Manhattan Dreaming (20 page)

‘It means two wings of the same bird, because Cuba and Puerto Rico shared the same history under Spanish colonial rule.'

‘Really? That's interesting.' I sipped on my drink as he walked off to serve another customer.

Vikki grabbed me by the arm and whispered in my ear, ‘Remember the hierarchy, Lauren.'

‘What?'

‘Don't flirt with waiters.' Vikki was giving me an order.

‘What? I wasn't flirting. I was talking. I'm not allowed to talk to anyone any more?'

‘He was whispering in your ear, that's flirting.'

‘It's loud in here – no-one can hear anything. He wasn't flirting.'

‘
I'm
not whispering in your ear, and
nor
do I have my hand on your back. Trust me, he was flirting.'

‘You're being ridiculous.'

We looked over to Kirsten and could see the guy pushing hair out of her face.

‘Now, that's flirting!' I said.

‘He may just get an audience with her birthday knickers,' Vikki said, sipping long on her cocktail and winking at me at the same time.

‘I'm excited,' I said to Wyatt as we watched the artists setting up their stalls. It was the first Saturday in October and the art market was due to open at 10 am. The markets were one of the flagships of the NMAI, providing locals the opportunity to meet Native artists from across the Americas, while giving creators the opportunity to showcase their arts and crafts.

‘I'm just hoping it all goes smoothly,' Wyatt said, scanning the Diker Pavilion. I looked too as Choctaw, Navajo, Cree, San Felipe Pueblo and other artists started to lay out their finest works – both traditional and contemporary. There were paintings and prints, sculptures, traditional beadwork, baskets and my favourite, jewellery.

‘Well, here come the visitors already, right on ten, so I think that's a good sign for a successful day.' I was about to walk off when Wyatt gently took my arm.

‘I just want to thank you for all your help these past few days,' he said.

‘Oh, don't thank me. It was great for me to speak to the artists, even if it was just confirming their space allocations and so on. Now I can meet them and it will be easier to talk.'

‘No, really, it was a relief to be able to give you that list of calls to make. I get a bit anxious about checking and double-checking details so I was relieved to be able just to give you the list and know it was done.' Wyatt smiled a thank you and I could see the same anxiety in his eyes that I often felt. We worked well as a team, having the same notions of how things
should
be done. His phone rang.

‘I've gotta take this. Why don't you go have some fun!'

He didn't have to tell me twice. I walked to the nearest stall and tried on a silver and turquoise bracelet and knew immediately I had to have it.

‘That's yours,' the artist stallholder said.

‘It feels perfect.'

‘I must have made it for you.'

‘I'm Lauren Lucas, from the Wiradjuri Aboriginal nation in Australia. I'm working here for a year.'

‘I know, I read about you in the magazine. I'm Nate, I'm Navajo.' Nate was over six foot tall and tanned with dark brown eyes and jet black hair to his shoulders. He wore thin titanium-framed glasses and he had a cute dimple on the left of his mouth.

‘I'd like to take this, and can I have these, too?' I picked up two almost identical chokers that I could give to Libby and Emma for Christmas.

‘I tell you what, the cuff is yours, from me, a welcome to Turtle Island, or North America as people call it today. You should wear it now, and I'll wrap the chokers for you.'

‘No, I can't, really.'

‘This is our way.'

It was our way as well, to give a gift to a visitor, and to argue would be rude.

‘Just make sure the clasp is done up properly,' Nate said, and turned my wrist over, holding my hand gently in his own.

‘Are you all right?' I asked, not sure what he was doing.

‘Didn't you feel that?'

‘Feel what?'

‘I felt something – maybe an electric shock.'

I giggled like a schoolgirl. Nate was flirting with me. This was New York City and I shouldn't have been surprised – men here really were more forward than back home.

A child came and grabbed Nate by his shirt. ‘Hey mister, how much for this?' She held a little doll dressed in full regalia.

‘Lauren, we should talk,' Nate whispered as I pulled my wrist from his grasp.

‘I've got to check out the other stalls,' I said as I walked off.

At the end of the market day Wyatt and I went with many of the stallholders to the White Horse Tavern for a drink, and Nate never left my side.

‘I have tickets to a show next Saturday, on Broadway – it's something I like to do whenever I get to New York. Would you like to come? It's got rave reviews.' He handed me a flyer to
August: Osage County.

‘Yes, I've heard about it. Everyone's saying it's the next
Cat on a Hot Tin Roof
.'

‘I was taking my cousin whom I'm staying with, but he's got to go out of town now. So there's a spare ticket if you'd like to come with me.'

I really wanted to see the play, so said, ‘Sure, I'd love to.'

‘What's going on?' Wyatt asked, sitting down next to me and looking at the flyer in my hand.

‘Lauren's going on a date with me,' Nate told him.

‘We're just going to see a play, that's all,' and I handed Wyatt the piece of paper.

‘I've seen it, it's great. You'll enjoy it,' he said, then turned to Nate. ‘And you take care of our sister here all right, or you'll have me to answer to.'

‘What? You playing big brother, are you?'

‘Someone needs to keep an eye out for the innocents from down under.' Wyatt threw me a grin.

‘Thank you for the theatre excursion, Nate, and thank you for the protection, Wyatt – I feel well taken care of.'

