“It doesn’t have to.”
Sarita blushed, which made me smile.
“Your brother was right, you’re a naughty girl.”
She made a rude remark in Spanish. I gave her a haughty look.
“I’m not that kind of boy! You’d need to, at the very least, take me somewhere for dinner and a conversation.”
“I know just where to take you,” Sarita announced.
◊◊◊
I appreciated that she took me off the beaten path. Fritz would have had a cow if he saw the neighborhood, but Paul just followed at a distance. Havana was in dire need of a major facelift. The city was slowly decaying due to a lack of funds to make much-needed repairs. To this point, I’d only seen the tourist areas, which were in better shape.
What it was, though, was clean. I also didn’t feel unsafe. Sarita and I did get some looks, but I got the feeling it was more that they didn’t know who I was. She took me to a jazz place that had a live band. I was impressed when we were whisked to a table on the edge of the dance floor.
“You must be somebody to get us this table,” I commented.
“You have no idea how lucky you are to be out on a date with me.”
“I’m starting to see that.”
I looked up to see a young man weave among the tables towards us. He carried himself with a smooth masculine grace and proprietary air. That told me who he was even before he stopped at our table and soundly thumped Sarita on the back. Without waiting for an introduction, her brother turned and gave me a grave look.
“You don’t know how happy my parents are going to be when they hear that my sister finally found a man. They’ve been after me to provide them with grandchildren because they’d lost all hope with Sarita.”
“It was the least I could do when she paid to get me out on bail,” I shot back.
“She never has had the best taste in men. Sarita always wanted the bad boys, but she was always so painfully shy she could never talk to them. It’s good she finally figured out a way to get one to notice her. I have to warn you, though, my sister is tightfisted. She’ll be getting into your pocket before the night is out.”
I liked this guy.
“Your brother, Luis, already warned me. That’s why I stashed some extra cash in my shoe. I might need it to grab a taxi home.”
“Good plan! I’ll have to remember that the next time she and I go out.”
“Are you two about done?” Sarita asked, acting put out.
“Paz,” he said, sticking out his hand.
“David,” I said as I shook it.
Paz pulled up a chair and joined us, to the dismay of his sister.
“So, you’re the famous movie star she’s been babbling about.”
“Paz!”
“He’s so handsome … Sarita Dawson sounds dreamy … he needs a good Cuban girl,” he said, mimicking his sister.
“I’d be careful. I know a girl who superglued her brother’s balls to his thigh while he was asleep,” I warned.
Sarita got an evil look, Paz gave her one of mock horror, and then both broke down laughing.
“I’d suggest the enchilado for dinner. If you two need anything, just let me know,” he said.
I pointed to Paul and made sure he was going to be taken cared of before he left us alone.
“How many brothers and sisters do you have?” I asked.
“Just Paz, who is the oldest, and then Luis, the baby of the family. How about you?”
“I have an older brother, Greg. He’s married and has three little ones. I have a little one myself; well, actually, two.”
Sarita looked confused.
“My ex-girlfriend is my nanny, and she has a little boy just a few months older than Coby. I consider Little David my son as well.”
“It’s good that I want a big family. You don’t have any other children, do you?” she asked.
“A psychic once told me I have five in total, but I figured he got my niece and nephews mixed up with mine. I think of them as mine sometimes. At least, that’s what I hope.”
“I want a big family, but you might already have too many.”
“Some days, I wonder, but then all I need is for one of them to crawl onto my lap, and I know I wouldn’t trade them for anything.”
It turned out that enchilado had nothing to do with Mexican enchiladas. It was a tangy fish stew made with shrimp. Enchilado was hands down the best Cuban dish I’d had since I got here.
After dinner, we talked and danced some more. This time it was slow, and I was able to hold her in my arms. Sarita was much shorter than I, so her head rested on my chest.
At the end of the night, we thanked Paz for a good time. He had a great place, and I planned to come back. We grabbed a cab, and she insisted that she drop me off at my hotel. I don’t think Sarita wanted me to see where she lived.
When we stopped to let me out, Sarita grabbed me and gave me a fierce kiss. I asked the driver for a piece of paper and wrote my number down on it so she could call me. I almost asked her to come up with me, but it didn’t feel right, even though I thought she might join me. Sarita was special; I really did enjoy her company and wanted to get to know her better before we became physical. It really had been a great first date.
◊◊◊ Monday May 23
Cassidy and Kimberly cornered me at breakfast.
“Rumor has it you have a new girlfriend,” Cassidy announced.
“Haven’t had one in over a year. I think the last official girlfriend was Harper, a year ago last spring,” I said. I rubbed my forehead to fend off the headache that was sure was to come on if this line of conversation continued.
“Why don’t you have a girlfriend?” Kimberly asked.
“He has this dumb rule where he only ‘dates’ girls. All his girlfriends call him a ‘stupid boy’ because he doesn’t realize that they’re his girlfriends. They let him believe that they’re ‘just dating.’” Of course, she had to include the air quotes.
“What do you mean, ‘girlfriends’? As in more than one?”
“Don’t get me started on how many he has. Let’s just say he has at least one for every day of the week,” Cassidy said, looking satisfied.
“I should go,” I decided.
“No, eat your breakfast,” Cassidy ordered, giving me her best ‘mom’ impression.
“Are you one of his girlfriends?” Kimberly asked.
“He wishes, but my dad won’t let me. Daddy says that David isn’t the right kind of guy for me.”
“He never said that,” I shot back.
She just waved her hand to dismiss me.
“What’s the difference between him dating someone and them being his girlfriend?” Kimberly asked.
“Oh, that’s easy. David gets all territorial with his girlfriends. He’s very protective of them. I don’t think he learned to share his toys when he was little,” Cassidy surmised.
Kimberly smiled.
“Does that mean I’m one of his girlfriends?”
Cassidy thought about it for a moment and nodded. WTF!
“Good!” Kimberly announced.
“Why, good?” I asked, confused.
“I can tell … uhm … someone that you and I are together, so he needs to back off,” Kimberly explained.
“If we’re talking about the same someone, then I would kick his ass if he tried anything with you. Feel free to let him know that if he’s confused, he can talk to me,” I said.
“Yep, you’re his girlfriend,” Cassidy said, and then focused on my date yesterday. “Tell me about your date.”
“I attended church with Sarita.”
They looked at each other and then back at me.
“He’s sometimes short on details,” Cassidy said. “I wish Gina were here. She can get him to talk. Though I can, too, if I decide to hurt him,” she threatened, eyeing me.