Alejandro (2 page)

“Oh, you just reminded me. I heard that the guy my sister-in-law’s husband’s cousin met online just proposed to her. And trust me, she ain’t all that.”

“I thought you weren’t trying to put salt in the wound,” she muttered. “She must have more ‘that’ then I got ‘cause someone put a ring on her finger.”

“But
I’m
the negative one?” Brooke smiled and swatted at Veronica’s curly black ponytail. “Stop frowning. What I’m saying is that online dating could work for you, since you’re a cyberstalker already.”

“Shut up. I’m not stalking people. I am simply
observing
them, daily.” Veronica laughed at herself.

“Anyways, some of the girls at the boutique have profiles up on this site called... um...Plenty-of-People.com, I think. It’s free, and I’ve heard the girls chatting about all the crazy dates they’ve gone on with guys they met on there. You should try it.”

“
Crazy
dates?”

“I meant to say fun dates.”

Warily, Veronica shook her head. “Honestly, the thought of dating another dude right now...It’s too soon. It’s only been three days since I broke up with my boyfriend of two years.”

“Then don’t date anybody. Just look at what’s available out there. Talk to some new guys. There’s no pressure since it’s all virtual. Quincy made you think he was the only man in the world and that he was treating you better than any man would. He’s wrong to the fourteenth power. I want you to see that. You deserve a good man.” She gave her friend a pat on the shoulder.

“Yeah,” smiled one of Brooke’s boys, with his fingers in his mouth. “I’m good man, auntie,” he said in his little voice.   

Veronica beamed. “Aww, yes you are, sweetheart!”

Brooke grinned. “You’re going to be a good man. Just like Daddy is.”

Veronica couldn’t help thinking,
when will I get what Brooke has?
Brooke’s husband was by no means perfect, but they were happy together and both equally committed to one another. Why was it so hard for her to find a man that truly wanted to make her happy instead of only wanting to make himself happy?

***

That night, home alone, Veronica ate through an entire bowl of corn chips dripping with cheesy jalapeno nacho sauce while watching a string of stand-up comedy shows. It did manage to make her laugh and distract her, but below the surface she was still hurting, searching for the reason things had yet to work out for her.

Was she attracting those types of men to her? A dirtbag magnet? It was as if these men were sharks that picked up the smell of her bleeding heart. A decade of dates and boyfriends, and she had nothing to show for it. She must be doing something wrong, looking in the wrong places or something. Then again, it didn’t matter where you looked; assholes were everywhere. They went to church every Sunday and worked a 9 to 5 job right amongst good genuine people.

Going out into the dating world again was looking more and more frightening. But she was going to do it. Her hopes weren’t dead yet. There was somebody out there for her, someone who would thoroughly appreciate what she had to offer.
Where is he, dammit?
Maybe he wasn’t in San Diego. For all she knew, her match might live in bloody England... Or be a Samoan hunk... Or a brawny Brazilian...

Veronica turned the television off and walked to her bedroom where her computer desk was set up in the corner. She was curious about the dating site Brooke mentioned. The Plenty-of-People.com website didn’t look too intimidating. Everything was free and it looked easy to use. Online dating was not something Veronica imagined ever trying and she started to feel like a loser for even looking up the site. However, Veronica didn’t like to be close-minded. She clicked the ‘Browse’ link just to peek at the meat market before taking a number. After entering a few requirements about age, height and job status, a page of results loaded. Tens of thousands of male prospects popped up on the computer screen. As she scrolled down the page her jaw dropped; there were some good-looking men on Plenty-of-People! There were some rather unfortunate looking dudes as well, but there were in fact some handsome men who were using the site.      

A small burst of excitement tickled her stomach. With such a large pool of men, it
had
to be easier to find a good match. Plus, these men couldn’t charm her with seductive smiles, deep voices and sweet kisses, all those tactics that made her feel safe and cared for without them ever making a true effort. They would have to get to know her and her them. They would have to intrigue her mind, speak to her dreams and her heart, before anything physical was brought into the mix.

Then again, most of these men could just be lying, creating profiles full of false information, misrepresenting themselves and writing her what she wanted to hear just to get some. They were still men, after all, and it was much easier to lie when you weren’t face to face with a person.
Why bother?
Veronica stabbed the computer’s power button with her finger, stood up from the desk and shuffled back to the living room couch where a box of tissues and a box of chocolate chunk cookies awaited her.

