The sun was past its zenith and starting its slow descent over the Medescos as people milled away from the stage and socialized. With the event over, Nancy said a few goodbyes and navigated her way through the throngs of people.
“Nancy!” a voice called out, making her wince. So much for a stealthy exit. She turned to see the people being parted by an invisible force. Which meant it could only be Judith, the teacher’s union president. She was half Nancy’s height but thrice as fierce.
“My god, we owe you for this,” Judith said as she came to a stop and craned her neck up. She grasped Nancy’s hand in both hers.
“Nonsense,” Nancy said, with a headshake. “I’m always on the side of education. You can rest assured I’ll bend some ears at the next lobbying dinner.”
“You’re the best. Thank you so much.”
“Thank me by increasing your vocation curriculum,” she winked, then squeezed Judith’s hands. “If you’ll excuse me, I have another engagement.”
“Of course, of course,” Judith replied, nodding.
She escaped the vineyard and made it to her car with no one else nabbing her. Checking her watch, she turned the radio on as she pulled out of the parking lot. Per the news, traffic was slow but clear on the Six. Nancy sighed, leaving this late meant she would just make it on time.
After this glut of social time, she was looking forward to the solace of dinner at Ikher’s. Who, she had to admit, had grown on her these last couple weeks. He was wonderfully straight forward. There was no pretension with him. No judgement. No expectations. No image to uphold. Just food and relaxed conversation.
As she parked and got out of her car, she heard his door open. Looking up, she saw him leaning on his porch railing, a towel over one shoulder.
“Good fundraiser?” he asked, holding the door open as she mounted the steps.
“More an awareness raiser, but yes, it was.”
“Was it fun?” he asked, leaning against the kitchen counter.
“Sort of,” she said, thinking back. “Since I’m the organizer, it’s more work than fun.”
Ikher nodded and reached behind him to produce an ashtray with a rolled blunt. “Rolled this juuust in case you might want some calm.”
“Well thank you, sir,” she said, taking it from him as she sat on the couch. An amused smile spread across her face. “My husband read me the riot act for this the first time.”
Ikher’s face drooped, and he turned a little pale as she lit the blunt. “Oh shit, I didn’t think about that. Is he okay with you being here? With the dinners and weed and everything?”
A hearty laugh escaped Nancy, blowing out the bit of smoke she had manged to inhale. When she stopped laughing, she wiped the corners of her eyes and shook her head. “It’s none of his business where I am. And even if it was, he wouldn’t care.”
“Really?”
“Mmhmm,” she nodded, taking a small pull before handing it to him. “He plays the caring husband role well enough, but I’m just a ladder for him.”
Ikher’s face scrunched up. “That sucks. I’m sorry.”
She snapped her attention to him with one eyebrow up before waving his concern away. “Don’t be, I needed a husband and a son. He wanted out of the hole he grew up in. It’s more a business deal than a family.”
Ikher thought for a moment as he took two small pulls. “It doesn’t sound like you’re very happy. Have you thought about getting divorced? I mean, you have the company and he isn’t where he grew up.”
Nancy took the blunt when he offered it, took a long drag, held it in, then exhaled, watching the smoke waft out into his living room. After several deep breaths she said, “Jared will never go. He has more social and professional mobility as my husband.”
“What about you?” Ikher asked, taking a quick hit from the blunt. He passed it back and headed into the kitchen. Nancy took another small drag and set the blunt in the ashtray before laying her head back on the couch.
"I’ve thought about it, but part of me refuses to.”
“Don’t want him to get half?” Ikher said, washing his hands.
“He wouldn’t,” she said, shaking her head. “He signed a prenup.”
“Oh, wow.”
She nodded. “I explicitly laid out what I wanted, what he would get, and he agreed.” Nancy stood and brought the ashtray over to Ikher and leaned on the counter. He took a quick pull and put his head in the pantry, grabbing cans of coconut milk.
“Man, his hometown must have really sucked,” Ikher said.
Nancy laughed. “It did,” she nodded. “All right, enough about me. What’s on the menu for tonight?” she asked, peering over his shoulder.
“Massaman Chicken again,” he said, shooing her away as he laid things out on the counter. “I’m going to try to make it hotter since you complained the first time I made it too bland.”
“I never said bland!” Nancy said, laughing as she turned one can to look at it. “I said you promised me spicy and haven’t delivered.”
“Yeah, that,” he said, shooing her away again with his knife. She retreated to the couch where she dropped into the corner of the couch to watch him cook. As always, there was his bounce and sway. Curiosity finally got the better of her.
“Do you always dance when you cook?” she asked, leaning her head to the side as she watched him.
