So Different (24 page)

“Spicy Banana Pepper?” he said, looking at the yellow in her bathroom.

“Sunny Summer,” she said and smiled at him. “I had it gutted and rebuilt. It’s larger now, the older one was too small.” She followed him over to the tub, an overlarge white claw-footed one, huge shower head above it. He followed her out and down the hall, leading away from the kitchen.

“My bedroom is over there, and not renovated yet,” she said. He stuck his head in, noting that, indeed, it had not been renovated.

“Now for my favorite part of the house,” she said, and he followed her to what must be the back door and stepped out into a small porch. It was enclosed by large-paned windows that were open, allowing fresh air in. There was a collection of four mismatched chairs surrounding a large square-shaped wooden table.

“Nice,” he said.

“Thanks. It’s home. Nothing big, but I don’t need a lot, and it’s mine,” she said, shy all of a sudden. “Probably not what you’re used to, but…” She shrugged.

He reached for her hand. “I like it. I like what you’re doing to it, but maybe you should hire someone else to do it for you,” he said, laughing as she stuck out her tongue. He bent over to capture it before she pulled it back in. He pulled back a second later.

“Like your backyard,” he said, turned to look out the window. It was nothing fancy, just green grass and a few shrubs, a bird bath in the middle of it, and a bird feeder hung from the trees. He turned to her and watched her smile form. He liked that they were going to be more than bed partners and wondered now why he’d resisted so.

“I like it here, reminds me of my granny. We spent a lot of time out here. She used to needlepoint while I read,” she said, looking off in the distance.

They heard knocking on the door. “The estimate,” she said, turning and heading to the front. He watched her leave, those green cargo pants hanging off her slim hips, the smaller-than-required t-shirt she favored, and her boots, army style today, were unlaced. Her hair was wet; she’d used his gel, and her dyed blonde hair stood in spikes on her head. His heart stuttered.

* * *

“Where are we?” Adam asked, following Mariah to an apartment later that afternoon. He stood behind her as she knocked on the door of a first floor apartment. A well-tended plant sat in an urn next to the front door.

“These are a couple of friends of mine. I try and stop by on the weekends to check in with them,” she said by way of explanation.

They waited until a woman, small and dark haired, answered the door.

“Hey, Jocelyn,” Mariah said, walking in. “Hey, Caitlyn,” she said to the other woman that stood in the room. Both were blind.

“Hi,” they replied in unison.

“I brought a friend with me today. His name is Adam, he’s hanging out with me.”

“But not your boyfriend,” Caitlyn said, her smile sly.

“Cut it out, and no, he’s not my boyfriend,” Mariah said. “We can put him to work, though, if you guys don’t mind?”

“No, we don’t mind. Hi, Adam,” Jocelyn said shyly.

“Sure, Hi Adam, who’s not Mariah’s boyfriend,” Caitlyn said.

“Don’t pay Caitlyn any attention. She likes to harass me. What do you need for us to read?” Mariah asked.

“Mail,” Jocelyn said, moving over to the desk near the window. A stack of mail rested on it. Mariah picked it up.

“I’m going to make a cake. Can Adam help?” Caitlyn said, ever the man fan.

“Sure,” he replied.

“Okay, then, ” Mariah said, looking at him. “You mostly just read the cooking prep instructions to her while she types it into her Braillewriter. Caitlyn loves to cook, along with giving me a hard time.”

“I’m a good cook, too, Adam. Not at all like Mariah,” she said, smiling. Mariah walked over and fake pinched her. Caitlyn brushed her hand aside, smiling the whole while.

“Whatever,” Mariah said. “Some of us weren’t born with the cooking gene. Caitlyn was, and since she’s my friend, I’ll just eat her food.” Mariah looked over at Adam. “Why don’t we all work in the kitchen? Jocelyn and I’ll take the desk and Caitlyn and Adam can have the table. I’ll be around in case Adam messes something up,” she said with a smile in her voice.

“Have you noticed that your friend loves to be the boss?” Adam said, teasing now.

“Yes,” the two women said, and laughed at the noise Mariah made to them all.

