Chapter 5

 

Julio leaned against the massive mahogany desk in the restaurant’s office with his arms crossed, a smirk on his handsome face.

“Let me get this straight. This Jeanette doesn’t know who you are?”

Alonzo lounged in a comfy, brown leather chair in the corner. On the ride over to Cuban Soul he replayed his visit with Jeanette. Her reaction to him was as if he were any other man on the street. Not once did she display any seductive moves, but rather an apologetic attitude for her actions. With that face and sexy body if she worked them to her advantage she could’ve had him eating out of her hand. Instead, she was more concerned about getting his car repaired. In her presence he wasn’t the star athlete women tripped over themselves to get next to. In her presence he felt at ease like he was with family. It was refreshing that she wasn’t fawning all over him.

“Nope.”

“What does she look like?”

Alonzo went on to describe Jeanette’s features … all of them.

“Julio, man, she’s beautiful.”

“Sounds like it,” Julio hesitated before adding, “but she isn’t Cuban.”

Alonzo lifted a thick brow. “And?”

“I overheard Mamá this morning saying you need to settle down with a nice Cuban girl.”

Alonzo rubbed his hand over his close-cropped hair. Their parents, mostly his mother’s, expectation was for their children to marry within their nationality. Their younger sister Teresa had fallen in love with an African American guy she met while home on semester break. When her parents found out he wasn’t Cuban they forbid her to see him. Teresa was told under no circumstances would they accept him into the family. Seeing how miserable Teresa was the brothers went to their parents on their sister’s behalf. Rooted in their culture and traditions, Javier and Marta would not budge on their position, going so far as to threaten to disown Teresa.

Anger coursed through Alonzo as he remembered Teresa’s gut-wrenching sobs. He loved his parents, but their mistreatment of his sister was something he couldn’t be silent on. In a fit of rage, he told them if Teresa never spoke to them again it would serve them right. A hundred times over he was sorry he spewed those words in anger. As predicted, Teresa went back to school and never returned home.

Alonzo reached for the folder with the paperwork needing his review. While he found Jeanette Adams beautiful, the thought of dating her never entered his mind. Yet, if it did, no one was going to dictate to him if he could or couldn’t date her.

“I love Mamá, but she’s not going to tell me who I can and can’t settle down with. She and Papá are not going to do to me what they did to Teresa.”

The mentioning of their sister’s name brought a pained expression to Julio’s face. “Have you talked to her lately?”

Alonzo shook his head. “No, but she does text me every month to thank me for the allowance I send her.”

“I wish Mamá and Papá would let go of their old ways. If I had a daughter I haven’t spoken to in over two years, I think I would lose my mind.”

“Oh, believe me brother, it hasn’t been easy for them. They’re too stubborn to put aside their pride and traditions.”

Alonzo loved his culture as much as the next Cuban. He was open enough to realize that there was a whole world out there full of other cultures to explore and appreciate. His parents’ attitude bothered him because they were Afro-Cuban; people of color. What made them so different from the guy Teresa fell in love with?

Alonzo didn’t want to think about how much he missed his sister. He had to get rid of Julio. Otherwise they’d end up talking for hours.

“Get out of here and leave me alone so I can look over this paperwork. I’ve got something to do this evening.”

Julio grinned. “Yeah, I bet you do.”

 

***

 

Jeanette waved to the last child leaving the school with her mother. She locked the door before going over to the large window to pull down the shade. A frown marred her features as the last of the plastic material covered a chipping and fading Big Bird. The outside of the building was in major need of a facelift. It was no wonder why parents were enrolling their children in the daycare down the street with Dora the Explorer skipping across the glass window with her vibrant blue backpack, pink shirt, orange shorts, yellow socks, and white sneakers.

Poor Cookie Monster and the rest of the gang couldn’t compete. Jeanette grudgingly admitted the colorful monkey, Dora’s sidekick, was adorable as she went into the classroom and began sanitizing the desks with Clorox wipes. Next, she went inside the adjoining room to clean the cots the children took their naps.

As she was working, Gloria came in. She put on a pair of disposable rubber gloves and helped Jeanette wipe down the cots on the other side of the room.

“What time is the young man coming back?”

Jeanette moved to the next cot. “At seven.”

“Do you know why he’s coming back?”

Jeanette paused in mid-swipe. She wrinkled her nose from the scent of the lemon-disinfected sheet to keep from sneezing.

“Auntie, I really don’t know.”