 
Two

Friday afternoon, Veronica sat at her desk in the law office of Druthers & Kokkinos doing research for an upcoming immigration case. She was employed by the latter of the law partners, a swarthy woman named Aletia “Ally” Kokkinos with a commanding voice but a sweet disposition. Ms. Kokkinos’s second legal assistant, Carmen Thomas, a mousy redhead who could be easily confused for a tenth grader wearing a business suit, stopped by Veronica’s desk. “Hey, Carmen. What’s up?”

“I finally finished drafting some subpoenas. You know how I
love
writing up subpoenas. Gag. Thought I’d take a break, see how you’ve been doing, and gossip a little.”

“Gossip?” Veronica wiggled her eyebrows. “
Dime
,
por favor
.”

“Later. Let’s talk about you first. Seriously. How are you feeling today? Better?”

Veronica tossed her pen to the side. “No. Still fighting with my stupid thoughts and my even dumber heart.”

“Don’t say that. You’re not stupid. It’s natural to think about someone you care about.”

“I’m tired of caring, you know?”

“Yeah, I feel ya. Time, plus a new cutie, will heal your wounds.”

She laughed at her coworker’s suggestion. “Know any cuties I could borrow?”

“All the cuties I know are beach bums and surfers. You don’t swim, so...”

“You’re right, me and the ocean had a falling out back in ‘98.”

Carmen chuckled. “Speaking of falling out,” she leaned closer and lowered her voice to a whisper, “Boss Lady got dumped by her girlfriend last night.”

“Oh no. Really? They’ve been partners for years.”

“Three years.”

“Damn. I think our office got cursed by an opposing counsel or something. Do you know what happened?”

“Nope, but I’d love to know the details. That’s why I was thinking we should all go out tonight, drink, forget about our troubles, forget about men—In Ally’s case, forget about women.”

“Sounds tempting.”

“Drinks are on me,” Carmen offered.

“Then count me in.”

“What are you two worker bees buzzing about?” their boss bellowed as she stepped out of her office, a permanent wrinkle set between her perfect dark brows.     

Veronica smiled. “Ms. Kokkinos, we were discussing a company outing tonight involving the three of us showing support to our local business owners, the owners of clubs, bars, pubs, and other establishments of that nature.”

Ally Kokkinos folded her hands behind her back. “You mean you were discussing getting shitfaced?”

“Yes, ma’am,” said Carmen. “And I’m willing to pick up the tab.”

Ally smirked. “Allow me to take care of the tab instead and you can count me in.”

Both Veronica and Carmen clapped and whistled while their boss casually walked back into her office and closed the door.

Carmen squealed. “Veronica, I have a feeling tonight is going to be epic!”

***

Ugghhhh. Where am I?

Veronica peered at her surrounding through the slits of her heavy eyelids. The room was so bright and the comforter was a bright white and soft as a cloud. She let her eyes close again.
This definitely isn’t my bed. But, mmm, it’s so comfortable.
Veronica attempted to shift her head on the down pillow.
Did I roll down a flight of stairs last night? I think my brain is swollen. I should maybe go to the hospital, I think.

“Do you like your eggs fried or scrambled, Nica?” asked a familiar voice.

Veronica shot up and her eyes became saucers. “Oh my God!” She immediately grimaced and cupped her temples. “Owww, my
head
.”

Ally burst out laughing, standing in the doorway. “Relax. You can’t catch gay just by sleeping in a lesbian’s bed.”

Veronica averted her eyes from Ally’s sleepwear, a silky black tank and matching shorts. “I-I’m sorry, Ms. Kokkinos. I thought something happened. But nothing happened. Right?”

“Well...”

“No, no, no,” she said in a panic, “Tell me we didn’t.”

“We didn’t make out or anything like that. You’re the one that snuggled up to
me
while you were asleep. You were like a rabid koala bear. I couldn’t get you off of me.”

“This is so
embarrassing
.”

Aletia chuckled. “It’s
okay
. We’re friends. Completely platonic friends. And you work for me.” She smiled. “I would never cross that line, no matter how beautiful you are. So, how do you like your eggs?”

