Chocolate Girls with Golden Hair (5 page)

"A while."

"And how long is that?"

"A while." Bianca paused. "So he wants
to meet me?" Bianca questioned. "Take me out?" Bianca just didn't
get it. Why would anyone want to take her out?

"Probably both," Michelle
answered.

Bianca didn't want to answer too
quickly and later change her mind. "Can I let you know?"

"Sure. You think about it."

Moments later, Bruce Colby cordially
entered the lunchroom, as if he just stepped from the front page of
In Style magazine. Wearing his expensive silver suspenders, he
looked like he owned the place, and his confident stride demanded
attention.

Bianca studied the handsome creature
before her and couldn't understand how a man with so much going for
him―senior partnership, good looks, power and a family, could fool
around so openly with his secretary.

"Hello, ladies," Bruce said as he
headed towards the ice machine.

Bianca returned his greeting while
Michelle looked the other way. Bruce was one of the few attorneys
who never valued himself above anyone else, regardless of his
position in the firm.

Bianca studied his masculine build and
mysteriously Camina's obsession with Bruce rang a bell that
resonated with her. Though Bianca had heard Camina boast about him
many times, it never hit her until now. For the first time, Bianca
realized the magnitude of Bruce's princely appearance. It was
almost unreal.

Bianca moved her mouth to Michelle's
ear and whispered, "Is your friend as cute as Bruce?"

Instead of Michelle answering the
question, she made a quick dash for the door. "I'll talk to you
later."

"Michelle," Bianca said as she followed
behind Michelle and quickly caught up to her. "Why do you always do
that? Run away every time Bruce enters the room."

"I don't always run away."

"Is that your answer?"'

"I just don't like him. That's
all."

"No kidding."

"He uses people. Okay? And he gets what
he wants more than he should."

"What does that mean?" Bianca asked
dumbfounded.

"I just want to kill him
sometimes."

That remark definitely seemed
exaggerated. "Why?"

"Never mind."

Before Bianca could utter another word,
Michelle was gone. Bianca didn't know when or how, but she resolved
to one day discover the source of this feud between Michelle and
Bruce. Something definitely lurked between them. Bianca just didn't
know what.

Bianca caught a glimpse of her cousin,
Stuart, as he came from the men's room. He had an air about him, a
buzzed air that disturbed her, and she couldn't help but notice.
That could mean only one thing: He was on that stuff again, stuff
meaning cocaine, once again, despite his promise to stay clean
while employed with the firm. Apparently it was true what people
said about drug users. Once a drug user, always a drug user. But
Bianca didn't want to be jaded. She liked to believe that people
could rehabilitate themselves with the proper motivation.
Obviously, Stuart was not properly motivated.

"Stuart," she said, giving him a glance
over. "How's it going?"

"Couldn't be better," he said. Just as
he was about to step away, Bianca stepped in front of him and very
calmly asked, "You're not on that stuff again, are you?"

Stuart didn't hesitate, didn't blink
and didn't wince. "No."

"Are you sure?"

"Of course I'm sure. Don't be silly."
He stuffed his hands into his pockets. As he disappeared from her
side, all she could think about was how she willingly, and with the
best intentions, inadvertently invited trouble into her work
place.

And she was already beginning to regret
it.

Bianca met with Dr. Kern for her Monday
afternoon session, and waited for him to settle himself into his
worn out recliner. She lay perfectly still on the sofa across from
him. Though Dr. Kern never suggested that she lie back on his sofa,
she was inclined to do so on her own. Since her last visit, she was
feeling empowered and much more in control of her life. For the
first time, she was making progress, which is what her visits to
his office were about. New experiences excited her, if only she
could experience some.

Her decision to make changes in her
life was just the beginning. As she lay on the sofa, Dr. Kern
seemed relaxed, but not a word uttered from his mouth. It was as if
he waited for her, giving her complete command of the session. She
turned to face him, perused his large Adam's apple and tiny eyes.
She expected him to begin by asking her some feeble question like
'how things were going,' but nothing.

With all of his attention on her, she
decided to go for it. "I think my friends look down on me, Dr.
Kern."

Silence as she waited for his response,
but nothing, just more silence.

"Did you hear what I just said?" she
asked.

Dr. Kern uncrossed his legs and asked,
"When did you come to this conclusion?"

"A few days ago."

"Did something happen?"

"Sort of," she said, then sat up. "I
was just thinking about how different I am from my friends. They
always have these exciting weekend plans, and all I do is paint,
watch movies and cry. Mostly cry."

"What about the drinking?"

"Oh, I do that, too."

Though Dr. Kern didn't say much, he was
famous for his blunt and sometimes callous remarks. He seemed to
study her, as if collecting his thoughts. "I take it this bothers
you that you're not like your friends?"

Bianca nodded. "It's been such a long
time since I have even had a date, much less a sex
life."

With that last remark about sex, Bianca
was certain that she would garner a response from Dr. Kern, but
nothing. Nothing she ever said seemed to stir any emotion from him.
He was as hard as her kitchen floor. Presumably, he had heard
everything and graduated past the stage of shock.

"Is that what this is about?" Dr. Kern
asked, "Sex?"

"It's about a lot of things. I just
don't fit in. I know I sound like a teenager, but ever since my
family died, I have turned into this terribly boring person, even
more so than before. I live a boring life."