He froze. “Do I?” he asked, looking over his shoulder.
“Mmhmm,” she nodded. “Not actual dancing, mind you, but you have some hip and shoulder sway or bounce when you’re doing things.”
“Ha! That’s funny,” he said and shrugged. “I dunno. I don’t really think about it.” He started cutting the vegetables, but his head popped up. “You know,” he said, pointing the knife at her. “My dad always had music on and he loved dancing. So we danced a lot when I was a kid. Well, I mean, I guess I never stopped, since I did break dancing in high school and the first part of college.”
Nancy shook her head. “What’s that?”
“What’s what?”
“Break dancing.”
“You don’t know what break dancing is?” he turned to her, blinking.
“I don’t.”
“Oh, well, breaking is a little more... athletic than normal dancing. It came from New York hip hop back in the 80s,” he said, taking a quick pull from the blunt then bringing it over to her.
“That explains it,” she said, taking it from him. “I’ve never been a fan of rap.” Ikher nodded and wiped his hands on the towel walking back into the kitchen.
“That’s fair,” he nodded. “To each their own, ya know. What do you listen to?”
“A lot of books on tape,” Nancy said. “Though if I want to wind down, I’ll put on something classical or operatic.”
“Love classical,” Ikher nodded, dumping the chicken into the skillet. He poured the sauce in, making it sizzle and spreading the spicy curry smell through the house. Nancy inhaled the savory smell and then took a small drag from the blunt before getting up and putting it in the ashtray on the counter.
“You ever dance to classical?” Ikher asked, stirring the chicken.
“Oh, no. I’m not much of a dancer,” she said over her shoulder as she went back to the couch. Ikher turned the burner low on the chicken after putting a top on the skillet. He poured the rice in a pot and turned that flame up.
“Okay, this can go for a bit,” he said, rinsing his hands and wiping them on his towel. “Jump up. Gonna teach you some moves,” he smiled, walking over to Nancy.
“What?” she blinked up at him before shaking her head. “I don’t want to break dance.”
He chuckled. “Nah, nothing like that. How about the old 6th-grade clutch and shuffle?” he offered, holding out his hands. Nancy narrowed her eyes at him, still uncertain. A mischievous smile spread across his face, which she had to admit was kind of adorable. He looked like a little kid about to get into something he shouldn’t.
“What’s wrong?” he grinned down to her. “The indomitable Nancy Lanover scared of some sixth grade dance steps?” Her mouth opened slightly as her eyebrows went up. She huffed and put her hands in his. He helped her up and led her a few steps to the open spot between the kitchen and living room.
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“Okay, your left hand in mine, your right on my shoulder. I’m going to put my left around your waist, okay?” he said, adjusting her hand in his before stepping up to her. Their normal height difference had Nancy almost looking over his head. She looked down on him with the wedges she currently wore.
“I, umm, don’t suppose you want to lose the heels?” he asked, looking up, his former bravado vanished. The slight blush in his cheeks had less to do with the height difference and more with the fact that, at this distance, her chest rested against him, almost under his chin.
One of her eyebrows crept up as she grinned down to him. “What’s wrong? Instructor Ybarra not able to teach like this? Wouldn’t I be wearing heels if we were dancing?”
“You would, fair point,” he laughed as he stepped back a bit. He squeezed her hand and nodded, looking her in the eye with a sudden focus.
“Okay, so we’re going to take one step to your right, now bring the other foot to it. Pause. Then we go back the way we came to the left. Good. Same thing again. To the right, bring together, slight pause, back to the left. Rinse and repeat.” He smiled as they swayed in place. “See, there you go. Not so hard.”
She sighed at him. “I’ve done this before. This isn’t dancing.” That prompted a big grin from Ikher.
“Okay, next lesson then,” he said, shifting her in a different direction. “Step right. Together. Now, you’re going to step toward me in a circle with your left. Okay?” he said, motioning with his head behind him to his right as he slid backwards diagonally. She followed, looking down at their feet. “Eyes on me. Now, follow with your right. Good, now we start over. Step right, together, and now forward circle to your left, and back together.”
His initial trepidation at them being so close had vanished. Ikher held her close, leading her in slow, tight circles, making small corrections —eyes on me, use your other foot— while encouraging her —you’re doing great, you’ve got this— until they settled into a slow steady rhythm around his front room.
Every time she looked down, he would squeeze her hand or tug at her waist, pulling her attention back to him. Ikher exuded a confidence that was reassuring and, if she was honest, attractive. His dark brown eyes and warm smile didn’t hurt either.
“This looks so much more complex on television,” she said.
