My eyes flash subconsciously down at my sneakers in embarrassment.
“Well, for a time being anyway. I’ll get you some scoops,” Maria says softly, a hand cupping Dom’s cheek before bustling off. It’s such a maternal gesture it warms my heart immediately, making me forget all about shoes. This woman wouldn’t judge a hair on my head. Then her words hit me,a time being?I must have a puzzled look on my face because Dominic tugs on my hand for us to sit at a booth in the back, his palm warm against my skin. As we sit down across from each other in the plush red leather booth his hand lets go of mine, leaving my skin chilledwith the lack of contact. I glance around, taking in the retro Americana aesthetic.
“So, I guess I’ll explain then,” Dominic says, averting his eyes from mine and scratching the back of his head.
My eyebrows draw together in a frown. “You don’t have to explain anything, Dom. If you don’t want to, you know.” He lifts his gaze to mine and I see something vulnerable there, something very delicate and brittle that I know he protects dearly.
You don’t have to, but I want you too. Let me in.
I hold my breath, letting him open up if he wants to. I know it’s selfish, wanting him to share when I can’t tell him my whole truth, but I can’t help myself.
“I guess it started with my parents. My biological parents that is.” He winces, his gaze hanging on the shoppe window. “They were very into drugs and not very into parenting so my sister and I were put into foster care early on. I was about six and my sister around four I think, give or take a few years. I’m not entirely sure.” He shakes his head like he’s trying to rid himself of an unpleasant memory, as if his brain were an Etch A Sketch and one good shake will clean the slate. “We were separated for the majority of our time in foster care, but never too far from each other. In and out of different homes. I was with Maria for a few years but she had lots of other foster kids.” A small smile appears swiftly and disappears just as fast. “Here, look.” Dominic ducks under the table and I’m suddenly looking at an empty seat across from me. I feel a tap on my knee and I duck my head too, Dominic’s half smile waiting for me under the tabletop.
“May I?” he asks, holding his palm upwards. I put my hand in his without hesitation. His large palm envelops mine, guiding my fingertips to grooves indented under the table.
“Does it say Dominic? Did you carve your name here?” I dip my head a little further, searching with my eyes and read “Dominic’s Spot” carved into the underside of the booth’s table in untidy scratches. We both pop our heads right side up and laughter bubbles out of me. The idea of this sullen, pessimistic, always clad in black man ever being a playful little boy, let alone one rebellious enough to carve his name into a booth, creates a funny picture in my mind.
“So, why this booth?” I ask as Maria comes over with two bowls, one with two scoops of charcoal black ice cream that’s placed in front of Dominic and a bowl in front of me.
“How did you know?” I ask Maria, perplexed. She just throws me a wink and walks away, a coy smile on her face.
“How did she know I love strawberry and vanilla? And what the hell is that?” I ask Dom, pointing with my spoon at his bowl, already digging into my own frozen bliss.
He chuckles and shrugs. “She just knows. But this here isThe Dominico.” I give him a wary look. “It’s squid ink in mint chocolate chip ice cream. Growing up in a foster home that ran an ice cream shoppe meant that I had to be creative so that I always got the flavour I wanted.”
He levels me with a look while licking the end of his spoon. The playfulness I was feeling turns warmer and I feel my skin begin to flush. His tongue darts out to lick a little bit of ice cream from the top of his full upper lip before slowly lifting his eyes to meet mine. I look away, unable to hold his gaze, feeling heat sizzle in my low belly. I clear my throat and take a big spoonful of my own ice cream, “Clever, Peggy. So, are you close at all with your sister?” I ask, hoisting another spoonful into my mouth, changing the subject before I melt faster than our ice cream.
Dominic’s bowl is scraped clean before he even answers. He folds his hands together on the tabletop and leans back into the padded seating, extending his legs and crossing them at theankle. The movement has his leg brushing against mine. I fight off a little chill that zips up my spine at the contact.
“I wouldn’t say close. Once we were old enough to get cell phones we exchanged numbers. Every now and then we send ‘are you alive’texts or Merry Christmas, or whatever. But we definitely don’t have a sibling bond or anything,” he says dismissively.
“I always wanted a sister,” I blurt out. I bite my lip at my admission and notice Dominic catching the movement before meeting my eyes again. I peddle on, “Just having someone always there, to lean on I guess.” I finish my ice cream and prop my chin in my hands.
“Yeah.” Dominic sighs. “Me too.”
My heart drops. Well that was the stupidest thing to say. He just opened up about his estranged sister and here I am rubbing it in.
“I’m sorry! I didn’t mean?—”
“I understand,” he says easily, his eyes meeting mine with warmth. Suddenly I can’t think of a single right thing to say, or do, or… I can’t even look away. Luckily, Dominic moves to collect our dishes. He meanders behind the counter and to a back room where I hear him saying goodnight to Maria and promising he’ll come by more often. I hear my name softly whispered but I can’t hear what is said after. I grab my purse from the booth and make my way to the display case housing all the tubs of different flavours.
Rocky Road, Bubblegum, Cookie Dough…The Dominico.
He wasn’t kidding.
I giggle a little at the beautiful small calligraphy sign in front of the tub featuring pitch black ice cream. How fitting.
“You ready, Hoot?” I hear Dominic’s voice from behind me, the warmth of his breath tickling my bare shoulder. That sensation of playfulness replaced by simmering tension sends awave of goosebumps across my flesh. I turn my head to look at him from over my shoulder and give him a small smile and a nod. Maria comes out wiping her hands on a dish cloth and walks us out, smiling the whole way.
“Please come back anytime, Celestina. You are always welcome,” Maria says. Before I can return the sentiment, she pulls me into what can only be classified as one of the world’s best hugs. Once she releases me, she repeats the same to Dominic but with a bit of a tighter squeeze, if his wheezing is any indication.
As we step outside, I look up to see a deep navy hue, as if someone spilled a bottle of ink across the sky. We’re far enough away from the big city to see stars and I take a moment to soak in the sight. The lights of the ice cream shoppe flicker before shutting off, indicating Maria has closed it for the night, blanketing Dominic and me in darkness. The stars twinkle a little brighter in the absence of the fluorescents.
“They’re beautiful, aren’t they?” I murmur wistfully, my head tilted all the way back to look straight up at our galaxy.
“Stunning.” Dominic’s voice is soft, but unwavering all at once. I swivel my head from the sky to catch him looking directly back at me. There’s some emotion on his face I can’t quite register in the darkness.
“I know you’re a strong, independent woman Hoot, and probably have excellent night vision, but I wouldn’t feel comfortable letting you walk back to your car alone.”
