Twelve
TWELVE
Trinidad
T he scenery around us took my breath away as Orlando navigated what they now called Little Ofele. A sense of otherworldliness infused every plant, every building, every rock in the town.
Usually, Florida during the summer is all blue skies and bright sunshine. Here in Ofele, the blue skies were present, same as the sunshine. Still, there was another color that beautifully blended it all. Some type of muted beige, that I would have difficulty describing to anyone. It was as if here, the sun shined but still protected our melanated skin. As if the air knew to take care of us, as if the water was extra clear and blue and shallow for us to feel comfortable in it. I might be desperate to leave for New York, but for this moment, I allowed myself to observe and enjoy Ofele and all it had to give.
“It’s gorgeous, isn’t it? I’m usually a go-go type of guy, but the place got me. I drove around earlier, trying to get acquainted with the town, and got sprung.”
“Young people still say sprung?” I stared at him in the driver’s seat. He’d changed to slightly longer pants, not quite hooch shorts but almost, and a T-shirt, baseball cap, and shades. It suited him.
“We don’t, but I gotta ensure you can follow.” He kept his eyes on the road, but his lush lips were losing the battle, wanting to burst out in a smirk.
“Listen, if it weren’t for my generation, y’all wouldn’t have any swag.”
“So old people still say swag, then?”
“I’m not that old,” I grumbled.
“I know you’re not. We are ten years apart, right? So, I’m not sure why you keep trying to put more age between us. I mean, I respect it…but still, I don’t think you’re old at all, just old er , and there ain’t nothing wrong with more experience, maturity, and…knowledge.”
Oh, why did those three things sound so… so when he said them? Like they had way more weight than I gave them credit for.
“Well, yes, I am more experienced than you, but you’re right. The boys are not here this weekend, so maybe I can relax the Sra. Velasquez intensity a bit.”
“You’d do that? For me? Wow, I’m honored.” Orlando clasped his free hand to his chest.
“You’re so full of shit.”
“Nah, but I like this slightly more relaxed version of you, for real. Thanks for that.” Orlando pulled up to a little variety shop on a road with several small-town businesses. We both descended the car and continued to trade jokes, the vibe between us relaxed.
“So, you think we can find your girl here?”
“She is not my girl, and her name is Maria. But no, I don’t think we will find her here exactly. Her grandmother said she’s been doing different work here and there, but she did not mention a retail shop.”
“So why are we here?” I removed my sunglasses at the same time he removed his.
“Because this is where they sell bus tickets, the owner is also a travel agent on the side. If anyone can help, it would be her.”
“Smart… I wouldn’t have thought of a travel agent, even with what I do; I guess it’s such a dying art. How did you know about them?” I stared.
“You know this device they call smart phone ? And in there, it has a website called Goo—”
“Don’t you even think of finishing that sentence.” I shook my head, holding back laughter. Who knew? High school banter still did it for me. Maybe it was because we both knew that age was but a number between us, and maybe I needed to stop thinking in clichés before I got myself in trouble with this man.
A tinkling bell went off the moment Orlando pushed the door open, giving me the honor of walking in first. He was a gentleman, true and true. His momma had done right by him. I said so, and his face twisted but then cleared up with a big smile.
“It’s all I know to be.” He kept cheesing. We kept cheesing at each other. Even as my cheeks started shaking, I held the grin. It felt so natural, so right to hang out with him. Without the boys around, it allowed me to see Orlando the man, not the mentor, not the twenty-five-year-old man—just Orlando.
“Good afternoon, how are you? I’m Delilah,” a Black woman who appeared to be in her fifties greeted us. She broke the spell and we both acted like the teenagers currently in danger of being grounded for the whole summer.
“We’re good thanks, Delilah! Appreciate you asking. I am Orlando, and this here is Trinidad; she is trying to get back to New York today or tomorrow, and we were hoping you could assist her?”
The woman’s smooth features went from serene to “yikes” in less than five seconds.
Damn.