He followed Mariah as she entered the kitchen and took a seat at a small desk built into the counter. Jocelyn took a seat in the chair next to the desk, head bent, listening as Mariah opened an envelope. “This is from the post office,” Mariah said, and began reading it out loud to Jocelyn.

Adam took a seat at the table opposite Caitlyn, her writer in front of her. “Thanks for reading those to me,” she said, giving him a smile. ‘I’m ready when you are. You just read the directions and I’ll type them in Braille, and I can read them when I’m ready to cook.”

“Okay, sure,” he said, picking up the first box. “Hamburger Helper Beef Stroganoff. What would you like me to read exactly?”

“Preparation instructions. I’ll take down what I need.”

“Okay. You will need one pound of beef, a half cup water, and sauce mix,” he said, watching as she typed. He waited until she finished and began reading the remaining instructions.

“Done,” she said five minutes later. “Now for the cake.” She handed the cake box to Adam, typing the instructions as he read them out to her.

When he was done, she asked him to check the expiration dates of the milk and juice, which he did, and there was this new cleaner underneath the sink, would he read the instructions to her from it? Afterward, they sat and talked for a while, listening to the voices of Mariah and Jocelyn as they talked about going to the grocery store next weekend.

“Usually Jocelyn and I take the bus. We don’t have much to buy, and Mariah takes us once a month for our big purchases. We used to call a cab, but Mariah offered and we could save the money for other things. She has to go shopping for herself and her brother anyway.”

“That’s cool,” Adam replied, looking at Mariah, who was standing up from the desk now.

“Can’t stay long today, girly girls, got the derby tonight. I’ll see you two next weekend. I’ll be here around seven, early, I know. Call if you need anything before then,” Mariah said, turning to Adam. “You ready to go?”

“Yes,” he said, standing up and following her out as they walked to the door. Caitlyn and Jocelyn trailing behind.

“One of your projects?” he asked when they were back in her car. Old and temperamental didn’t begin to describe her car.

“Friends,” she said, giving him an irritated look that showed she thought it was a stupid question. “Don’t listen to my brother. They are friends that I stop by to visit with once a week. It’s a chance for me to keep tabs on them. They were my students once. I like hanging with them when I can. Just reading mostly talking, or whatever else they need help with. It’s what friends do for each other.”

“I didn’t mean to offend you,” he said.

She shrugged. “I’m not. But they are perfectly capable of taking care of themselves. I just like to help and they allow me to.”

* * *

Last Saturday in July

Team Thunderstorm vs. Prissy Missies

Adam walked toward the Rail Yard. This was the final bout of the regular scheduled season. It should be an easy win for Thunderstorm. Then it was on to the playoff bout—a rematch with the Demented Divas. The first bout between the two teams had been one of the best he’d seen this season. Okay, ever, this being his first season and all.

He was meeting Mariah here. She was logging in some off-skate time. He had been pondering Mariah on the way over. He was impressed with what he knew of her so far, and was coming to like all the different sides he’d seen of her: the caregiver, the loving sister and friend who was fully committed to those she loved.

He found her as he entered the Rail Yard, pad in her hand, stamping the patrons that entered for tonight’s bout. She looked good enough to eat in a skirt and some type of shimmering top, as well as the ever-present boots. She smiled and his heart did that stuttering thing again.

* * *

August – first week

Adam parked and made his way to the front door of Joshua’s Place the following week. He was meeting Yvette here to introduce her to Mariah, who was working. He entered the restaurant and found Joshua standing behind the counter.

“Hey, Joshua,” Adam said, walking over to the counter. He looked around and spotted his sister in a booth, chatting it up with Mariah. So much for introductions.

“Hey, it’s the dentist,” Joshua said, recognizing Adam’s voice. “Your sister is here, and she is one talkative woman.”

“She always has been,” Adam said.

“Feel free to go on over. I’m on duty at the cash register.”

“Sure. I’ll see you later,” he said, heading toward Yvette’s table. He noticed the number of people eating and talking. It was crowded here most days after work. Jacob’s home cooking was popular. By the time he sat down, Mariah had moved on to another table.

“It’s about time you got here. I met your Mariah,” she said, like she was five again, teasing him about a girl.

“She’s a friend,” he said, pulling out a chair and taking a seat.