His cute, mischievous grin returned. “That’s because they add in things like this,” he said as he released her waist as they started a turn and stepped away from her. “Throw your other hand way out. Make it dramatic,” he smiled, holding his free hand out behind him. Nancy threw her hand back and tilted her head up.
“Yes! That’s awesome,” Ikher said. “Okay, for the finale, I’m gonna pull you back in.” He stepped in, much closer this time, and as she laid her hand back on his shoulder, he wrapped his arm around her, locking her to him. He smiled up to her, stepped sideways, and said, “And now we dip.”
“What? No!” Nancy gasped, as he leaned her back and one foot slipped off the floor, throwing all her weight into his hands. He was a small man, and she was certain she weighed more than him. Releasing his hand, she grasped his shoulder and clutched onto to him.
But they didn’t hit the floor. After a moment, she pulled her face from his shoulder and turned to look at him. His calm, relaxed smile vanished when he noticed her frantic expression, concern flooding those dark brown eyes.
“It’s okay. I won’t drop you.”
Sure enough, he held her parallel to the floor with no apparent effort, and she was suddenly very aware of the warmth radiating from him. Her fingers felt the hard curves of his back and shoulder muscles. Her eyes followed the shape of his lips as he smiled again and looked up into his eyes looking at her.
When her ears became hot, she tried to speak, but her voice caught in her throat. Thankfully, the lid on one pot saved her when it started clattering. Ikher swung her back up and made sure she on steady footing before he went to attend the food.
“You should, warn someone before you do that,” she said, paying a little too much attention to smoothing her dress.
“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to scare you,” he smiled over to her.
“I’m fine,” she nodded. When Ikher turned his attention to their meal, Nancy dropped onto the couch.
What was that? Had he done that on purpose? Was he trying to make a move on her? Aside from Jared or Elias, she couldn’t remember anyone flirting with or making a pass at her in years. Or had it happened, and she hadn’t noticed?
Had she been out of the dating world so long that she couldn’t see the signs anymore? Had she pushed sex so far back in her list of priorities that she had blinded herself unless it was a completely overt attempt?
But was it an overt attempt? Ikher could have done a lot more had he wanted but didn’t. Maybe she was blowing this out of proportion? A question rose in her mind that made her squint. Had she wanted him to do more? Judging from her reaction, some part of her did.
But that made little sense. Sure, Ikher was attractive, but so were plenty of other men she knew.
“Nance,” his voice said, pulling her out of her head. She looked to him going back and forth between the pots on the stove. He glanced over his shoulder. “Food’s almost ready. Wanna set the table?”
“Oh, yes,” she said, standing. He nodded and refocused his attention on their food.
And just like that, he was back to happy-go-lucky Ikher. When she brushed his shoulder, reaching to get the bowls from the cabinet, there weren’t any butterflies. Had take command, smoldering Ikher just been a figment of her imagination?
It pained her to admit that Maurice could be right. If this evening was any indication, perhaps she needed more of an outlet than running. Glancing at Ikher while she set the silverware, Nancy decided to pull back a bit. Maybe she had gotten too friendly. She enjoyed these evenings but didn’t want to give him the wrong impression.
----------------------------------------
After dinner, they moved to the couch and finished the blunt. Their conversation, which started as a simple discussion of literature, devolved into a debate with them presenting their arguments from opposite ends of the couch.
Stomach full and slowing coming down off a high, Nancy’s shell was gone. She sat in her corner, shoes off and one leg folded under her knee, talking with her hands.
Ikher, at the other end, his body facing the room with his head and arms splayed along the back of the couch. “Nope,” he shook his head, looking at her. “The color indicated his depression.”
Nancy laughed and rolled her eyes. “My literature teachers fed me that same line. He wrote that before any of our professors were alive. So that’s nothing but conjecture. Not everything has a bigger meaning. Sometimes, curtains can just be blue.”
Ikher pointed to her. “Then why did he mention the color?”
“He was setting the scene, sprinkling little details in,” Nancy said, holder her hands out to him. “There’s a singing bird a few lines later. He put that in to show he wasn’t inside anymore.”
“You don’t think the bird was happiness calling to him?”
“No!”
Ikher sighed and shook his head. “I dunno man. We might have to agree to disagree on this one.”
“We can, but I’m still right,” she shrugged. The street lights blinked on outside, pulling both their attention out the window. Nancy glanced at her watch, her posture wilting a bit. “I should get going. May I use your bathroom to change?”
“Sure thing,” he said, sweeping some stray ashes off the coffee table into the ashtray. Nancy walked out to her car and came back in with a gym bag. “Whatcha changing for?”