“That is going to be a hard one, ya’ hear? This busy, busy season right now. I know the flights are all booked up from Ofele airport. And the bus rides to the closer towns are all booked up too. But I can search for you. It is going to take me a while, though. Do you want to wait? We have a little cafe next door; it’s owned by my man.”
Just as Delilah finished her sentence, a man walked into the shop. He was probably younger than me, tall and husky. He grumbled, “Good morning,” made a straight line behind the desk, and hugged Delilah. I didn’t see the resemblance, but based on the age difference, he must be her son or something.
“This Mikey, my man. He owns the shop next door. Why don’t y’all sit over there and give me a half hour or so to make some calls?”
Oh, this was her man—her man. This lady could probably be in her fifties. Orlando bumped into me, and I was startled out of my reverie. I looked up at him to find him frowning at me.
“Oh, we get that reaction all the time. Don’t worry, Orlando. The folks in the town are all used to us, but new folks take time to adjust. Usually, people assume Mikey is my son. Can you believe that? Well, technically, he could be with our twenty-year difference, but who cares? I never had children, so no one can tell me, ‘He’s as old as…,’ and Mikey doesn’t want any kids, so he doesn’t mind being with a mature woman. I would think you two would understand.”
Delilah smiled serenely and accepted a kiss on her cheek from Mikey. Then she proceeded to giggle. The woman was giggling in the middle of her business. At first I didn’t understand why until I realized we couldn’t see Mikey’s hand, the one closest to Delilah, hidden by the desk.
Oh …well, good for Delilah. They exchanged a few hush words, and finally, the invisible privacy wall they created by being next to each other was lowered to include us again.
“So, the boss says y’all need a cup of coffee?”
“Oh, we need more than that? I’m searching for a family member, too, and I was hoping y’all could help?” I stared at both of them, and their faces grew pensive.
“Yeah, for sure. I mean, I was born and raised here, so if there is anything I can do, I will be glad to do so,” Mikey said with his deep, husky voice and such a kind smile I could understand everything Delilah saw in him.
As if pulled by magic, my gaze switched to Orlando’s, and momentarily, the air grew still around us. His intense regard mesmerized me. Those damn pretty brown eyes seared me, and a myriad of emotions flickered through them as he studied me. I tried to understand what he tried to say with his looks, but my body responded quicker than my brain. A rush of heat traveled from the top of my head down to my feet and back again to settle in my core. It had been years since I felt flutters in my stomach, and pressing against my belly didn’t stop the giddy feeling one bit.
“Oh, look, love, they got it too!” Delilah said to Mikey, effectively busting my bubble.
“Ah, got what?” I hated that my voice shook.
“That magic between you,” Mikey explained in a bored tone, as if I should already know it.
“It’s Ofele, you know, and with carnival almost starting…this is how the two of us got together; when Ofele Carnival was only locals and a few out-of-towners, he invited me to a fete.”
“Whined her and juked her up the whole night. She went home with me that night.” Mikey winked. Delilah tittered and hit his bicep.
“Nah, no no no. You’re getting the wrong vibe here. I…this is my son’s mentor and he so happened to be in town and is helping me, but no. No. No. I mean, no. LOL.” The butterflies went berserk in my belly at the mere suggestion of Orlando becoming more than a harmless crush.
“Damn, Ms. V, you didn’t need to say all those nos. I think the first nah was sufficient.” Orlando rubbed the back of his neck, hiding his gaze with his fitted.
“Oh, it’s okay, Orlando. If it’s not her, it will be someone soon. I can feel it,” Delilah said, and I started liking Delilah less and less. With all her commentary, it was making things awkward.
“Why don’t we go to have that coffee and chat it up with Mikey while you search? Thank you so much for your help.”
“Oh, yes, yes, let me get on that!” Delilah agreed, and we followed Mikey out of the shop and into the next-door establishment.
Just a few seconds outside in the heat and humidity and my back started perspiring. Thankfully the cool air in the coffee shop mixed with the delicious aroma helped calm my overactive nerves. The shop had murals of Ofele on each of its walls, with wooden lacquered tables and a counter that looked like it belonged in a Jamaican take-out restaurant but instead of curry goat, or oxtail, it boasted several savory and sweet pastries. I felt right at home.
