Mystery Man

Well, well. What are the odds of running into the very person I am trying to get away from? It should be creepy, but I am flattered instead. I mean, check this guy out – he is gorgeous!

His dark chocolate skin glowed under the fluorescent lights in the lobby. His facial features are perfectly defined with such an impressive bone structure. He could even pass for a runway model.

He continues to smile at me with straight teeth that are whiter than white, and full, luscious, moisturized lips. This is a man who clearly looks after himself; plus, he smelled like new money – like freshly printed cash, straight out of the mint.

“I hope you’re impressed,” he says as he watches me checking him out.

“Do I know you?” I ask, squinting a little.

If he’s fishing for a compliment, he has come to the wrong person. I’m no longer in the business of massaging male egos.

“If you’re asking, it means you don’t,” he says, his bright smile still intact.

“Honestly, I find it very refreshing when I meet people who don’t recognize me,” he continues, “because it allows me to make a good first impression. My name is Samson Ewing. Everyone calls me Sam.”

He extends his right hand toward me. I shrug internally and accept the handshake. “Eunice Francis,” I reply.

His hand is soft, but his grip is firm. Something about his touch makes my body grow warm, and the sensation confuses me. I try to retrieve my hand, but he’s not ready to let go of it just yet.

“Pleased to meet you, Miss or Mrs. Francis?”

“Miss,” I reply with a smile. It feels odd referring to myself as a Miss.

I’ve been a Mrs. for nearly a decade, so this new title will take some getting used to. “You can call me Eunice,” I add.

“Lovely,” he says and finally releases my hand. “That’s not a very common name, but I like it.”

“Thank you,” I say almost shyly. I’m oddly pleased by his compliment.

“You seemed to be deep in thought when our eyes met back in there,” Sam says thoughtfully. “Is everything ok with you?”

I smile at him and say, “Of course.”

There’s no way I’m giving a total stranger any information about my personal life. “If you’ll excuse me, I have to get back to my friends.”

“I didn’t mean to be nosy,” Sam says quickly as if reading my thoughts. “I just didn’t want you to think that I was some kind of creep, staring at you out there like that. For some reason, I just couldn’t look away.”

I’m not all that, I think and roll my eyes internally. I may be cute, but I’m not knock-em-dead beautiful like Jessica or Nina.

Those are the women who make men stop in their tracks and gawk because of their ethereal beauty. I’m not in that category at all.

“It’s ok,” I say, trying to reassure him. “I don’t think you are a creep. It was nice meeting you though. Enjoy the rest of your day.”

I  begin to walk past him,m but I trip on my own foot and nearly fall face down, save for Sam reaching out just in time to catch me. He holds me around my mid-section, pulling me back on my feet while leaning over me.

“Are you ok?” He asks. His face is close to mine as he looks into my eyes to see if I am alright.

At this point, I’m speechless. I used to think Walter was the finest man I have ever laid eyes on, but his handsomeness paled in comparison to Sam’s.

My eyes stroll down Sam’s face until they land on his full, firm lips. On impulse, I lean forward and press my lips against his.

If my action surprises him, he doesn’t show it. He remains still for a few seconds before parting his lips to give me access, and I don’t hesitate to accept the invitation. He let me set the pace, and I kiss him ever so slowly, exactly the way I have always imagined I would kiss a –  

Wait, what?

I break the kiss immediately and push Sam off, as my sanity returns to me. What on earth was I doing? With a strange man for that matter?

“I – I’m sorry,” I stutter as I try to regain my composure.

I am so embarrassed, I can’t even look at his face. What will he think of me? Why did I even kiss him? What is wrong with me?

“You don’t have to apologize,” he says smoothly.

I can practically hear the smile in his voice. He must think I’m a groupie. Ugh!

“Oh my gosh, is that Sam Ewing?” Someone squeals behind me.

I turn around to see who it is,s and it’s the lady from the restroom. She’s staring at Sam with eyes that are so huge, it seems like they might fall out of her head.

“Guilty,” Sam responds with a patient smile.

“OMG! Please, I have to take a selfie with you!” The lady gasps dramatically. She’s hopping up and down like a little girl in a candy shop.

 I’m confused by her reaction to Sam,m but I don’t say anything. I don’t want to embarrass the poor girl who obviously knows Sam from somewhere.

“My girlfriends will never believe that I ran into you if I don’t have a picture to prove it. Please!” She begs Sam shamelessly. Her desperation worries me.

Sam shoots me an apologetic look and obliges the lady who appears to be close to tears by now. Despite the lady’s dramatic behavior, I’m thankful that she showed up when she did.

Her interruption is the perfect opportunity I need to flee the scene,ne and I slink away with the little shred of dignity I have left. So, while Sam and his “fan” begin to take selfies together, I hurry out of the lobby.

I get back into the restaurant to join my friends at our table. Our meals are already being served, and Nina has even started eating.