“My car reeked of ree- marijuana after the first time,” she said, pointing at him as he smiled at her word usage. “I brought a change of clothes just in case.”
“Smart thinking. It’s all yours,” Ikher said, waving her down the hall. When she emerged, she had changed to a short sleeve light blue polo, khaki capri pants with blue and white trainers.
Ikher put his hands on his hips, cocked his head to the side, and let out an exaggerated huff. “Oh, NOW you have flat shoes.”
She looked down at herself, then back to him. “I was going to offer to change until you protested.”
“I see how it is,” he smiled but then pointed to her. “I have to say though, your outfits are always sharp, very put together.”
A large grin spread across her face as she stood a little straighter. “Well thank you, Ikher. That’s nice of you to say.” She glanced at her watch again. “I should go. I have an actual fundraiser to plan tomorrow morning.”
“I’ll walk you out,” he said, holding the door for her. They walked down his steps to her car, where she stepped off the curb to put her bag in the passenger side and turned to him.
“Thank you again for dinner.”
“You’re very welcome. Was it good enough to trap you into coming back?” he smiled, making her sigh and shake her head.
“I think we both know I’m not trapped.” She crossed her arms under her chest and leaned on her car before tapping her finger on her jaw. “Though at some point I might request a take-home portion for my assistant. He’s been harassing me since I’ve bragged about your meals.”
Ikher laughed and nodded. “I can send you home with some. Next week?”
She paused for a moment before nodding. “Yes, possibly Thursday or Friday.”
“Sure. Just give me a heads up so I can pregame it a bit.”
“I will,” Nancy said, pushing off her car. With him on the side walk and her on the street, they were the same height. She hesitated for a second and pressed her lips together as she looked at him. “Ikher, can I be honest with you?”
He felt his heart thump in his chest. He swallowed and his smile dropped. “Umm, yeah…”
“Oh, stop. I’m not always horrible,” she sighed. “I just wanted to come clean and tell you that... I was hesitant to do this, these dinners,” she said, waving her hand to his house. “But, I’m glad you talked me into it. As silly and odd as these evenings can be, I’ve come to enjoy them.”
“Oh, thanks!” he said with a large exhale. Maybe Janine was right. Maybe Nancy did like him. “I enjoy it too. And you’re not horrible. It’s just when someone asks if they can be honest, it’s usually bad news.”
She shook her head. “Well, not this time.”
He pointed at her and grinned. “I dunno, you said I was silly and odd.”
“Well, you are odd,” she said, making him gasp in mock offense. Nancy pursed her lips and glared at him before shaking her head. “Odd isn’t the right word.” She looked down for a moment, thinking. “Different?” she said, looking back up to him.
“Is it a good different?” he asked with an eyebrow up.
“Absolutely,” she nodded.
Not like anyone else. Ikher looked at her smile and the way her light green eyes almost glowed from the street lights. He thought about that moment they had when dancing before nodding his head. “Thanks Nance, that’s kind of you to say.”
That made her laugh as she turned to go. “Kind? I better be careful. Sounds like you’re rubbing off on me,” she said before she swung back around again. “Oh, I have to apologize. I didn’t have time to get something to contribute this time.”
Ikher took a step forward. “It’s okay, I just enjoy your company.”
“It’s mutual,” she said. “But I can’t be a bad guest. Is there anything you can think of you’d like for next time?”
Ikher thought for a moment and took a half step closer. It was now or never. “Umm, yeah, there is something.”
“What’s tha-,” Nancy managed before Ikher closed the last between them, took her by the arms, and kissed her.
Her eyes went wide as she raised her hands and pulled away from him. When her lips left his, he opened his eyes. Seeing her reaction, he let go. Nancy backed into her car, blinking at him several times.
“Umm,” she started, trying to process as Ikher’s jaw fell slack. Shit.
“I… I read that wrong, didn’t I? I’m so sorry,” he said, shaking his head and holding his hands up. Nancy held up her finger and opened her mouth before closing it again. She covered her mouth and looked away for a moment and then back to him.
“I should go,” she said and rounded her car. Ikher slapped his forehead and ran his hand down his face.
“Nancy, I’m really sorry,” he said again, taking a step toward her car. She stopped after opening her door, narrowing her eyes as she thought. She opened her mouth again but stopped and sighed.
“Goodbye, Ikher.”
He watched until her car turned onto the main road. His shoulders slumped and his head fell back to stare at the night sky. He took a deep breath and ran his hands down his face before turning and trudging back up his steps. Before retreating in, he looked back up the street one last time and shook his head.
“I’m such an idiot.”