After Alonzo left the children began to wake from their nap. Jeanette had to concentrate on the afternoon lesson because her mind kept wandering to why he wanted to meet with her. She had provided him with the information he needed to file a claim.

Gloria disinfected the last cot. As she stood to her full height of five-two, she put her hands on her hips.

“Maybe he’s interested in you.”

“Auntie, every man isn’t interested in me,” Jeanette sighed. I sure wouldn’t mind if Mr. Alonzo Castro had the hots for me.

Gloria laughed. “Baby, have you looked at yourself in the mirror lately?”

Jeanette smiled at Gloria. For as long as she could remember, her aunt would stand her in front of a mirror and make her repeat, “I am beautiful. I am strong. I am fearless. I am God’s creation.”

“Just this morning, Auntie.”

It wasn’t a pretty picture though as she foamed at the mouth rushing through her morning routine of brushing her teeth and showering after oversleeping.

She ran her hand over her twists, hoping she had enough energy Friday night to take them loose and shampoo her hair. It had been forever since she straightened her hair. She would love to wear it long and flowy, but the twists allowed her not to worry about having to style her hair every day. Especially on a day like today when she was running behind.

Gloria smiled. “Then you saw what he saw.”

Jeanette didn’t say anything. Instead she shifted so her aunt wouldn’t see her rolling her eyes.

Gloria patted her pocket. “Lord, have mercy Jesus. Let me go put Mister Smith back,” she said removing the firearm.

Jeanette laughed as she shut the light off following her aunt into the kitchen. Going over to the sink, she peeled off the rubber gloves she wore, washed her hands and began washing the tumblers as Gloria returned the weapon to its safe place.

“Auntie, the last time you took that thing out we ended up down at the police station being questioned for hours.”

A male parent had come to the school threatening his ex-wife. Gloria had asked him nicely to leave. High on testosterone, he yelled in Gloria’s face, “I ain’t going no damn where!” That’s when he got introduced to Mister Smith.

Gloria locked the door and put the chain with the key around her neck. She never kept the key far from reach.

“Baby, I know. Praise Jesus, I didn’t have to show him Mr. Smith. What’s the young man’s name?”

“Alonzo Castro.”

Gloria tilted her head as if trying to recall something. “I've heard that name somewhere before.”

A beat of a minute past before she waved off the thought of the vaguely familiar name. “Anyway, he was looking as my grandmother used to say, as mean as a rattlesnake. I didn’t know what he was going to do. I had to be ready. Do you want me to stay?”

“No, Auntie, I’ll be okay. You go on home. Once I explained what happened he didn’t seem so angry.”

She wouldn’t dare tell her elderly aunt how his eyes roamed her body stoking a flame she hadn’t felt in a long time.

“Well, that’s good. I’m going to season the ground turkey and make the meatballs for tomorrow’s lunch.”

Gloria thought she was slick. Tomorrow was Thursday, not spaghetti and meatball Friday.

Jeanette chuckled. “Alright, Auntie. I’m going to vacuum the carpet out front.”

 

***

 

Alonzo stepped out of his truck at five minutes to seven. The building looked shabbier at night. He took his time as he sauntered across the street. The blinds on the door were still open. The vacuum cleaner Jeanette was pushing over the balding gray carpet had seen better days. He decided to wait until she finished since he was a few minutes early.

The truth was he was enjoying what he was seeing. Her twists were now up in a bun fully exposing her beautiful face. With her hair down, her slender neck wasn’t obvious. He wondered if he licked her behind the ear if it would drive her insane. Or if he suckled her lush bottom lip if she would moan for more. Alonzo felt a tightening in his groin when she bent over to yank the cord out the socket, giving him a full view of her shapely behind.

Jeanette’s head snapped up from her task of wrapping the vacuum cleaner cord around the handle at the sound of someone tapping on the glass. Startled, her heart pounded in her chest. Alonzo was on the other side of the door. How long had he been standing out there watching her? She held her finger up, gesturing for him to wait a second. After putting the appliance back in the closet, she went to open the door.

“How long have you been waiting out here?” she asked, stepping aside to allow him entry.

“Not long. I didn’t want to disturb you from your work.”

Earlier, Jeanette had noticed the vague Spanish accent, prompting her to ask, “Where are you from?”

Alonzo tilted his head. Had she found out who he was? The thought irritated him. He wanted to keep his identity concealed a while longer.

“Why do you ask?”

