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Once it was seven AM, I dashed to the bodega a few blocks down and requested for their most unripe stash. The owner looked at me like I was crazy, but she found one and handed it to me. I actually ate the whole thing when I got home, and of course, it bothered my stomach for a while.
Oh goodness. Is this what pregnant women go through?
Now, I’m walking past this café on the next street and the smell of milky cappuccino stokes my senses. Okay, I have to have that. Thank goodness I have some change in my hoodie pocket.
It’s a cool Saturday evening and there are just a few people sitting at the café. There’s literally no line at the counter, so I quickly place my order for two large cups of decaf. I have to start enjoying coffee without caffeine now because I have a tiny person to worry about.
The barista is pouring foam over my cup and making concentric love circles when my eyes wander too far.
Oh.
My.
Goodness.
Am I dreaming? I must be sleep-walking.
Right in front of me, at the far end of the café, is Victoria Mendoza.
She’s wearing a black trench coat for the first time ever, and she’s engaged in a passionate kiss. With a woman. A lovely blonde wearing another black trench coat. I’ve seen kissing but this is a discovery. This is the true definition of a French kiss, where there are no holds barred on tongue action.
This can’t be appropriate in public, but no one seems to care since there are no kids around.
What were the chances that of all cafes in New York where Victoria and her lady could be spending the weekend, it had to be this one? Just a street away from my home.
The realization dawns on me.
Maybe Harrison wasn’t lying when he said he wasn’t sleeping with Victoria. She’s obviously into women, or is she into women and men? I don’t know, but the way she’s passionately holding the other woman’s neck and head with both her hands and making love to her tongue tells me all I need to know. Victoria is very much in charge of that kiss, exerting control and working the pace while the other woman clings to her for dear life, taking all she has to offer.
Snapping out of the open-mouthed trance, I quickly spin on my heels and face the other way. I don’t want her to see me. This would be the most awkward run-in of the year.
“Uh, sorry, is my coffee almost ready? I have to leave right now,” I say to the barista, fishing for change in my pocket before she even rings me up.
If I grab my cups now, I can escape before Victoria’s done with her kiss and notices me here.
“That would be six dollars and seventy-five…”
“Don’t worry, you can put it on my tab,” a voice says from behind me, and I turn to find Victoria watching me, hands in her coat pockets and a knowing smile on her face.
Forcing a smile on my own, I grab my paper tray from the barista.
“Hey, Victoria! It’s so great to see you! Thanks for the coffee,” My voice sounds a little higher than normal and my eyes fixate on her lips. They are bare of lipstick and gloss, looking red and almost sore.
Victoria laughs at my attempt to pretend.
“It’s okay, Charlee. I saw you before you even walked in here. How are you doing?”
We exchange pleasantries and surprisingly, Victoria is nice and the air around us is not awkward. She seems very comfortable and happy in her space and I genuinely love that for her. She looks so… free and content, at peace in her tiny bubble of reciprocated love. She calls out to her partner, Joselyn, and the lady turns to me and waves with a heartily kind smile. I wave back, and I’m not sure what’s happening.
Victoria walks with me and we step outside. I’m ready to walk back home, but she looks like she has something else to say.
“Hey, uh, Charlee, I don’t mean to be intrusive, but can we talk about something a little personal?” she says, flattening her lips into a line.
I already have a pretty good idea of what she wants to say, but I still shrug and fold my free arm under my chest.
“Charlee, I know it’s your personal business but I gotta speak up. I know about you and Harrison. He’s my long-time friend, and even though he didn’t explicitly tell me, I’ve noticed. Heck, some other people at work might have also noticed. I see how you two stare at each other like there’s nothing else in the world. The attraction is real and powerful. In a neutral world, it would be beautiful to experience.”
Victoria pauses and exhales, and I realize how tough this speech must be for her.
