Prologue
A reflection on dating in the early-2000s. Cell phones had just become normalized. No videos on there, just camera phones… shit, flip phones. No social media. A time when your world was still what was in front of you and unrealistic expectations were not reinforced on FaceSpaceTokFans. Just a story about a 20-something guy living in the city overachieving and dating outside of his league.
Breaking the News to Tiffany
Mike had pulled out Tiffany’s chair for her from the high top in the bar and awkwardly sat down across from her. “Yeah, baby, so I got some news to tell you. Not sure how you’re going to take this. Maybe you should sit down.”
Mike seemed distant, which made Tiffany a little uneasy. Normally he was all smiles and fun, but right now he seemed nervous. He had called her after lunch and left a voicemail saying that it was highly urgent that they meet for dinner after work. He didn’t give specifics, just the sense of importance. Tiffany bailed on her 5 o’clock meeting with a client and opted to go see Mike at Ikari for some sushi around 6. She was still flustered from a long day of looking at depositions, and the urgency Mike had used when he called made the mood uncertain and the day all the more stressful.
They’d only been dating for about two months and although he was oftentimes immature, he had a good heart and made her feel special when they were together. She never left him without an ear to ear smile.
They met at a happy hour and Mike dazzled her with his knowledge of obscure hip-hop. Their discussion of 1990s rap was authentic, and his stellar game made her feel like she was the center of his world and caused her to blush. In any category Tiffany would be a perfect catch. After earning her law degree from Texas Southern University she worked as a junior partner at a law firm downtown. She was very ambitious and her quick rise up the ladder at the firm was duly noted in the local newspaper’s ‘People on the Rise’ section a few months back. Mike called her his ‘little mocha luvva.’ On one of their earlier dates they watched the movie Crash and then debated the scope of modern racism in America. As he walked her to her car on their first date at Cold Stone for ice cream, he surprised her by planting a big kiss after she bit into her small bowl of Cake Batter ice cream. Mike said that he “aims to please” and so far he had. She hadn’t dated guys younger than 30 for reasons of financial security, and just about all her exes were corporate players. Mike was none of this and she was into the different persona he represented. He had blue collar values and a strong character. No bullshit with him.
But the urgent tone that he left her with this afternoon on his voice message lingered in her thoughts. That tone was unmistakable for bad news. She’d heard it before from past lovers, but with them she saw it coming. With Mike this was a total shock. She always assumed she was the one in control. After all, he was only a teacher. Teachers should be privileged to date lawyers, or at least that is what her friends told her.
As they sat there at their bar table, Mike would not make eye contact, which was concerning to Tiffany. Before he could continue, she interrupted. “Baby, before you say it, I just want to say think about it for a minute.” Tiffany’s emotions were clear. She looked worried.
“Think about it?” Mike sounded confused.
“Yes, I know I’ve been busy at work, and you know I’m working on this case that may make my career at this point, but I like my time with you.” Her eyes began to moisten as she began to fidget in her chair trying to distract herself from her true feelings. She promised herself she wouldn’t cry over a man, not again. She had built up that emotional wall after the broken engagement only 6 months prior and was surprised she had let someone in so quickly, and so easily. She hadn’t realized she had developed such strong feelings for Mike.
“Huh?” Mike was now clearly confused.
“Baby…I…I…I need a drink first. Where is the wine list?”
Mike continued his original thought, oblivious to Tiffany’s reaction. “You know how I have been talking about taking steps up in my career, right?”
Tiffany now sensed it. Mike had now locked into Tiffany’s eyes with his soft brown eyes and wouldn’t look away. Now this all makes sense. He had been talking about moving since they met, how he wasn’t sure if he belonged in Texas, especially out in the rural community where he stayed. He had been talking about how he missed his family back in Cleveland, and how strange Texans were. He was moving back home, she was sure of it.
“I’m moving.” The excitement in Mike’s voice was unmistakable and he didn’t realize that Tiffany had tears now lightly streaming down her cheek.
“You’re moving…where to….why?” The frantic tone of her voice startled Mike.
“Baby, I’m moving into the city…to be closer to you.” Mike’s tone had now shifted to sincerity after noticing her tears and realizing that she thought he was breaking up with her. “Did you think…did you think I was going to tell you that we were through? Hahaha….” The awkwardness of the situation became clear and they both let out an uneasy giggle.
Embarrassed, Tiffany tossed her napkin into the middle of the table and crossed her arms. “Fuck you, Mike! It’s not funny. You know I’ve been busy at work. Why do you have to play like that? Couldn’t you have told me that over the phone?”
Mike’s demeanor switched from tense to flirtatious. He was so good at redirecting her moods and he had now once again made her feel special. “I wanted to tell you in person. And by the way, I can’t wait to show the new place to you. I am set to move into it in two weeks. Clear your calendar because I expect you to help me move all my shit.”
Tiffany’s emotions had taken a 180 as she valued that she still had her man and joked, “fuck that. I’ll come visit, maybe bring you some flowers, but you had better work at getting me in the mood much better than this. That phone call today was some bullshit.”
Her mood had definitely shifted. “After I drink this wine let’s get some food and get it go. We can eat at my condo.”
“Garcon! Check please!” Mike said with a smirk and wink.
A Dollar Out of Fifteen Cents 