Jeanette nonchalantly shrugged a shoulder. “I didn’t mean to offend you. You have a bit of an accent.”

“No offense taken. I’m Afro-Cuban.”

“Were you born in the states?”

Damn, she asks a lot of questions.

Jeanette laughed. He didn’t look too pleased with her snooping. “I’m sorry for being so nosy. It’s the teacher in me.”

Alonzo let out a nervous breath before he chuckled. “My siblings and I were born here. My parents are from Cuba. I guess I picked up the accent them and my other family members.”

Alonzo’s heart melted at the smile lighting up Jeanette’s eyes.

“Soooo, that makes you American Afro-Cuban?”

Alonzo laughed at her corny joke. “I guess so. Never really thought about it like that.”

“See, aren’t you glad I was getting all up in your business?”

Yes, he was. He’d only been in her company for ten minutes and wouldn’t mind being there a bit longer.

A swarm of butterflies took flight in Jeanette’s belly when he grinned at her. She wanted to dip the tip of her tongue in the deep dimple in his left cheek. Jeanette took a step back as he moved forward towering over her.

“Why would I be glad?” he asked, his voice dropping an octave sounding even sexier.

“Umm …” Jeanette nervously licked her lips. She nearly fainted as Alonzo’s eyes followed the tip of her tongue before a suggestive smirk twitched his mouth.

“I – I don’t know,” she stammered. Goodness! She was so terrible at this! He probably thought she was dense.

“Is everything alright out here?” Gloria wanted to know as she interrupted whatever was happening between Jeanette and Alonzo.

Jeanette smoothed imaginary hair at the nape of her neck. “Yes, Auntie. We’re okay.”

Alonzo nodded when Gloria gave him a bold stare. “Yes, Tía.”

“I’ll be finishing up in the kitchen.” As she walked away, Gloria stopped and turned to Alonzo. “Please forgive my manners. Would you like something to drink?”

“No, thank you. I’m fine, Tía,”

Gloria gave him a brisk nod.

Alonzo leaned over to see if Gloria cleared the doorway. Satisfied that she had, he grinned letting out a low whistle.

“Your tía scares me.”

Jeanette didn’t have to ask what tía meant. It meant aunt. She’d taken Spanish in high school and college. After college she was in a group that met at Starbucks in Chestnut Hill every Tuesday night where they drank latte and spoke only Spanish. She hadn’t been in a few years and was a bit rusty.

She also understood his calling Gloria tía, although they just met was a sign of respect, which she liked.

“You should be scared. My aunt thought you were coming here to start trouble.”

Alonzo frowned. “Why would she think that?”

Jeanette shrugged a slim shoulder. “I don’t know. I gave you all the information you needed to file a claim to get your car fixed. We were wondering why you insisted on coming back.”

The truth was Alonzo didn’t know either. He just knew he wanted to see her again.

“I’m not going to file a claim.”

What? Woozy, Jeanette swayed. If Alonzo hadn’t caught her, she would’ve made a fool of herself and fallen face first on the floor.

“Are you okay?” Alonzo asked, concern lacing his words as the color drained from Jeanette’s face. He guided her to the yellow, plastic chair against the wall. “Sit down.”

She opened and closed her mouth a couple times before any words could come out. Everything was crashing down around her. Handyman Skip hadn’t been available to fix the leak. She ended up having to call a plumber. The bill drained her bank account, leaving her a balance of sixty-two dollars to her name. And now this. How was she going to pay for the repairs to his car? Her paycheck from Macy’s was already allocated to her student loan.

Jeanette dropped her head in her hands. I will not cry… I will not cry… I will not cry! The more she told herself this a rebellious tear slid from beneath her eyelid, splashing on her jeans. How was she going to tell him? What would he do?

“Hey, what’s wrong?” Alonzo asked as he hunched down in front of her.

I am beautiful. I am strong. I am fearless. I am God’s creation. Jeanette straightened her spine as she sat up and wiped at her red eyes.

“I don’t have any money to give you to fix your car.” She wasn’t about to tell him why she couldn’t. It wasn’t any of his business.

She rubbed the palms of her hands up and down her thighs before letting out a shaky breath. “But I can make payment arrangements since you don’t want to go through the insurance company.”

Alonzo stared at her in disbelief. She thinks I want money from her.

 “Sweetheart, I don’t need you to fix my car.”

“Then why are you here?” she whispered, wiping at another rebellious tear.

“I don’t know,” he hesitated before adding, “I guess I was curious about the woman who scratched up my ride.”

