. She even tied a ribbon around them and I made the connection that she might be to flowers what William is to books. When I paid her, she gave me a card from the flower shop and said, "And if it doesn't work out with cheerful-enthusiastic-sweet-smart-hot, you know where to find me." That really surprised me. I didn't think I would be her type except we both like to read.

I arrived at Alicia's house about ten minutes early and I didn't want to seem so eager, so I stood outside and gave myself a little pep talk. Maybe an "anti-pep" talk was more accurate since I planned to stick to my word and be a perfect gentleman. Dinner would be no problem, but the movie might be challenging. An action-packed movie would be best. I knew not to get too comfortable on the couch. "Stay vertical" would be my mantra. And I'd better leave right after the movie, even though I knew I wouldn't want to. It was better to take it slow now and let her continue to warm up to me as she seemed to be doing anyway. Patience.

I pushed the intercom button next to the tiny "A. Klaer" sign so she could buzz me in, and she told me what apartment to come to on the second floor. She opened the door before I knocked and exclaimed, "Flowers! You are so sweet." Alicia hugged me and gave me a quick kiss and invited me in. Immediately my senses were overloaded by sounds, sights, and smells, but it was the sight of Alicia in yoga pants that made my heart race. The dreaded yoga pants. Some people might think that this is not a very sexy look, barefoot Alicia with a tight little t-shirt and yoga pants, but I know different. When a girl is in yoga pants she feels extra comfortable and sits with her knees pulled up and lounges about in a way she would never do in a dress. Then there is the matter of curves, which Alicia has plenty of. Yoga pants and a tight shirt show every hill and valley. But it is the lack of a waist band that is the most problematic, since there are no buttons or zippers to contend with. It is way too easy to slip your hands down a pair of yoga pants. Keeping my hands out of Alicia's pants was going to be more challenging than eating two Carnegie sandwiches.

I watched her bend over and find a vase for the flowers. Alicia was making some type of stir fry and she had a big wok on the stove, a rice steamer on the counter, and a chopping board with an array of colorful vegetables. "Wow, I thought you said you weren't much of a cook!"

"I'm really not," she answered. "I basically just steam rice and chop vegetables. I use sauce out of a jar."

"What about meat?"

"I am going to sauté some chicken before I add the vegetables. Sometimes I make it with tofu and use a different sauce. Do you like tofu?"

"I don't think I've ever had it." I was eating raw chopped bell peppers off the cutting board. "I like your apartment." I looked around and saw that it was as small as mine, except maybe a little longer and way cooler. She had an exposed brick wall and the perpendicular wall had long narrow windows which opened onto a fire escape. The small kitchen was open to the living area and had a little breakfast bar with real granite and stools to sit at. She had a futon similar to my new one and a desk with a computer and a bookcase full of things I planned to take a closer look at. Everything was neat, orderly, and new-looking. "Where's your tv?"

"I don't have a tv. We can watch a movie on my computer." There was a large monitor on her desk. I excused myself to use the bathroom and that is where my senses were bombarded by an array of girliness. There was a very fragrant candle burning and everything in there was color-coordinated lavender or white. She had soft and fluffy big plush towels and a thick rug. I felt like I was in a museum of luscious femininity, like I was an intruder in the temple of womanhood. I took awhile drying my hands just because her towels were so soft and clean and everything smelt so good.

When I returned, Alicia was busy with the stir fry, so I walked over to that tall bookcase to see what I could learn about Alicia Klaer. The bottom shelf was full of exercise and nutrition books. I noticed she had dumbbells near the shelf and one of those exercise balls, although I have no idea how they are used.

The second shelf was full of textbooks, but the third had novels. Most of them seemed to be girl books, but I was happy to see a copy of Catcher in The Rye and To Kill a Mockingbird. The two top shelves had photos in frames. They weren't portraits: they were vacation type photos and all portrayed a mom, a dad, and three blonde girls all in amazing outdoor settings, but not posed. "Wow, it looks like your family knows how to have fun."

