She stood before the closet in a black sating robe trying to figure out what to wear when there was a knock on the door.
�Come in.�
�You almost�oh man, you�re not even ready.�
She rolled her eyes at Ben, �You know a girl must look her best.�
He walked over and joined her with his arms folded before him. She looked at him as he stared at her clothes.
�Wear this.� He pulled out a white sundress with a flowing skirt. She loved the way it showed off her legs, even though truth be told she had yet to wear it in public. But in her room, in her mirror, she really looked great.
�Good idea.�
Instead of leaving the room he sat on the bed, �You having a good time.�
She nodded, �Yeah.� How could she not? She was in Jamaica. There were no worries. There was no alarm clocks, schedules, term papers or annoying phone calls.
�Good. Do you feel comfortable around the guys?�
She wondered if she should feel comfortable around the guys. Was Ben going to drop some horrible hammer down on her problem free vacation?
�Yes, why?�
�Jack and I met a couple of girls and they wanted to get together tonight after dinner.�
�So you're going to ditch me.�
�Oh come on. Don�t think of it that way. Just for a couple of hours.�
She was set on making him feel just a bit bad for leaving her to be with some chick. Part of her did so in a joking manner but part of her thought she was going to hang out in Jamaica with her buddy.
She sighed, �I guess I�ll be ok. Wait, do Sean and Derek know they�re babysitting?�
�They don�t think of it as babysitting. And its only one night; not even a whole night.�
�Ok.�
She hadn�t meant for him to feel really bad about it but he seemed to be a little more subdued than when he entered her room. She�d make it up to him later.
**
They started out as a party of five that night and the number had dwindled down to two. She and Derek were leaving the restaurant after Sean hooked up with an island girl.
�Did you draw the shortest straw to baby-sit me?�
He was dressed in a white button-down shirt and a pair of khaki pants. He looked so casual; it was classic tourist island chic attire.
�Its not like that.�
She looked at him, �Come on. If I weren�t here you�d have your own little friend to have a little fun with.�
The alcohol has been flowing nice that night and she knew that if she hadn�t been drinking her filter would have stopped her from saying that.
�Do you want to go for a walk on the beach?�
She was thankful he rescued her from her drunken ramblings.
�Sure.� Derek and Maleeyah started to walk on the sand, moving closer to the water. They straightened out their path and began to walk parallel to the shore.
She stumbled and he grabbed her, keeping her from falling down.
�Are you ok?�
She nodded holding onto him for support.
�Why don�t you take your shoes off?�
She didn�t question his suggestion and kicked her heels off. He picked them up and carried them for her as they continued to walk.
�So, do you have a boyfriend?�
�Would I be here without him if I had a boyfriend?� They laughed.
�Well, who knows these days but I guess the answer is no.�
�Yes.�
He looked at her. �Yes?�
�Yes, no. No, no boyfriend.�
She giggled. She wasn�t drunk but she had enough alcohol that she wasn�t feeling any pain, as they say.
He laughed, �Ok, looks like someone is a little drunk.�
�Just a little.�
The waves smashed around her ankles and she squealed. She looked out at the water and the sight was breathtaking.
�What do you look for in a guy?�
His question took Maleeyah by surprise. What did it mean? Was he fishing to see if he fit the criteria? Was he coming on to her?
�Sense of humor-�
�Why is that always the first thing women say?�
�What? Is that shutting you out?�
�No, I can get a laugh every now and then but really, you hear stuff like that and its just not true.�
�What do you mean? I love to laugh. If a guy can make me laugh he�s got a shot.�
�This girl who is a friend of my�a friend of a girl I know.�
A friend of a girl he knows, she thought. Maleeyah knew this girl was more than just someone he knew. She was definitely someone he knew in a biblical sense.
�She wants the man to have the car, job, bank account, clothes, shoes, he has to bring it all to the table and when I asked her what she has to offer she came back with-�
She started to laugh. �Let me guess: nice personality, fun, good person, intelligent, attractive, and so on and so on.�
�Exactly. Now how is that ok? Why do women think that�s ok?�
�Well, its not all out of shallowness and materialism. A woman wants a man who can provide and protect her physically and yes, even financially. Don�t you want to be able to do all that for the woman you love?�
�Yes, of course but a guy can do that without being rich and famous. To me it�s the same as if men demanded their women be tall, thin and looked like they could be a model. Women would be furious and call us pigs and dogs and a lot worse.�
She nodded, �You're right.� Sometimes certain thoughts and actions just couldn�t be justified.
020 | No Ordinary Girl