We all left the bar at the same time and Nate gave me an awkward kiss on the cheek. Every day that week he texted or emailed me. He knew that I was too busy during the day to talk and I guessed that perhaps Wyatt had told him I wasn't really looking for anything while in New York. But I remembered Wyatt's words. ‘If a man wants to pursue you, he will.' I couldn't help feeling flattered.

‘Wyatt?' I asked around the desk partition.

‘Lauren?' He smiled.

‘Can I ask you for some manly advice?'

He came cruising around on his chair and I told him about the text messages and Nate's persistence.

‘Well, what do you want from this situation? He's only here a week.'

‘To be honest, I don't want to be excited about seeing him on Saturday because I feel guilty about Adam, but it's really hard not to be impressed by a good-looking artist who makes jewellery and goes to the theatre and is, let's face it, pretty hot.' I expected Wyatt to agree with me on all those fronts but he didn't.

‘I guess I look at him differently to you, like a colleague, and a cousin of sorts too. He's a nice guy, but I thought you weren't interested in dating here?'

‘I'm not – it's just that I never thought I'd be interested in anyone other than Adam. Maybe I'm just lonely.'

‘In New York you can go on a date and there's no obligation.'

‘You're right, I'll just go and enjoy the play. Thanks for listening.' I held out my jar of M&Ms for him to take a handful. I always had something sweet on my desk.

I was nervous as I emerged from the subway and walked north to West 45th Street, then east towards Broadway. I was learning how to find my way around the city now but at night it was still daunting.

I was looking forward to seeing
August: Osage County
because the reviews touted it as a dark comedy. I stood outside the Music Box Theatre waiting for Nate to arrive. I really hadn't learned to be fashionably late. Back home I was always early because I was so desperate to break down myths about Aboriginal people being on ‘Koori Time'. I took a moment to look at all the other theatregoers, and then saw Nate sauntering towards me looking very cool in black jeans, a T-shirt and jacket. He was clean-shaven and smelled good as he leaned in and gave me a peck on the cheek.

We laughed our heads off during the play and afterwards Nate took me to the Pigalle Brasserie near 8th Avenue and 48th Street for a drink. It was a large, loud and busy French place and I loved it. Nate knew how to entertain himself in New York. I treated myself to a martini and then decided I needed something sweet – after all, the French did great desserts. I fell in love with the mousse aux deux chocolats which translated into delicious layers of dark and white chocolate mousse with fresh orange sauce. As I studied my dessert Nate started to dissect the play.

‘I can relate to the dysfunctionalism of that family,' he said. ‘We've had suicides from depression and drug abuse.'

‘I've had similar things in my extended family, too. Right now, though, my brother's in jail and that causes no end of worry. I felt bad about leaving Australia while Nick is still there but he'll be out soon.'

‘It's funny that the things Indigenous people have in common are often the negatives – don't you think?' Nate said.

‘Some of them are, but that play showed that
every
family is pretty much dysfunctional, there are just different levels of it.'

‘Yeah, you're right, and in some ways it made
my
family look normal.'

We both laughed.

‘Whatever
normal
is,' I said, looking at my watch. ‘We should probably head off.'

‘I'll see you home, Lauren,' Nate said, ushering me into a cab.

Was he being chivalrous or inviting himself back to my place? I was nervous and excited and pleased all at the same time. But I had no intention of sleeping with him. We came out of the subway on my corner, still talking about the play, and Nate walked me home and up my five flights of stairs. Knowing that Kirsten was away, and that maybe Vikki mightn't have been home, I didn't really want to invite him in.

‘I think we need to say goodnight here, Nate.'

‘You do?' he said, surprised, putting one arm against the door and one on my waist.

‘Um, yes, my flatmate is probably asleep and has to get up early for a film shoot –' Without letting me say anything else, he kissed me, so slowly and gently I couldn't help but melt. I pulled him close and kissed him back as he pushed me up against the door. I moaned and he held me tighter and then a door slammed down the hall, breaking the moment. What was I doing? I still had feelings for Adam, this was crazy. It would only cause me more confusion, and mess with Nate at the same time. A river of guilt ran through me as Nate leaned in to kiss me again.

‘I'm sorry,' I whispered, ‘but you can't stay. I don't have one-night stands, Nate, this isn't my style.' I didn't want to lead him on at all.

‘Whatever you want, Lauren,' he said, and then kissed me again. I pushed him away immediately, feeling like I had betrayed my true self.

‘Good night, Nate.'

‘Good night, Lauren.' He smiled and walked back downstairs. When he was two flights down I went into the flat and collapsed onto my bed. I looked at my laptop and hesitated before I logged on, but I couldn't help myself. I just had to know what Adam was up to.

He'd changed his profile photo again to a new action shot, and his song was ‘Start Me Up'. I imagined Adam moving around his house like Mick Jagger, trying to impress one of the bimbos from his page. I was sure he wouldn't be feeling any rushes of guilt about me. I turned the computer off and looked at my mobile, wondering if I should text Nate. But while I regretted sending Nate away, I still wasn't the booty-call kind of girl. I went to sleep remembering words of wisdom Denise had shared with me one night: ‘Never regret NOT doing it.'