“You know, Michael is a good friend, and I wanted to surprise him with a gift.” She held up the coffee-table book—Olympic Facts and Fables—that she’d brought along. The guard, a tall, handsome black man in his fifties, looked her over carefully. He figured that she was a well-known person, probably not a stalker or a terrorist, too old to be one of Michael’s girlfriends. So he let her up. Christy surprised him with a peck on the cheek.
When she reached the top floor, she stepped into a reception area as original as Michael. It was an open room with a huge aquarium in the middle, filled with quirky, colorful fish. There were bowls of snacks on a counter, including packs of M&M’s, which Christy took as a sign. She grabbed a bag and ripped into it to calm her nerves. The receptionist, who was young and hip-looking, gave Christy a smile of recognition. For once, she was glad to be well known. When she asked for Michael, the girl looked quizzical.
“Is he expecting you?”
“Not really,” Christy said. “I’m surprising him.”
“I don’t think you want to do that,” she whispered.
“Is he in a meeting?”
“No, not quite,” she hesitated, waiting for Christy to catch on.
“Oh, you mean he’s with someone.”
The receptionist was already dialing and giving Michael her name. It was too late to bolt. About three minutes later, a willowy brunette, a younger version of herself, charged out the door of his office suite, her lips tight, her eyes narrow. She gave Christy the once-over, then turned on the heel of one of her knee-high boots and disappeared into the elevator.
Michael stood at the door, red-faced and flustered. “Hi, Christy. Long time no see.” Christy wanted to kill him. All the emotions she had been feeling since their first meeting rose to the surface. She could easily have collapsed into tears, but she refused. She held herself together and managed only to look Michael in the eyes without saying a word. He stared back at her in waiting silence. It was nothing like the reunion Christy had envisioned. Michael finally led her into his office, then closed the door behind them, gathered her into his arms, and hugged her tightly.
Christy broke away from his embrace. She had to face this man who was making her so crazy. “Michael, I know I…I promised to be your friend,” she started. “But I can’t do it. I’m thirty-nine years old and I’ve never…I mean never…felt this way about anyone. I can’t…can’t eat, I can’t focus on my work, I can’t even run…”
Michael started to say something, but she motioned for him not to interrupt. Christy had the courage to do this only once, right this minute, and she was determined to get the words out.
“The thing is, I can’t believe you don’t feel the same way. It doesn’t seem possible that this is a one-sided connection. We’re perfect for each other. I’m sure of it. And despite your disappearance since we met, you know it, too.” She looked at him with defiance, daring him to deny it.
Michael regarded her closely for what seemed, to Christy, like an eternity. She stood tall, her hands on her hips, boldly meeting his eyes, the picture of sweet, unbridled determination. Michael lowered his eyes and then spoke.
“I’m not going to say I don’t have feelings for you, Christy. I do. But I can’t act on them. I wasted fifteen years of my life in a marriage, and most of it was a nightmare. I can’t…no, I won’t put anyone in a position to hurt me like that again. Not even you. I’m sorry.”
Christy felt like she’d been slapped. Until now, she believed that if she could get up the nerve to bare her soul to him, he would open his heart and do the same. She felt her emotions slam shut, as they always did when she lost. “Fine,” she said. “Fine. If that’s how you want it.” She turned around and walked out. He didn’t stop her.
Christy began the task of trying to forget Michael in earnest. A week later, she started to sleep somewhat normally again. She got up at five A.M. to go over the daily sales reports. She ran miles and miles every morning, attempting to dull the pain she felt. Two weeks later, just as she was getting the smallest bit of traction on the rest of her life, she received a delivery at her apartment. She opened the package without thinking, and inside was a pair of old running shoes. She fumbled for the note, which read:
Beegee, I can marry you or never see you again, but I can’t go on a second date. I really don’t want a prenup because if you ever leave me I will jump off my building. I have only a few needs: take my calls, even if you’re in a meeting with half of Wall Street, visit me if I’m ever in the hospital, and no kids. Just you and me to the end.
Love
Michael
Christy jumped into the air and screamed. She knew it. She knew he was The One and now they were going to be together. She threw on a pair of sweats and ran to his office. This time she didn’t even wait for security. She leaped over the turnstile before anyone could say a word.
Renata the Great
In a studio apartment in the Flushing section of Queens, eleven-year-old Renata Ruiz prepared dinner in a tiny kitchen for her grandmother Maria. She took the chicken out of the fridge, rinsed off the