“Well, I like her. I’m with Dad on this one. You should think about keeping her.”

He looked around and spotted Mariah taking orders from a table filled with four men. She smiled, laughing at something one of them had said to her. He noticed the interested look in one of the men’s eyes as his gaze lingered on her.

“Hello,” Yvette said, waving her hand in front of his face.

He grabbed his menu. A few minutes later Mariah walked over to greet him.

“Hey, you made it. I’ve met your sister,” she said.

“So I’ve heard.”

“What do you want?” she asked.

“The special,” he said.

“Me, too,” Yvette said, giving her menu to Mariah. “So your brother owns this place?”

“Yes.”

“I didn’t now that was possible.”

“He was enrolled in a sixteen-month training course via this agency, BET, the Business Enterprise of Texas. It’s a food management program that teaches and locates jobs for Texans who are blind.

“Joshua had to attend a bunch of classes on restaurant management, whether of a small snack shop or a full service cafeteria, everything from accounting, inventory, ordering food, hiring employees. Once he was done with training, he was placed at a small cafeteria in Austin, south of town, to manage and gain experience. He was there for two years before deciding to go into business for himself. The goal of rehabilitation has always been to allow the blind to live a life of their choosing, just like the sighted.”

“With your help?” Yvette said.

Mariah shrugged. “He and Jacob do most of the work. I mostly fill in where needed,” she said, looking around. “I’ll be back in a second.”

“What a nice woman. I like her hair color, too. Blue, right?” she asked Adam.

He laughed at that. “She is nice,” he said, looking at her, now standing at another table. It seemed like the customer was giving her a difficult time about something. He noticed her shift to her right hip, a sure sign that she was getting irritated. Next would be the arms crossed at her chest; yep, there they went. He smiled. Mariah titled her head to the side while the woman continued to talk. Another three minutes and the woman was done. He watched as Mariah turned away, rolling her eyes.

She glanced over at him mid-eye roll, catching his smile. She smiled, shook her head, and went through the doors leading to the kitchen.

“So are you getting serious with her?”

“Nope. We’re just friends.”

“You talked to her, though. You must have. Were you honest with her about what you wanted?”

“Yes.”

“So no more Tuesday and Thursday, cause today it’s Wednesday and here you are.”

“You don’t miss much, do you?” he said.

“You like her. I can tell, and as more than friends, but I’ll let you get used to the idea first,” she said.

Mariah eventually delivered their food. He and Yvette ate and talked, bringing each other up to date on their lives. Yvette left about an hour later while he remained behind, sitting at his table and surfing on his laptop, waiting for Mariah. He watched her as she talked with her customers, surprised that she was so well liked. He watched that one guy try to talk to her as he made his way to the door.

She was interesting, different, and he compared her to his ex and to the ideal he held in his head, something he’d started to do more frequently. Jamie had given the appearance of beauty and goodness. Mariah didn’t, but was turning out to be filled with it, hidden underneath her personality, her hair, and tattoos.

* * *

Second week in August

Adam woke up to quiet and looked over to the empty spot in the bed next to him. He was at Mariah’s again. He had gone by the restaurant last night after work and had dinner there. It was his new place to eat, healthier than the Taco Post. He’d waited around for her, had helped her clean up, and ended up here; most times it was where they ended up. Two weeks of being here and it seemed like they’d flown past friendship. He had, anyway, and she seemed to be content with the change, too.

He pulled on his jeans and went in search of her. He padded down the hall to the kitchen, stuck his head in; no sign of her. He wasn’t surprised. Mariah didn’t cook much; mostly she ate at her brother’s place. She spent most of her time there, he’d learned, looking out for her big brother. He looked over at the large space that was not a living room and not a bedroom.

She told him she was going to have to replenish her savings to her comfort level before she undertook any other projects, so she’d have to live with the hole for a while.

He turned and walked down the hall to the porch, opened the door, and caught her sitting in an old rocker, her old granny’s chair, her feet up, a book in one hand, a container of Chinese food in the other, leftovers from an unexpected evening in.

His stomach rumbled. She looked up and smiled, dressed in a t-shirt and those boy’s underwear he loved so much, legs free and feet bare. Her hair was auburn this week, actually had been for a while.