She hoped for some type of disagreement
from Dr. Kern, but instead, he said nothing as if waiting for her
to continue.

With a slight smile, Bianca said, "I
think about changing, changing everything about myself."

"You mean doing things only your sister
would do?"

"That's exactly what I
mean."

This fantasy of hers would probably
never materialize, but it warmed her spirits just to even consider
it.

"We talked a little about this before,"
Dr. Kern said. "You don't think that would be a drastic
move?"

"Drastic is exactly what I want, Dr.
Kern. Drastic. My 1ife needs to be shaken up a bit. I need some
excitement which is exactly what's missing."

"And then what?" he asked very
calmly.

His question threw her for a spin and
her head dropped. "Excuse me?"

"I'm just wondering after you take on
this new persona, then what? What happens after that?"

It never crossed her mind what would
happen afterwards, mainly because she failed to explore the idea
that far into the future.

"I don't know," she said. "I guess I
won't know until it happens."

As excited as she was about the idea,
it frightened her just the same, but not enough to completely erase
the thought from her head.

Bianca enjoyed her periodic trips to
the art store where Lee worked. Lee was a successful entrepreneur
and co owner of a class-A art store called Pheneek. He had invested
his money religiously when he worked as a salesperson, and his hard
work and laser-beam focus had paid off big time.

Once Bianca seized a pack of paint
brushes and a set of neon watercolors from the shelf for her
Tuesday evening art class, she searched down the brightly lit aisle
for Lee. But he was nowhere in sight. Although Lee was co-owner of
the art store, he chose to work there as if he was a struggling
salesman, and Bianca always respected him for that.

Bianca reached the check-out point and
placed her items for purchase on the counter, and to her surprise,
she felt a presence behind her, leaning against her back. Upon
turning around, she saw that it was Lee.

"Hey, Sunshine," he said, then kissed
her cheek.

Flattered by his pet name for her, she
just didn't understand his interest in her. She was nothing like
her sister, the woman he was supposed to marry. Her sister was
exciting, beautiful and very feminine, whereas, she was dull and
plain looking to the nth degree. There was obviously something
there that Lee witnessed that she couldn't see.

"I was looking for you," Bianca said
with a warm smile.

"I know. I saw you when you came
in."

"Really? So you were watching me?
Checking me out?" she asked, flattered.

"Is that okay?"

"Well, it is your store."

Lee smiled and then instructed the
salesgirl at the register to take her break before stepping behind
the register. "Now, how can I help you?"

"Well, I did kind of like the way you
stood behind me. That was nice." It was just so easy for her to
flirt with him.

"Well, I'm sure I can do something
about that."

Bianca pulled her wallet from her purse
and said, "How is it that every time I reach this register, you're
always here?"

"Luck, I guess."

For as long as Bianca could remember,
Lee never once allowed her to pay for any of her supplies or
anything else in the store for that matter. Though it was a
grandiose gesture and much appreciated, Bianca didn't want to go
overboard with his kindness.

"This time I'm paying," she said. "I
insist."

As if she hadn't said a word, Lee
placed her supplies into a bag without charging her for
them.

"I'm serious, Lee." Bianca placed two
$20 bills on the counter.

"So am I."

Without taking his eyes off Bianca, he
placed the $20 bills inside the bag with her supplies. "Now, is
there anything else I can get for you?"

"How does your business partner feel
about you giving away the merchandise?"

"He's all for it."

She couldn't help but laugh. "Thank
you, Lee."

"You're welcome."

As much as she valued Lee's friendship,
she began to wonder if maybe continuing on like this with him was
setting herself up for more than she might be ready for. He was
obviously into her, but he was also her late sister's fiancé, and
for that reason alone, he would always be off limits.

Chapter 4

LEE AND BIANCA ALWAYS SAT together in
their Tuesday evening watercolor class. Not just because they were
friends, but also because Lee seemed to have a much better grasp of
the concepts than the instructor. The class was composed of eleven
students and one instructor, but Lee and Bianca hardly ever
socialized with anyone else, including the instructor. They
instructed each other. It was like their own private class that
they allowed others to attend.

It was nine o'clock when the class came
to an end. Bianca and Lee washed their paintbrushes, stripped off
their smocks and gathered their things to leave.

"You want to go grab some coffee?" Lee
asked.

"I didn't sleep well last night. I was
just going to go right home."

"Okay, we can talk on the way
out."

Though Bianca loved and admired Lee,
she mostly admired his acceptance of her decision not to pursue an
intimate relationship. He never tried to make her do anything she
didn't want to, an attribute she valued in any person.

Bianca and Lee traveled down Ontario
Street towards the parking lot where Lee left his silver SUV. It
was hard to believe that it was a weeknight the way so many people
jammed the streets as if it were Super Bowl Sunday. Many of them
still wore business attire while others wore jeans and after-five
wear.

Lee lived in the Gold Coast area
whereas Bianca resided on the north side, and they always rode
together in Lee's car, their Tuesday night ritual. When they passed
the famous Rock-in-Roll McDonald's, Bianca reached for her gloves
in her pocket as the temperature had dropped. The wind was blowing
straight through her. For moments on end, Lee's eyes casually
vacillated to and from her. He obviously had something that he
wanted to say. Although Lee never appeared to be the timid type,
somehow this evening was different.

After Lee shifted his attention towards
her and away from her for the fifth time, Bianca stopped in her
tracks. "Lee, is there something you want to say to me?"