“Are we good?” I asked Orlando, who’d gone stiff and quiet after that last exchange.
“Yeah, I’m straight. Listen, thanks for asking about Maria, it means a lot that you remembered.” He guided me through the busy coffee shop until we found a small table with some privacy.
“How could I forget? Besides, we had a deal, right?” I tried to decipher why he looked so hopeful and guarded simultaneously, but then a swift flash of disappointment popped up, and I was even more confused. Orlando pulled a chair for me and waited for me to sit down. He didn’t join until he made sure I was comfortable. The butterflies fluttered again, the damn pests.
“Yeah, we had a deal. It’s just…fuck it, it’s just people seldom remember things that are important to me. So that back there? It meant a lot,” he said.
“Oh… I…well, that’s not right. Not even your family?” I asked curiously.
“Nah, especially not them.” He shook his head taking off his fitted and gently putting it on the table. “It was my dad’s. Big Yankees fan.” He nodded at the fitted, noticing my interest.
“I’m a Yankees fan, true and true, so I know your dad was good people. I…the twins have shared that he died when you were much younger. I’m so sorry for your loss. Damn, I hate when people say that because it sounds so empty, doesn’t it?”
My stomach twisted in commiseration with Orlando as he struggled to say something I knew was meant to set me at ease. Without thinking, I pressed my hand on his, halting his words. “There is zero need to make me feel good; I was the one trying to give my condolences to you…okay? Just take it. You deserve for your father to be alive, and it’s unfair that that is not the case. And I know we can’t do anything about unfair shit, but, damn, it’s okay sometimes to at least acknowledge that some things we go through are not okay. And that trying to be strong through it doesn’t mean it does not hurt. It does not mean the pain and the sadness are less valid.”
Orlando’s eyes widened as he listened to me. They soon softened, and that hopeful stare returned.
I was scared of that hopeful stare.
“Thanks… I… I didn’t realize I usually do that. Rush to make people feel okay that my dad died. I appreciate you calling it out.” That smile of his. Mm-hmm. Eyes and smiles were my thing and this man delivered in both areas and then some.
This day of adventure, before I returned to reality, felt prescribed, but I didn’t want to investigate why. For now, I wanted to be present. I’d have plenty of time on the flight back, analyzing each second and each word, and the feelings. Unless I conked out again, which was the most likely scenario because I was no spring chicken.
“Hey, it’s okay to recognize people-pleasing tendencies.” I shrugged, trying to dissipate the air of intimacy that continued to coalesce around us. Mikey approached our table just in time, my savior in flannel and jeans.
“I have Jackie, our barista, preparing your drinks. So, who are you looking for?” Mikey took the third seat and sat down, a weary sigh speaking of early mornings and hard work.
“Her name is Maria…” I paused, realizing I went into this with a lot of enthusiasm but zero planning. Very unlike me. I stared at Orlando, and he took over.
“Maria Roberts,” Orlando said. “She came to Ofele about five years ago. Here’s a picture of her; not sure if she looks familiar to you?” Orlando’s tone couldn’t hide the hope he felt. Mikey studied the photo for a long while.
“I thought she was your family member?” Mikey asked me, his gentle, giant demeanor slowly shifting.
“Oh well, yes, but…”
“It’s okay, Trinidad. I appreciate it, but we can be transparent with Mikey. Listen, man…”
Orlando bared his entire story to Mikey. How Maria and he had been summer friends for several years. She’d been his solace and the only person with whom he shared how hard it was for him to be brother, father, and caretaker. Then, the last year she visited her grandma, they had a hot and heavy night. They had agreed to remain only friends after having sex, not finding any romantic chemistry between each other.
Maria ghosted Orlando after a while and didn’t tell him anything about her pregnancy. He shared old messages from social media that showed they had a good relationship, then the many times he tried to reach her to no response from her. Orlando continued to explain how Maria’s grandmother finally told him about his daughter, realizing it was unfair for him to be left in the dark. “…so when I found out… I just want to meet my daughter, man. I have two brothers and an ill mother back in NY, so… I’m not trying to make Maria’s life difficult by any means.”