"You could say that," Alicia laughed and walked over to the bookcase. "Growing up I didn't appreciate it. I'd get back from spring break or summer vacations and all my friends would talk about the resorts they had visited and about lounging by the pool. My dad would make us carry heavy packs and go trekking for miles, places like Yosemite." Alicia picked up the frame that showed her in front of Half Dome. "I fantasized about staying in a hotel, lounging by a pool and being around other teenagers, especially boys! But now I realize I am pretty lucky to have seen with my own eyes places most people only see in books or if they do visit, they barely scratch the surface. Like the Grand Canyon. Millions of tourists go to the edge and look down, but my dad made us hike down into it and sleep in the canyon for two nights."

"I should call you 'Adventure Barbie,'" I joked, picking up a photo of her in a raft with her family.

"Yeah, if Barbie were short and chubby."

"Hey, did you just call my girl chubby?" I looked at her like I was mad.

Alicia stared back at me and answered, "I dunno, did you just call me your girl?" We were in a stare down, eyes locked. Alicia raised an eyebrow, which looked more sexy than intellectual on her. She had a smirk and a hand on her hip.

"What if I did? Would that be a problem?" I can't raise an eyebrow, but I do have a smirk.

"Well, it would depend on what you meant by it." We stared at each other for about five seconds and I wasn't sure how to answer. We were in a game of emotional poker and I wasn't sure if I should lay my cards down. Alicia folded first with a giggle, "Does 'my girl' mean 'girlfriend'?"

"Well,..." My answer had to be slow and methodical. "That would be presumptuous of me, don't you think?"

"Hmmmm. Not really. I mean, we do talk everyday and now you are in my apartment and I'm cooking dinner for you, so no, I don't think that would be too presumptuous at all."

"So you are saying it is okay for me to refer to you as my girlfriend?"

Alicia smiled coyly, "Well, I'd like that. But only if I can call you my boyfriend."

"Well, okay, I guess I can cancel all those other dates I had lined up," I teased her and she smacked my arm, "Do we need to shake on it?"

"We need to kiss on it," she said, wrapping her arms around me.

And so I ate my girlfriend's cooking and it was the first home-cooked meal I had eaten in a few years. I thought it was amazing, but Alicia seemed self-conscious about it and kept saying she could do better next time. She drank some wine and had beer for me, but I was careful to limit myself to two drinks. I was committed to staying sharp and keeping my hands out of those yoga pants. Things were heating up at a good pace and I didn't want to push my luck. I was pretty damn lucky and I knew it. But we did start kissing during the movie and we made out for a really long time. At one point she crawled up on my lap and... okay, I did get my hands down those damn easy-access yoga pants and felt her bare bottom, her nice smooth butt. Alright, I admit I felt her tits too, but not under her bra, and the fact that I was able to stop there and... well, I had to kick her off my lap. I told her nicely of course. I said, "Alicia, it is getting really hard for me to be a gentleman with you straddling my lap."

"Oh, sorry!" She jumped off me and straightened her shirt and hair.

"Oh, I don't mind at all. You can sit on my lap anytime you want. Just know that you were making it hard on me."

"Oh, I felt it," she smiled. "It was hard on me too," she giggled and kissed me but sat down at my side on the futon and we tried to watch the rest of the movie. It would be really difficult for me to leave before midnight like I promised, but I knew she had to study in the morning and I was really conscious of the fact that school is her priority and I don't want her thinking she can't have a boyfriend too. Plus, she asked to come to my soccer game again. I was happy about that because it would probably be my last chance to play for a while since Don signed that big contract and said we'd be working Saturdays starting the next week.

I kissed Alicia goodbye at the door, checked my phone, and saw that it was 11:53 p.m. I felt like a gentleman. A punctual gentleman and pretty good guy. A pretty good lucky guy.

* * * * *

At the next morning's soccer match I was on fire. Marcus teased me about showing off for my girlfriend, but Alicia wasn't even there yet. The truth is I was in a very good mood. Plus, I had been sleeping and eating regularly and not stressing about money as much as before. I still didn't have much extra cash, but I knew a bunch of overtime was in my future.