“What took you so long?” Hanifa asks me. “Were you doing number 2?”

“Ew, Hanifa. I’m eating!” Nina complains.

“Sorry,” Hanifa replies with a laugh.

“I don’t do number 2 in public bathrooms,” I say airily. “I was just retouching my makeup.”

“What makeup? You barely apply anything on your face, so what were you retouching?” Diana asks. “Tell us the truth. You went on a fart break, didn’t you?”

We all laugh. Diana is such a clown.

I’m not sure I want to tell them about my encounter with Sam just yet. I still need to process what happened back there in the lobby before I start talking about it.

I look across the room and notice that Sam’s companion isn’t there anymore. Will Sam come to our table once he’s able to get away from his selfie pal in the lobby?

If he shows up here, will I have to tell my friends about the kiss or should I leave that juicy detail for another time?

While I eat with my friends, I keep waiting for Sam to show up,p but he doesn’t. I feel disappointed by the time we finish eating, and Sam still hasn’t made an appearance at our table.

“Are you ok, sweetheart?”

Diana’s question brings me back from my daydreaming. I had zoned out at some point.

“Oh, yes. I’m fine,” I respond with a big smile. “The food here is fabulous.”

“Your plate says otherwise,” Jessica remarks, inclining her head towards my half-full plate.

“I drank too much wine before the food came,” I explain. “But I really enjoyed it.”

Jessica places her hand over mine on the table and says, “It gets better, Eunice. Trust me.”

I nod slowly. I know she’s talking about my new phase of living as a single woman now,w but that’s not what I’m thinking about. Why the heck didn’t Sam come after me?

Or better still, why did I run away from him? We could have exchanged phone numbers or something…

“Sorry, girls. I have to run now,” Diana says breezily. She picks up her Chanel purse from the low stool beside her seat.

“Where to?” Nina asks her.

“I have a blind date at the gym this evening,” Diana says cheerfully. “My hairdresser set us up. She said he’s looking for something serious.”

“Well, are you too?” I ask her.

Diana cackled loudly, drawing curious stares from nearby tables. “Are you nuts? I’ll start looking for something serious when I hit 40, and that’s like 7 years away. I’m not about to get married in my thirties like the rest of you did.”

“We got married in our twenties,” I corrected her.

“Same difference,” she insists.

“So, why are you going to meet the guy?” Hanifa asks her.

“Why not?” Diana counters. “Every guy claims to want something serious, but we all know that’s not true. If this dude is as hot as I hear, we’ll hang out and have a great time together until one of us gets bored.”

“Wow…” says Nina. “That’s so inspiring.”

“Shut up, Nina,” Diana laughs and gets on her feet. “How are we splitting the bill?”

“Don’t be silly. This is my treat,” says Jessica.

“Aww, Jessica. Thank you,” I say. “That’s so generous of you.”

“You’re welcome,e darling,” she replies graciously.

“OK, girls. Bye,” Diana says. She hugs each of us before leaving.

As she leaves, I look towards the lobby to see if Sam is still there or anywhere else in the restaurant. He’s not. Damn!

Our table is cleared, and dessert is served. While eating my red velvet cheesecake, my mind goes back to Sam. And that impulsive kiss…

Gosh! That was the boldest thing I’d ever done in my entire life. Kissing a man I’d only just met… Who is this new Eunice?

“What’s that secret smile about?” Nina asks me. “Care to share?”

Should I tell them about Sam now or should I still keep the encounter a secret? Nina particularly tends to blow things out of proportion, so I’m not sure this is a good time to spill my tea. I don’t want to be embarrassed.

“Just a random thought,” I lie. “This has been such a lovely evening.”

Hanifa’s phone rings and she announces her departure as soon as she sees who is calling her. She bids us goodbye and hurries out of the restaurant.

The party is officially over, and I’m eager to leave too. Aside from wanting to go home to be with my kids, I have another mission in mind as well. I need to G****e Sam’s name and find out what the deal is with him.

“We should do this again soon,” Jessica says. “It was fun.”

“Thank you, sis,” I say and embrace her.

After Jessica signs the check, we leave the restaurant. As we walk out, I do a quick scan of the place, hoping to catch a glimpse ofSama,m but he’s nowhere to be found.

The little girl in me feels let down. Maybe Sam didn’t find me interesting enough to pursue. Maybe I should have seized the moment and flirted with him. He could have been my rebound boyfriend.

Or maybe I should grow a pair of balls and stop longing for a man I only just met. I don’t even know anything about him aside from the fact that he was drop-dead gorgeous. I wonder if I’ll ever run into him again. SaFranciscoco is a big city, so what are the odds?

Or you can just look for him instead, I think to myself. We’re in the information technology age. How hard can it be to find someone?

With a fresh dose of confidence, I head towards my car. I’m going to find you, Samson Ewing, I say to myself internally. You just wait and see.