Mikey absorbed all the information while I gaped at Orlando. I didn’t know about most of this. The way the twins spoke about Orlando; it was this happy-go-lucky man who, yes, lived with his brothers and mother, but never in a way that truly explained the responsibilities he had. He didn’t go into much detail, but it was all there in the pauses, in the way he maneuvered the conversation away from what clearly was a sore subject to him.
“Listen… I hear you, and as a man, I commiserate. But I gotta make sure I do right by Maria.”
“So you do know her?” I perked up.
“I didn’t say that, but I’m going to put some feelers out there. If you give me your phone number, I’ll hit you up with any info I have permission to share.”
Smart man, I didn’t blame Mikey for his caution, but selfishly, finding Maria quickly would have alleviated the guilt I felt from taking Orlando away from his task. We finished our coffees, and soon—after farewells to Mikey and his staff—we made our back to Delilah’s.
“So, you found your family member?” Delilah asked the second we walked into the shop.
“No, but Mikey promised to help, which is all we can ask. Any luck?” Orlando asked.
In twenty minutes, he’d managed to change my perception of him again. I had no idea how he did it. A day with Orlando felt revelatory in ways I wasn’t ready for. I wanted him to remain static in my mind, a fun, harmless crush. Someone to flirt with but always keep at bay.
Our lives were weirdly entangled for the day, and I couldn’t remember the last time I felt carefree. But with him, somehow, I wasn’t overthinking; I was not wondering about the next steps and what our picture-perfect family portraits would look like after our wedding.
No, I was getting to know Orlando and liking the things I found out because it was him. A warm shiver took over me as Orlando turned around, activating the air of intimacy that didn’t ever fully dissipate.
“So what do you want to do?” His deep voice penetrated my idle thoughts.
Dios mío.
“So, so sorry, I completely blanked out; what did I miss?”
“No direct flights that get you home by tomorrow; all are Sunday onward. I looked at some connecting flights from the airports in the fifty-mile radius, but I am not done yet. I can call you tomorrow morning with any news?”
“Delilah, I appreciate that. Really, that would be…fantastic.” This woman didn’t need to do all this legwork for me, but here she was, trying to help out.
“No worries, hun, it’s my pleasure! Besides, we felines need to stick together.” Delilah winked, and a choked-back laugh escaped Orlando. I pretended the last words were never said, but my face? It was heated.
“Okay, here is my phone number; Mikey has it too. And here is Trinidad’s. Thanks, Ms. D. You’ve been clutch today,” Orlando said, deftly maneuvering the situation and giving me time to chill.
We walked out of the shop under the tinkling bell, side by side, with a sense of purpose. Orlando opened the door for me, his self-assuredness back in play. With his fitted, lean frame and those pretty eyes hidden behind his sunglasses, he felt present in a way I could not describe, and another shiver traveled all over my body.
Ay Dios mío, what was this?
“So, people still say clutch ?”
“Certain felines do…” He flashed me a big smile.
“Boy, if you don’t stop!”
“How could I when you get so pretty while flustered?”
My chest expanded, and my heart imitated the rhythm of the wings of the earlier butterflies.
My God! Qué es esto? Why are you not answering?
“Oh, here you go; I’m certain you say that to all the young ladies.” I got into the car, pretending my face didn’t feel ten degrees warmer than the rest of my body. I needed him to turn the car on ASAP before I melted on these leather seats. Who rented leather seats in the summer? Ugh.
“Now, I thought we agreed you wouldn’t do the Ms. Velasquez thing while the kids are not around?”
“But you are a kid,” I nagged back.
“No, I’m not. You heard what I said to Mikey. I stopped being a kid a while ago,” Orlando said, a peace offering—an open door. I could take the offer and get caught up in this weird cocoon we were building together, but then what? My plans had not changed. I would find a way to leave.
“Do you mind me asking some of your story?” Trinidad Caridad Velasquez Rodriguez, this is not minding your business…
“I don’t mind you asking me anything, Trinidad,” Orlando said.
Dios mío.
I was in trouble.