Jeanette couldn’t help laughing at the mischievous gleam in his beautiful dark eyes. Her lips twitched as a smile began to form.

“Please, don’t remind me. There has to be some way I can make up for what I did.”

Though she was smiling, Alonzo felt the sincerity of her words. Even after assuring her he wasn’t after her money, she was still determined to compensate him for the cost of the minor damages. Well…minor to him. He doubted she would think the same. The BMW dealer left him a voicemail with a quote of two thousand, eight hundred and thirty-seven dollars to pull out the small dent, remove the scratches and re-paint the area to match the rest of the vehicle. There was no way she’d be able to come up with that kind of cash. A sly grin curled his lips. He knew a way she could pay off her debt.

“I know how you can make it up to me.”

Uh-oh. Jeanette didn’t like where this was going. Nor did she like how he was looking at her as if she were the last turkey on the farm for Thanksgiving dinner. When she stood, so did he. She put her hand on her hip, giving him a ‘don’t mess with me’ glare.

“And how is that, Mr. Castro?”

Alonzo laughed. “Spicy, aren’t you? I like it.”

Jeanette’s mouth fell open. She closed it when he laughed even louder.

“I think you better leave,” she snapped marching toward the front door.

Before she could make it the short distance, Alonzo grabbed her by the wrist. The electrical spark as their skin made contact caught them both off guard. Their eyes locked and held for a heated moment. Jeanette’s gaze dropped to his large hand wrapped warmly around wrist. She wanted to pull away, but couldn’t.

Alonzo couldn’t stop himself from tenderly stroking her pulse point with the pad of his thumb. Her skin felt velvety soft like a rose petal. He repeated his statement from a few seconds ago.

“I know how you can make it up to me.”

Was this man a modern-day Dracula? Jeanette was transfixed in the depths of his dark gaze. When she asked, “How?” It sounded to her ears like “hooooow.”

“Have dinner with me.”

Alonzo patronized several establishments throughout the city who shielded his privacy when he wanted anonymity. A text and a couple hundred dollars was a small price to pay to enjoy a meal in peace.

“She’ll go,” Gloria blurted as she buttoned her coat, sliding her handbag on her shoulder. “She hasn’t been out on a date in months with a nice young man.”

Jeanette hadn't noticed her aunt entering the room. Mortified, she felt her face heating up. Did Gloria have to put her pitiful dating life on blast?

“Auntie, I have to get lesson plans ready for next week.”

Wednesday evening was her dedicated time to prepare lessons. It was the only day she had off from her second job. And her aunt knew this. So why was she pushing her out the door on a date? Was it a date? It didn’t matter, because she wasn’t going.

Gloria went over to the closet and handed Jeanette her brown pea coat.

“You’re going. You can work on the lesson plans tomorrow.”

Jeanette opened her mouth to ask when? Without their part-time aide, she barely had time to use the restroom during the day. Out of respect, she shut her mouth when her aunt glared at her. Jeanette cut her eyes at Alonzo. Though she’d just meant him, she wanted to kick him in the shin to wipe that stupid, sexy grin off his face.

Instead of arguing with Gloria, Jeanette changed the subject. “Is Mr. Sam coming to pick you up?”

Mr. Sam was Gloria’s longtime gentleman friend and a deacon at their church.

“Yes. He’s on his way. Now you be on yours.” Gloria kissed Jeanette’s cheek.

She patted Alonzo on the arm. “Take care of my baby and bring her back home in one piece.”

Alonzo leaned down and kissed Gloria’s left cheek. “I will, Tía. I promise.”

Jeanette rolled her eyes. Auntie had the nerve to be blushing. Auntie was falling for Alonzo’s Latin charm, but Jeanette wasn’t having it.

An older model silver Cadillac pulled up, honking the horn.

“My chariot has arrived,” Gloria beamed. “Have fun and I’ll see you in the morning, baby.”

“Goodnight, Auntie.”

“Goodnight, Tía.”

Alonzo turned to Jeanette. “Are you ready?”

No, she wasn’t ready. She didn’t appreciate her aunt or Alonzo hijacking her night. What could she do? Instead of being ungrateful, she needed to get her attitude in check. After all, having dinner with an incredibly good-looking man wasn’t the worst thing in the world to do to pay off a debt.

“Yep. Let me set the alarm.”

She would have dinner with him and that was it. By tomorrow morning Alonzo Castro would be a memory.