Veronica’s face was scorched with a blush. Then she felt the acid in her stomach begin to roil. “Thanks, but I’m not sure I can keep anything down.”

“Alright. We’ll see. Brunch will be ready soon. I set everything up for you in the bathroom. Toothbrush, aspirins, etcetera.”

“Thank you.”

Her boss nodded and returned to the kitchen.

Veronica sat in bed for a minute, going over the foggy snippets of last night in her mind: pulsing music, a smoky lounge with shiny furniture, all three women shimmying in glittery dresses, Carmen getting carded, empty shot glasses and chewed wedges of lemon, Carmen getting carded again, the contents of her purse spilled across a sticky bathroom floor, someone’s scratchy beard rubbing her cheek, pungent cologne and a gold chain, Carmen dragging her by the arm across the dance floor, stumbling in high heels, darkness. She didn’t remember how she got to Ally’s house at all. There was no way her friends let her drive drunk. Where did she leave her car? Her head hurt even worse trying to remember.

She eased her achy limbs out of the bed and realized that her thong was twisted up and jammed into a place she feared she may need tweezers to extract them from. She waddled to the bathroom and freshened up but she still felt like a mess walking around fresh-faced in a hoochie dress in the middle of the day. Squinting, Veronica tiptoed barefoot up to the kitchen island in Ally’s high-rise condo. Because she felt out of place and indecently dressed in her employer’s home, she seated herself as quietly as she could on the stool and wrapped her arms over her chest. The two plates of food on the counter looked appetizing. Scones, strawberries, bacon, and soon eggs. “You’re house is gorgeous.”

“Thank you.”

Veronica glanced around at the décor. The brown and white spotted cowhide couch looked very chic. She’d expected to see her diminutive colleague curled up on it. “Where’s Carmen?”

Ally turned away from the stove holding the sauté pan of soft scrambled eggs. She scooped some into each plate with the spatula. “She ran into some old college friends while we were out last night. She sent me a text message this morning that she was safe. Hung-over, but safe at home.”

“Thanks for breakfast, Ms. Kokkinos.”

“Please don’t call me that in my own house.”

Veronica chuckled. “Sorry.”

Ally took the seat next to her. They ate in silence for a while, until Ally noticed that Veronica was doing surgery on her strawberries. Veronica was cutting them in half, scoring the flesh on the inside with the tip of the knife, and then scooping the tart center out and into her mouth with a spoon. Amused, Ally smiled, but there was a hint of sadness. “My ex, Michelle, didn’t like strawberries. She said she didn’t like the seeds on the outside. Guess she wasn’t crafty enough to use your method.”

“Figures my OCD would trigger my boss’s breakup flashbacks. I’m sorry, Ally.”

“It’s not your fault. She’s on my mind so that’s all I see.”

“Well, I hope you know you can talk to me about it.” Veronica knew Ally didn’t have a lot of close friends. Since the woman spent so much time working, she didn’t have time to maintain many relationships outside of her career. “I know all about relationships crashing and burning. I can wallow with you and start cryin’ in two seconds flat. Snot-nosed, wheezin’, the whole deal.”

“Ha! I appreciate that, but I haven’t been able to cry about it. I know it’s for the best.” She sipped her coffee.

“How so?”

Ally inhaled deeply. “Michelle told me that the reason she was leaving me was because after two years she never got over the feeling that she would never compare to Sasha. Michelle felt I was responsible for
allowing
her feel that way and she was tired of trying to ‘earn what should be given freely’. If I’d known I was making her feel so insecure I would have let her go a long time ago.”

Veronica nodded. “Do you still talk to Sasha?”

Ally improved her posture, held her shoulders broader. “Sasha passed away before I met Michelle.”

“I’m sorry for your loss, Ms., um, Ally.”

“Thanks. She was my first love. Maybe my last. I never guessed a Vietnamese girl with a crew cut would be the love of my life but she was, and I spent the best eight years of my life with her,” she smiled.

Veronica studied Ally’s expression, awed by the fact that Ally was able to smile when thinking of the love that she’d lost. The connection they had must have been something transcendent and beautiful. Veronica couldn’t say that her time with Quincy was the best years of her life. There were some good days, sure, but mostly there was the pain that Quincy caused her. “How did you two meet?”