Chapter 4 #3
“True.” She went to the kitchen and came back with a garbage bag.
She got down on her knees and picked up every scrap of paper and empty soda cans and put them in the garbage bag, then picked up the few pieces of clothing that were on the arm of the sofa — a bath robe, and a teeshirt, that she’d left there and took them to her room.
When she came back in the living room, she was still holding the garbage bag. “I’m going to do the island now.”
“Thank you. And if you get the island finished tonight, I’ll share some of this with you.”
“Ohhh, deal!” she said, going straight for the kitchen island. After a few moments of looking at the first few pieces of paper that she picked up, she just shook her head and started shoving it by the handfuls into the garbage bags.
“What if some of that is bills?”
“The dates on top are two months ago. If I hadn’t paid it yet, they’d have called. If I miss something new that’s in here, they’ll call.”
“Okay, then. Sounds like a plan,” Julia said.
Ten minutes later her room mate came over happily and sat beside her on the sofa. “Okay, I’m done!”
“Promise you’ll help keep it straight?”
“I do, and if I need reminding, remind me.”
“Remember you said that,” Julia said, as she took one of the paper plates Cruz had used as extra support under the ones that actually held the food and made her a plate. When she was done she handed it to her.
“Oh, my God! Fried shrimp, mac n cheese, dirty rice, a burger, a hot dog! What is this?” she asked, pointing to a casserole of some kind.
“It’s got rice and crawfish and spicy tomatoes and some kind of sauce in it. And there’s half a sweet potato on there, too. It’s got butter and brown sugar on it. I ate the other half with the steak.”
“You had a steak?”
“I did. And we have all this left! I even gorged on shrimp, too, and there’s so much still left.”
“And he’s gorgeous?”
“The man that gave it to me? Yeah, he is. And he’s so sweet.”
“If you don’t want him, I’ll take him.”
“No, you will not! He’s supposed to be…” Julia stopped talking mid-sentence when her phone buzzed signaling an incoming text. She picked it up and looked at it as she broke out into a huge smile as she giggled.
“That’s him?” Kelly asked.
“Yeah. Cruz. He wants to know what was my favorite on the plates.”
“Tell him all of it and we’d like some more because I’m tired of bologna sandwiches.”
“Fried bologna is good.”
“Not as good as all this.”
Julia typed out a text in answer to his.
.
“All of it. I’m still eating! It’s delicious. Thank you.”
Julia’s phone rang as she waited for him to text her back. “Eeeeeeeek!” she squealed, as she fumbled with the phone and she did her best not to drop it. “Okay, okay, be quiet,” she said. She swiped the green button on her screen. “Hello?” she said.
“Hey, Julia. It’s Cruz.”
“Hi, Cruz!”
“Hey. Sorry to call already, but I was thinking. Maybe if you’re not doing anything, we can go catch a movie and maybe get something to eat tomorrow. I’m not going back until later tomorrow night, or maybe even Monday morning,” Cruz said.
“I’d like that. I have tomorrow off, so, yeah. That sounds good.”
“Good. Anything in particular that you want to see?” he asked.
“Not really. I’ll let you choose.”
“Okay. I figure maybe an early movie so we have time to eat after in case my cousins decide to go earlier than I expect them to.”
“Whatever works. I’ll just be glad to spend some time with you,” Julia said.
“You are?” Cruz asked.
“I am.”
“You can’t see it, but I’m smiling really big, and probably blushing, too.”
Julia laughed. “I’m smiling pretty big myself.”
“Good. So, what was your favorite of the plates I made you?”
“It’s all delicious, but I have to admit I ate the steak first, and half the sweet potato, and some mac n cheese. And the shrimp, oh my gosh, it’s delicious. All of it.”
“What’s your favorite food of all time?” Cruz asked, chuckling at her admitting that she definitely overate.
“What’s my favorite food? Italian. I love Italian.”
“Steak. Tell him you love steak.”
“Italian steak?” he asked, trying to be funny.
“No, not Italian steak. That’s my room mate trying to be funny. I shared some of my leftovers with her, and she’s saying steak.”
Cruz laughed. “Well, I’ll choose the movie, but you choose where you want to eat. Is that okay?”
“You know what? Anything is fine with me, as long as it’s a place we can talk. I really want to talk to you. Get to know you a little better.”
“I’d like that.”
“Me, too.”
“Pick you up about 11:00 A.M.?”
“I’ll be ready. I’ll text you my address.”
“Sleep well, Julia. I’ll see you tomorrow.”
“Looking forward to it.”
They ended the call, and Julia sat back, holding her phone against her chest.
“Is that wedding cake I see over there?” Kelly asked.
Julia started laughing. “It is, and you can have one piece, but not all of it.”
“There are six slices!”
“Yeah, and some bread pudding, too.”
“And he’s pretty, too?” Kelly asked, whining a little. “It’s just not fair. He feeds you, and he’s pretty, and he’s coming for a date. A real date. I want one.”
“You touch him we’re going to have a problem.”
“You know better than that. I would never. I meant I want one of my own. Cruz, huh? He’s not the guy that was a couple of years younger than us in school is he?”
“The same.”
“Yeah, he’s pretty. Damn. I’m jealous. Can I have two pieces of cake?”
Julia laughed as she handed over both pieces of cake.