Chapter 18
Daniel
“I could be your roommate.” I answer without thinking. I face her even as my heart races at the words I’d just spoken, and my mind spirals. I live alone and that’s how I like it, yet I can’t help but take this opportunity that just presented itself.
I watch her chuckle.
“I appreciate the offer, but you don’t strike me as the kind of guy that wants to live with anyone, let alone a woman that he’s not dating.”
I lean back.
“Maybe I’m realizing it’s time I have a roommate.”
She chuckles. “I’m accepting your offer because it’s a win-win for both of us.
You get a roommate, who can scare your maybe-stalker away and put a hold on your dad’s push for a husband.
” I wince just saying that word out loud.
“And I get a roommate that I can take on dates with no strings attached. We both get what we want.” I can’t believe, I just found a way to get closer to her.
Did you get closer, or did you force yourself into her space?
Shut up in a polite way. I chastise my sassy subconscious.
“It sounds good and easy when you put it that way, but we need rules like… when you or I want to go out on a real date,” she says.
My heart pounds in my chest at the thought of her going on dates.
Focus. Right now, all I need is to move in, one step at a time.
“Yeah, we can certainly lay down some rule for this plan to work.” My response is immediate, as I consider how to create an unbreakable contract, ensuring she will never leave my side.
“Well, we can draft it together.” I nod “But in the meantime, maybe you should take a day or two to think about this plan.
I will tell you right now: I am a handful, but my excuse is that I have a disease, and you don't seem like someone who would like a monkey wrench into his plans. I suggest you mull it over—" she smiles
“What’s this disease?” I ask instead.
“Don’t worry, it’s not contagious.” She gives a strained smile.
“Good to know, but what is the disease?” I ask again.
“SCD- Sickle Cell Disease. I live close to the hospital because of my health situation, should I be in crisis” I nod like I know what it is, but I don’t.
“I am a carrier, not a full-blown SS but close enough. I’m SC.
An SC carrier is just a small step below.
I still have crisis, and I try to manage it daily. ”
I nod again.
“The rain has stopped,” she quickly says. “I will head home. Thanks for hanging out with me. And if you change your mind tomorrow, that’s okay.” I watch her grab her bag and move quickly to the door.
“I won’t be changing my mind,” I state in a firm tone.
She doesn’t respond and opens the door.
“Anu, please text me. So, I know you got home safe.”
“Goodnight and thanks again,” she says, leaving behind a mind full of questions.
Soon as she leaves, I go to my laptop to google the Sickle cell disease.
The first thing I see is Sickle cell disease is an inherited blood disorder where red blood cells become abnormally shaped, resembling a crescent (or sickle). I read further into the disease and look for the symptoms
Painful episodes (pain crises)
Anemia (low red blood cell count)
Fatigue
Swelling in the hands and feet
Joint pain
Organ damage (e.g., to the heart, kidneys, and spleen)
Jaundice (yellowing of the skin and eyes)
I take a deep breath when I see the list of symptoms, and the fact that a cure just became recent and it still carries a significant risk.
I’m still reading all about Sickle cell and the SC carrier when I received her text.
Anu - I’m home and thanks again. Also, if you change your mind, I promise I won’t hold it against you. I can still be your fake date from time to time. It should be fun!
Daniel- Glad that you are home safe. I won’t change my mind. Good night.
I return to reading all about sickle cell disease. After a long extensive read my first thought is to call her and give some flimsy excuse and take the easy option she gave me.
Instead, I call my friends Declan and Luke. Declan can’t make it because his wife Anne isn’t feeling well. Luke agrees to meet me after dropping his twin sons off at his mom’s.
I get to the corner and down a drink while waiting for him. My mind wavers in ways I can't understand. It shouldn't be hard to call her and explain I misspoke—a rare occurrence— but it's believable enough to scrap the whole idea of moving in with my niece's music teacher.
A woman that has captivated me from the moment I saw her.
I can break free from that hold and make sure our paths never again cross.
I can move back to New York. Yeah, that will do it but…
are you going to? I already helped her with the music program, and my niece got the extra time with her.
Deals are closed and everyone is happy. I can move back to New York, forget about her and break this choke hold she has on me.
The real question is, do you want to break the hold?
No! The answer is immediate. I like how I feel around her.
Luke arrives and grabs the seat next to me. “Hey,” he says, patting my shoulder. He sits and the bartender brings his drink. He turns to me.
“I have a problem,” I say to him.
“Do you need your brothers?” he asks. Our coded language to pull the fire alarm.
I shake my head.
“If the problem required my brothers, then it was solved. Unfortunately, the problem I have involves a twenty something year old black woman who’s oblivious to my feelings for her.
” Luke laughs, takes his jacket off. Guess he realizes it’s going to be a long night, and takes a sip of his drink.
“I can’t stop thinking about her.” I released a frustrated sigh.
“I have been there, and the advice Declan gave me was to do something about it, and I’m giving you the same right now: if your feelings are real, then make your move now.”
“She needs a male roommate; I don’t know how it happened, but soon as she mentioned that she was looking for a male roommate, I immediately volunteered to be her roommate just to be a step closer to her.
But now, I’m scared.” Luke listens without a word.
“I can’t believe I’m saying this. I can call her, she gave me the option to change my mind.
” I pause “but I can’t bring myself to take the option of walking away, and at the same time, moving in with her really makes no sense and it scares me.
” I make a quick confession as Luke chuckles.
“Well, if it’s any consolation, I made sure Dele moved in with me fast because she had moved in with my brother, Osei, and the thought of her falling for my brother was driving me crazy.
So, I guess I should ask you, if you don’t want to move in with her as her roommate, would you be okay if another guy becomes her roommate?
Last I heard you dropped a hundred and fifty thousand just to keep her in town.
I know you are going to claim it’s for your niece but, deep down, you want her around. ”
“I couldn’t live with the option of her leaving, and I highly doubt some guy moving in with her is an option I can live with either.” I answer in a firm tone. Bravo, you answered your own question.
“Then you better pack up your bag and move in with her before she finds another roommate. If my guess is right, you’re probably not the first person she mentioned her need for a male roommate to.”
I down my drink right away, I already concluded that to myself, I just felt my decision was crazy, now I know it isn’t. “She has sickle cell disease,” I say to him. He’s stunned. “I have spent the last few hours reading up on the disease and I understand why she lives close to the hospital.”
“That’s tough. She probably has crisis a lot.”
“Do you know about the disease?” I’m surprised he’s not asking me what a Sickle cell disease is.
“Yes, Dele is AS and as she explained, it could only have been an issue if she married another AS and she didn’t plus, being a nurse, she has mentioned it to me about patients.”
I nod.
“I don’t know about her crisis, but I have this urge to be close to her and be there for her when she needs help.” I say
“Like I said: pack up your bags and let us know if you need any help.”
I nod. Knowing any of my brothers when a decision is made, the next step is to execute, it’s pointless analyzing it further.
Luke and I talk for the next few hours before I head back to Maggie’s place for the night. Getting in bed, I close my eyes and all I can think about is her, her beautiful smile and how easily she makes me laugh.
Tomorrow, our Roommate Agreement will be drafted.