“Well then,” she said. “We best no’ let them find out, then,” she said with a smile. “Because I don’ think I’m quite ready to give anyfin up… not me shop, and I like the idea of givin’ yeh a chance, if yeh’d let me,” she said.
“Good, because I was hoping to give you a chance as well.” he smiled before turning back to watch another one of the magician’s tricks.
Maricita just smiled, and was content to watch the rest of the act in silence; so maybe this was a date. Maricita’s heart fluttered for a second; she hadn’t been on a proper date since high school; sure, she had almost been married once upon a time, but the way things had worked in her tribe were entirely different.
Carter looked and grinned before winking. “It’s only cheating if our shops find out,”
“Well then,” she said. “We best no’ let them find out, then,” she said with a smile. “Because I don’ think I’m quite ready to give anyfin up… not me shop, and I like the idea of givin’ yeh a chance, if yeh’d let me,” she said.
“I would hire someone to help out but everyone who comes in looking for a job tries stealing something.” he shrugged and looked at her. “Or they assume I sell…other products in the back. Which I don’t.”
Maricita rolled her eyes. She got those kinds as well, and more often than she would like to admit. “So here… What we got is two people… Married t’ their work… Out on a casual stroll through a park,” she leaned in closer and whispers “D’yeh think this counts as cheatin’? I ain’t never been the cheatin’ type, but… Well, I don’ think I mind this so much,” she said with a smile.
“I don’t get out much, so that’s why I’ve never been here before.” Carter smiled as he looked around them. He laughed softly as he caught the finishing act of the magician near by. “But you’re right, this place is quite beautiful.”
“Neither do I,” she said. “I spend most of me time running me shop,” she added, continuing on “I thought abou’ hirin’ someone on to help keep it, but mine’s a complicated business… No’ somefin what can really be taught in a week of trainin’,” she shrugged, pausing with him to watch the final little trick.
As far as Maricita was concerned, there was a lot you could tell by a person in how they took their tea. Of course, these meanings were varried and highly unreliable, she liked to try and decipher them anyway. It could mean he liked the simple things in life… But as she looked him up and down she decided that this was likely not the case. It could also mean he didn’t want anything to deter him from his goals… But then again, he’d already reached his goal.
It could just mean that was how he took his tea. Not everything had a double meaning, after all.
She took the seat offered to her with a slight blush; no one usually held out her chair to her. “I’m ‘fraid there ain’t much to tell there…” she began, “I grew up outside London, down by th’ water. Parents kicked me out at eighteen, and I tried t’ go to school. Did for a bit, and then failed out. Traveled t’ Africa… Tha’ was fun. Got accepted into a tribe, I did. Was goin’ t’ be their healer, bu’ then I couldn’ save me husband-to-be, and they though’ I murdered him…” she trailed off, frowning slightly. “An’ then I moved out here. Set up my little shop, been in business for the last seven years,” she nodded.
“I’m not sure wha’ else there is to tell yeh, really,” she shook her head. “I’m a simple lady, really,” she said.
Carter laughed and rubbed the back of his neck. “Oh I’m sure this bloke would forgive you if you ditched him for me. After all, I have a feeling you’re a very difficult person to stay mad at.”
He looked around before holding out his arm for her. “Shall we go explore the park?”
“Well, I’ll try not to give yeh too much o’ a chance to be mad at me,” she said, giggling. She linked arms with him and smiled up at him. “After all, why test tha’ theory when it’s much nicer like this?” she smiled up at him and motioned for him to lead the way.
“This place is quite beautiful,” she said, looking around. “I don’ know why I never come here before,” she looked around at the historical buildings, and looked ahead at the lane lined with buskers. They had everything along this lane; fortune tellers, painters, photographers, singers, actors, musicians… There was a magician, even, and a man showing off his collection of exotic birds.
@ 04:01pm
tagged as
■ short
■ i apologize
■ but i'm on my way out the door
■ i'll be on tonight
Carter hadn’t even bothered to open his shop today, figuring he could afford to take a day off. He had spent his morning going through his usual routine (minus opening his shop) before finally getting ready. He had spent a good twenty minutes trying to decide if he was going to put in the small diamond stud earring like he normally did or if it made him seem like he was trying too hard to be younger than he was. In the end, he had put the stud in and dressed in his normal attire of jeans and opened button down shirt over a simple white t-shirt.
He walked to the park and ran his fingers through his hair when he looked around for Maricita. He didn’t know why he was anxious, although he had an idea that this was the first normal meeting…date?….he had had since he was a teenager. He smiled when he saw her by the fountain and made his way over.
“Waiting for anyone special?”
Maricita smiled when he arrived, somewhat relieved that he came; it wasn’t that he was expecting him to not show up, really, it was more that she wouldn’t really have blamed him if he didn’t. What was the appropriate greeting here? She didn’t know. How long had it been since she had done this?
“Nah, no one special. Met this bloke… Has this funny wink, he does. And this mysterious rebellious past… Bu’ I think yeh might be able t’ convince me to go with ye instead,” she said with a playful grin.
Maricita hadn’t been this nervous in a while. She’d spent most of the morning distractedly cleaning her shop; it was a slow day, as she had no appointments scheduled. She did have a few walk-ins though, which made her smile. After making a few sales she closed up shop and retreated to her flat, which lay above the shop itself. She took her time getting ready, and made sure to play down her usual way of “dressing nice”. She didn’t want to scare him off.
She made her way to Balboa parkin her car, parking near the fountain. It was there she decided to wait for him, absently messing with her hair, trying to get it to behave. It was a beautiful day, perfect for going out like this.
An’ we ain’t even called this a date. Is it one?
Why does tha’ even matter? We’re no’ in grade school.
