I laughed loud enough that the few customers in my shop turned to look at me.
“Well, I’m wearing a pink see-through negligée and 5 inch spike heels” I said seductively into the phone.
“You dork” Shae said over the phone. “Seriously, what are you wearing?”
“Why?” I asked.
“Because you’re going to have company today and I want to make sure you’re not wearing that skirt with the elephants on it and that fugly blue thing you call a sweater”
I looked down at the very outfit that Shae had just described.
“Company?” I asked, walking over to the racks that held women’s clothing.
“Mmhmmm....but I didn’t tell you. It’s supposed to be a surprise” she whispered and then giggled.
My heart started pounding and my palms started to get clammy as I pulled a long blue skirt and matching embroidered tunic from the rack. I took them behind the counter and cut the tags off, smiled and mouthed ‘thank you’ to the last customer leaving and sat down on the floor behind the counter.
“Tell me what’s going on” I said to Shae as I pulled off my favorite comfy skirt with elephants printed all over it.
“He came down this morning and was asking me all sorts of questions” she said. I could hear her smacking a was of chewing gum, something she did when she was nervous.
“Like what?” I asked, peering over the counter to make sure the coast was clear before pulling my sweater over my head and replacing it with the embroidered tunic.
“Like, weird stuff. He wanted to know if you like tomatoes and if you eat pork. He asked if you were allergic to anything. He was acting kind of weird.” she said with a laugh.
The bells over the door jingled and I froze. I peeked over the edge of the counter and saw Kevin standing just inside the doorway.
“He’s here” I whispered to Shae and hung up the phone. I stood up and his eyes met mine. He smiled brightly and waved.
“Surprise” he said, starting to walk towards me.
The instant he took his first step towards me I looked down and realized I hadn’t put on the skirt that matched the tunic and was standing there bottomless.
“Kevin!” I said, sliding a foot over and trying to reach the skirt that laid on the floor.
“I hope you don’t mind” he said, weaving his way through the displays of carved elephants and brass vases, slowly making his way closer to me. “I enjoyed last night so much that I wanted to do something special for you.
“That is so sweet” I said, finally getting one toe on the hem of the skirt and pulling it towards me. I picked it up with my toes, thankful that I had opted against shoes again and held it in my hand
“Hey look!” I said, pointing out the window. “Isn’t that Bob Dole?”
He turned to look and I quickly stepped into and pulled up the skirt. He turned back around and I casually leaned across the counter.
“India? Are you okay?” he asked.
“Mmhmmm” I replied, trying to act nonchalant. “Why?”
“You just seem kind of....I don’t know....jumpy, I guess” he answered, leaning across the opposite side of the counter so that he was right next to me. I laughed nervously and he leaned in to kiss me on the cheek. I blushed and turned away, smiling.
“I brought you lunch. I thought we’d have a picnic” he said, lifting a huge basked up onto the counter.
“A picnic?” I said, an unbelieving grin on my face. “Kevin, it’s supposed to snow today”
“I know” he said, walking back to the door and turning the sign so that it read ‘closed’.
He studied the door. “How do you lock this thing?”
I looked at him and smiled, amused by his unintentional charm and his take charge attitude. I opened the cash register and tossed him the key.
Once he’d locked us in he came back behind the counter and opened the huge basket. He pulled out a large plaid blanket and laid it out, covering the hardwood floor behind the counter. He pulled the basket down and sat on the floor with it between his legs and I sat down in front of him.
“Last night we ate food from your culture. Today, I want to share a little bit of my background with you” he said, smiling proudly.
He pulled two cobalt plates, napkins, forks and spoons from the basket and laid them carefully between us. He lifted a loaf of Rainbow bread and a bag of potato chips and laid them down, looking up at me and grinning. A jar of MiracleWhip and a head of lettuce was next, followed by a small package wrapped in butchers paper, which he carefully opened revealing several strips of crisply fried bacon.
“And now the piece de la resistance” he said, dramatically lifting four huge, beautiful red tomatoes from the basket.
“BLTs?” I asked, genuinely enjoying the moment and the prospect of something so simple as a bacon, lettuce and tomato sandwich.
He nodded and began constructing the sandwiches carefully. He watched as I took the first bite, closing my eyes and savoring the distinct flavors of salty bacon and sweet tomato.
“I do believe” I said after taking a second bite “that I am having a religious experience”
He fell back in a fit of laughter, clutching his sides. I laughed with him between huge bites of the delicious sandwich. He sat back up and stared at me for a moment before leaning across the food and kissing me softly on the lips. I kissed him back, my lips slightly parted, wanting to kiss him hard but savoring the softness of our first real kiss. He pulled away and smiled at me. Thinking back now, I realize there was a bit of sadness in his smile, but I was so taken by him and the kiss we had just shared that I didn’t notice.
We ate our sandwiches and drank rootbeer as he told me of his childhood and growing up in Kentucky. A gentle snow began to fall outside as we finished our picnic and we packed the dishes back into the basket. Kevin leaned against the wall behind the counter and I laid down, resting my head on his thigh. His eyes were closed and he had a smile of contentment on his face. I rolled my head to the side and looked up, spying again the tiny spider who had made her home beneath the counter.
I stared at her as she moved about her web, making tiny repairs to the delicate structure. She stopped for a moment and appeared to gaze back at me.
“O what a tangled web we weave, when first we practice to deceive.” I said quietly, the spider reminding me of an old saying my father had often repeated.
“What?” Kevin said, sitting up a bit and looking down at me, a bit of a startled look on his face.
“Nothing” I said, reaching up and smoothing the wrinkles that had formed on his forehead. I let my hand fall to rest on his arm and closed my eyes, enjoying the feeling of being close to the man who I was falling in love with. Kevin sat staring out the window, the lines of his furrowed brow growing deeper and deeper.