work ethic.
She went over to the bed and sat down on the pillow-top mattress. She bounced up and down on it, testing the firmness.
“It feels good, doesn’t it?” the boss asked as he appeared in the bedroom.
“Yes, it does,” she said with dreamy eyes. Then she toned down her desperation and got up off the bed. She walked into the living room and the boss followed.
“Listen,” the boss began, “what are you doing tomorrow night?”
Dior paused and turned around to face him. “Nothing,” she responded, grinning.
“Well, I’m free, and I would love to show you around. You are new here, right?”
“Yes, as a matter of fact I am,” Dior said. “You know I would love that. Now, I guess, is a great time for you to tell me your name.”
The boss extended his hand and in gentleman form, he said, “I’m Chris.”
Dior placed her hand in his and said, “It’s a pleasure to meet you, Chris. And from now on, just call me Dior.”
“Dior, huh?” he said. “Is that short for high maintenance?” He chuckled.
“It all depends,” Dior said, chuckling along with him.
Dior and Chris exchanged numbers just as the other two guys reentered her home. They had smirks on their faces as they knew what was going on. They quickly unwrapped all the furniture and put it in its place. Then the boss handed them a twenty-dollar bill from his pocket.
“This is a tip from Ms. Emerson,” he said, winking back at Dior.
The two guys took the money and thanked Dior. She smiled at Chris and told them no problem. They gathered their belongings, Dior signed off on the delivery, and the three men left.
“I’ll call you,” Chris said with his lips only.
Dior nodded as she stood at her door watching the three of them get back in their truck. Just as she turned to walk back into her apartment, she heard one of the guys say, “You really satisfy the customers, don’t you?”
She stood outside, watching the furniture delivery truck drive down the street, then turned to walk back into her apartment when suddenly someone grabbed her by the arm.
“Hi, lovely lady. Remember me?”
If I didn’t remember your face I’d remember those yellow teeth, and that horrid breath, Dior thought. Out loud she said, “Sure, I remember you. Jerome, right?”
“Right. Your knight in shining armor. You gonna give me your number?”
“I thought we agreed that I’d pay you back in two weeks,” Dior said desperately. How the hell could she let her spending habits put her in a situation like this? Of all people, she sure didn’t want to be in Jerome’s debt.
“Yeah, but I decided I’d rather have your number so we can get to know each other better. I know you got a phone by now. If you don’t, just give me your cell number.”
“Look, I’d much prefer to—”
“Jerome, youse one trifling bastard!” Margie called out her window. “Leave that girl alone. Dior, don’t give him nothing. I done paid him that money for you already and he knows it.”
Dior looked from Margie to Jerome. “You did?”
“Yeah. He came around here the other day crying about that was part of the money his mother gave him to go pay the electric bill, and I like his mother and didn’t want her in the dark. Just add the twenty dollars to your rent, baby.”
Dior snatched her arm away from Jerome and glared at him. “It was only fifteen dollars.”
Jerome’s eyes darted from side to side. “Well, you know. Interest.”
“Yeah, I got your interest right here,” Margie shouted as she waved a baseball bat in the window with one hand while flicking the ash from her cigarette out the window with the other. “Now get your trifling ass down the street.”
“Man, forget you,” Jerome said as he backed away. “I was just trying to be nice because you’re new in the neighborhood and I thought you might need a friend.”
“Hmph. With friends like you I certainly wouldn’t need any enemies,” Dior said angrily. “Miss Margie,” she said, turning to the woman in the window, “I’m sorry. I’ll give you the twenty back in the rent check like you said.”
“Okay, dear. And don’t worry about Jerome. He’s stupid but he’s harmless. Just don’t give him any more of your time and he’ll soon be leaving you alone. And just put him in his place one good time and you won’t have any problems. That girl in unit three chewed him out so bad you can bet he won’t ever say another word to her again. You just need to get a little more spunk in you. Not that’s it none of my business. Not my business at all.”
That fool has some nerve, Dior thought when she walked back into the house. Angry as she was, though, she couldn’t stay mad long as she looked at her new furniture. Her new apartment was looking more and more like home. She sat down on her new bed and smiled. It sure would be good to break this in right. This was possibly her time and Chris was possibly her match.
When she powered up her laptop later to check her bank account balance online, she noticed that she had a couple of messages from Mr. Good Black Man 2008, and that his online now icon was blinking. She turned off the computer without reading the messages and went to bed.
Chris arrived at Dior’s door at seven o’clock on the nose. Looking quite debonair in a tasteful pair of Rock & Republic jeans, a black sweater, and a pair of black and white Gucci sneakers, plus bearing a box of chocolates, he definitely got the date started off on the right foot. Dior greeted Chris with a kiss on the cheek as she took the chocolates off his hands. She invited him in just so that he wouldn’t have to stand in the cold while she touched up her makeup and put on her coat. He sat on her new sofa and waited patiently for her, commenting, from time to time, on how nice she had decorated since he had been there the day before.
Chris opened the door for Dior and escorted her inside his 2008 Cadillac Escalade. He then walked around the back of the car and got in the driver’s seat. He was being a perfect gentleman. Dior was pleased. The two drove through the busy Saturday night Manhattan traffic, making stops, at Nobu’s for dinner, the Belasco Theatre to preview a play, and Serendipity’s for dessert, finally ending their night on the town at Pacha Nightclub for a drink and a dance.
Choosing to go to various spots was Chris’s way of showing Dior several parts of the city and entertaining her at the same time, and Dior was more than satisfied as that was the most fun she’d had in a long time. At one point she almost suggested that they go to MoBay’s since she still hadn’t made it to the jazz club, but quickly decided against it. Stupid as it sounded she felt like that would be cheating on Mr. Good Black Man 2008 since that was the club he recommended.
Throughout the evening Chris and Dior laughed and conversed and learned a lot about one another. As the time wound down, neither of them wanted the date to end, especially not Dior, who, instead of kissing Chris good-bye once they arrived at her apartment, invited