I asked Alicia if she wanted me to plan something for after the game, but she said she would bring lunch again and we could just do whatever. I have always loved Saturdays, but I really loved Saturdays even more now. The day was starting to signify for me what it did for most people: a well-deserved break from the workweek and a chance to spend time with someone I care about.

About two-thirds into the game I expected to see Alicia but she still had not shown up and I tried to stay focused. She wasn't there at the end of the game either and I was starting to wonder what had happened. I said goodbye to Marcus and Gloria and got my phone out of my backpack. There were two texts from Alicia, the first about the study group running late, the second saying she was on her way. Then I heard her call my name. I turned and saw her walking towards me and I muttered a spontaneous prayer: "Thank you, God, for summer time, for short shorts, and for Alicia Klaer." We hugged for a long time, the kind of hug when someone gets off a plane or ship coming back from war. "I'm so glad to see you," she beamed up at me. I still couldn't understand why this beautiful girl was so crazy about me, but I wasn't about to point out the flaws in her taste. She'd probably come to her senses, but I was determined to enjoy her temporary insanity until then.

She asked if I was hungry and I said, "Yeah, I've been hungry pretty much the whole year except when we left Carnegie's."

"What? You were hungry last night?"

"A little," I admitted. "I mean, the food you made was really good, but I was hungry again by midnight."

"Oh, Ray, I wish you'd said something! I don't know how much food to cook for a guy." She was turning red and looking sad.

"Oh, it was plenty, Alicia. I didn't mean that. But you know what they say about Chinese food: you're hungry again an hour later."

Alicia was still looking disappointed as she said, "And I didn't even have time to pack lunch today."

"Aww, don't worry about that. I'll just get a hot dog." Then I remembered she probably didn't eat hot dogs so I said, "Or we can go out to lunch somewhere." I actually had a twenty and a ten in my wallet.

"Oh, I'm not even hungry. While you were playing soccer, I was eating snacks and just sitting on my butt studying."

"Speaking of your cute butt," I pulled her ear close to my mouth, "I was thinking about it all night."

Alicia was turning red and did this cute thing where she covered her smile with her hand. "You should eat, Ray. There's a hot dog cart."

"Sure you don't mind? I am hungry."

"No, of course! Eat two!" She laughed.

"I was thinking three."

We sat on the grass talking while I inhaled three hot dogs and Alicia sipped on a diet coke. She told me about her study group of three girls and two guys. I started to wonder about the guys she spent so much time with and what they were like, but she told me and I didn't have to ask. One was nice, but older and married. The other guy she didn't care for but tolerated because it really helped to study in a group. She explained that they spent the morning creating practice test questions and it was way better than studying alone. "I always get distracted after about an hour, but with the peer pressure of the group, I have to stick it out. I have to study again sometime today or tonight and meet up with them again tomorrow."

"Where do you study?"

"Oh, sometimes at home, but I like to go to coffee shops or the library. I get too distracted at home alone."

"Do you go to the St. Agnes branch?" It is the library closest to her place.

"Usually. I like Mid-Manhattan too, but a lot of homeless people hang out there and it smells bad."

"Yeah, but not so much in the summertime. It's just the winter when they're trying to stay warm."

"Oh yeah, I never thought of that. I haven't been there in a while."

"I'm friends with the librarian," I told her. I hoped it was okay to call William my friend.

"Oh, really?" Alicia asked, smiling at me. "Do you have one of those hottie-librarian fetishes?"

I laughed thinking of course she thought the librarian was a woman. I told her about William and she seemed intrigued. "Hey," I said, "I have an idea. Since you have to study some more, do you want to go to the library together? I need to return a book anyway and can hang out and read while you study."

"Are you serious? You'd hang out at the library with me on a Saturday?"

"Alicia, I fucking love libraries." I admitted in a dead pan voice. She laughed in response, "I don't think I've ever heard you cuss before."

"Sorry about that," I said.

"Oh, don't be. I just had no idea you were so passionate about libraries." Alicia was laughing at me and I didn't mind at all. It was better to let her think I was a book nerd instead of one of the homeless guys seeking shelter and stinking up the place.

We walked back towards our apartments. I wanted to take a shower and Alicia needed to get her books, so we agreed to meet at the subway station in an hour.