A couple of weeks had gone by and he had been talking to Maleeyah almost every day. She was stuck deciding between two classes she wanted to take and he even helped her decide. It was the closest he got to college in a long time.
�Ok, I�ve crossed Orlando Avenue.�
�Ok, about a mile down the road, you�ll see Ole Ole. Remember the restaurant where we met?�
�Yeah, I remember.�
�Make a right at the light onto New England. Then you�re going to take the first right, another quick right and then you�re going to go around the lake for a bit. You�ll see a house with a fountain in front, keep going. You�ll pass three blocks on your right hand side, because the lake is on your left and I�m the third house after the third block; 1643. Got that?�
�Actually, yes I do. I just ignored all the excess information you gave me.�
�Whatever. If you get lost, and I know you will, just call.�
�Don�t wait for my call.�
He hung up and paid more attention to the area because the last thing he could do after talking all that trash was get lost.
**
He rang the doorbell and waited for her to answer. He turned and looked across the street at the lake. He loved the neighborhood. It was quiet, tucked away and the homes and lawns were flawless.
He turned when he heard the door open.
�Hi.� She walked up to him and hugged him, �Didn�t get lost huh?�
Well, that was over, he thought as he hugged her. �Hi.� He wondered if he should hug her; give her a kiss on the cheek or what. They had talked so much in his eyes she was no longer Ben�s friend, she was his friend, but they hadn�t seen each other since Jamaica so that�s where the problem lied for him.
�Come in.�
He followed her inside. She turned her head and looked back, �Want a tour?�
�Yeah.�
�Well, here�s the dining room.� He could tell it was just like his; never used.
�This is the kitchen.� He was impressed.
�For someone who doesn�t cook this is nice.�
She laughed, �I don�t cook but Monica does.�
Monica was her roommate, he remembered that.
A door was closed, that�s a bathroom. She kept walking and entered a room,
�This is the guest bedroom.� She looked at him, �I�ve never had a guest though.�
�Maybe I�ll be the first.�
�The Derek Jeter room? Nice sound. I always said I would name the room after whomever sleeps in it first.�
He laughed as she pointed to a closed door. �That�s Monica�s room. She�s not here; not sure where she is actually. Maybe you�ll get to meet her.�
They walked back down the hall and to the other side of the house, �This is my room.�
He looked then bed. It was a canopy bed. The comforter and sheets were olive green and cr�me. The curtains that covered the sliding glass door were cr�me as well but they were pushed to the side to allow the light in.
Her bathroom was small just like an older house. He didn�t know how she could take it. He was a guy and he needed the space master bathrooms had in newer model homes.
�Ok, my favorite part of the house; the backyard.�
It was like a little garden. Colorful flowers, plants and thick green grass were all around. Out by the back of the property was a bench.
�Nice.�
�Yeah, it was my grandmother�s creation. She loved it and I have a brown thumb instead of a green thumb so I have a lawn guy come twice a month and take care of all of it.
They entered back into the house by going through lanai�s sliding glass door and entering into the living room.
He saw a nice big 50-foot TV.
�I didn�t know girls liked big TVs.�
�Yeah, I saved a long time for that thing.� She pointed at the sofa, �Have a seat. Want something to drink?�
�No thanks I�m ok.�
She sat down next to him and smiled,
�You actually took a day off to come over and see me. I�m so flattered.�
�Well, you wouldn�t come see me.�
She pretended to be upset, �I was never invited.�
He laughed, �I wasn�t invited either. I invited myself.�
The night before they were on the phone and after she told him she didn�t have to work the next day he told her he was coming to see her.
�Yeah, yeah. So what do you want to do?�
�This is your town. You tell me.�
�Have you ever seen Park Avenue?�
He shook his head, �No.�
�Ok, let�s do that. I�m going to change real quick and then we�ll go.�
She turned on the TV and handed him the remote.
�I wont be long.�
�Then why did you hand me the remote?�
She laughed, �Ok, you got me. It might take a hot minute.�
He rolled his eyes, �Girls.� He muttered under his breath as she ran out of the room.
**
They took her car. It was a cute girly car. A silver sporty Saturn.
She had it spotless on the inside and out and the windows were tinted just right. But her taste in music, he wasn�t sure of. When it came to music he connected with his father�s genes. He wasn�t sure where she got her ear from.
�Who is this?� He asked as he pointed to the radio.
�Gavin DeGraw. You like?�
She was smiling at him.
�I�m just the passenger.�
�Feel free to change the station. I listen to everything.�
He didn�t hesitate and kept going until he heard The Game.
She rolled her eyes, �Should have known.�
�What is wrong with that?�
�Nothing, I actually like The Game�more than I do 50 Cent. But I�m not a hip-hop fan, there are just hip-hop songs I like.�
�What do you like?�
�A bit of everything. A bit of everything.�
�What's your favorite song right now?�
He watched her as she thought for a minute. �Amerie, 1 Thing.�
He nodded his head, �Nice.� He figured she was going to say something like Britney Spears, that he just could not take.
�And that song by Shakira and Alejandro Sanz. I don�t know what the hell they are saying but I love it.�
He laughed at her. He knew the song because Alex and Jorge�s wives, Cynthia and Laura, were just playing that at his house a few days ago.
035 | No Ordinary Girl