The Difference Between California and New York

I woke up Wednesday morning with an aching headache. Last night I had to work late at the bakery and re-bake a cake and I had baked correctly, but the customer had ordered wrong. And yet even though I should have just charged them for the first and the second cake, I was generous and had to stay there until midnight fixing someone else’s mistake. I guess that was okay though, all things considered. Wednesday was one of my two days off, so I allowed myself to sleep late this morning, and though it didn’t do much for my headache, it did wonders for the bags under my eyes.

It had been three days since I first met Spencer, and three days since the exhausting night I spent at Daniela’s. I don’t totally remember how that night ended, but I know I ended up having more than one glass of wine. Lindsey and Daniela kept asking me questions about Spencer, most of which I had no answer to since I had only talked to him for fifteen minutes. But they had no problem filling in the answers for me. By the end of the night, I think they had decided that I was going on a date with a millionaire who worked for Google and played water polo in his spare time. And in comparison, I was definitely much more excited to go out with Spencer than Mr. Water Polo.

I laid there in bed and allowed myself to daydream. I wondered where we would go tonight. Maybe he’ll surprise me and take me to the nicest restaurant in town, or just keep it casual and go down to Tay’s. Either one would be fine with me. Since Sunday, the more time I had between then and today just made me more and more excited for our date. It’s been so long since I’ve been on a date, and I guess my mind is just getting away from me. I started to visualize my closet in my head, and mentally began to try and match different shirts and pants together. Or maybe I should wear a dress? I should probably ask Spencer beforehand where we’re going, just so I know what to wear.

And in that second, my heart stopped and I felt like I couldn’t breathe. Spencer had still never called me.

I began to immediately panic. I don’t know how I hadn’t noticed he didn’t call, I guess I had been so preoccupied with the excitement of being invited out on a date and what to wear to the date that I completely forgot about the person I was going on the date with. It’s been three days, shouldn’t he have called by now? I can understand waiting one day, maybe two at the max, but three days? And the day of the date? He never gave me his number, it was totally up to him to call me and schedule everything. What if he forgot about me? What if he decided he didn’t want to do this after all? The engine in my mind was revving up and getting ready to go down the road of endless possibilities at a hundred miles per hour.

Now with the probability of me falling back to sleep at a secure negative ten percent, I sat myself up in bed and reached for my phone to make sure that I hadn’t somehow missed it while I was sleeping, and I hadn’t. There were no missed calls, no new messages, nothing. At a loss for words, or actions for that matter, in a panic I did the only thing I could think to do. I hit a few buttons on my phone and stuck it to my ear.

“Hey there Annie Anne.”

“He hasn’t called yet Dani, why hasn’t he called yet?” I could feel less and less air getting into my lungs with each inhale I took.

“Whoa, whoa, who hasn’t called?”

“Spencer! Our date is tonight and he hasn’t called me yet. I gave him my number on Sunday, it’s Wednesday now, why hasn’t he called? Do you think he forgot? Do you think he’s changed his mind about our date?”

“Okay, first off, Annabel, breathe,” she cooed to me. I took one deep breath of air, but it didn’t manage to make me feel any better. “Now I’m sure he hasn’t forgotten, and I’m sure he hasn’t changed his mind. Maybe he’s just been busy. Did he tell you he had a job?” I tried to think back, I couldn’t recall any mention of it.

“I don’t think so, but I didn’t ask either.”

“I’m sure it’s either work related or something like that. Most guys don’t go asking about girls and then just ditch them when it comes to their date. I’m sure he’s just been busy and he’ll call later. It’s still early in the day, just give him some time. Guys are weird, some like to call the day after, some the week after. Just give him until tonight, I’m sure he’ll call sweetie.” I tried my best, but I couldn’t not hear the sound of doubt in her voice.

“And if he doesn’t?”

The line went silent for a moment, and I could almost hear how bad she felt for me. I suddenly felt pathetic. I hadn’t been asked out in so long, that I just clung to the idea of the date, I hadn’t actually thought about who I was going out with. I started to feel desperate, and that just made me feel even worse. I sighed, though I don’t think Daniella heard.

“Just have hope. The way you talked about him, and the way you said he asked about you, it sounds like he really likes you. I know this is your first date in a long time, but don’t worry. I mean, come on we all know you’re smoking hot, hotter than both me and Lindsey, combined probably” she chuckled slightly, “So there’s no way that this guy will pass up his chance to get with a pretty little thing like you.”

Her words didn’t really help, but they did make me smile and calmed me down slightly for the time being. I ran an exhausted hand over my face. I was so tired. I probably looked it too.

“Thanks Dani. I’ll make sure to call you later. Hopefully with good news.” I swung my legs over my bed. I decided I should take a shower. I needed one and the warm water would relax me. I stood up and walked over to my closet.

“No problem. Hey and by the way, my sister absolutely loved your cake. Said it was the best one she’s had in a while. She likes baking too, did you know that?” I set my phone down and put the speakerphone on. I began getting undressed.

“Yeah? I could show her how to bake something sometime.”

“She’d love that, I’ll let her know. Alright, well I gotta go. Work and stuff. Tell me how everything works out later. Feel free to come over, you know when I get off.”

“Okay sure.” I slipped off the last of my clothing and grabbed the nearest towel and swung it around me.

“Talk to you later, Anna Banana.” I smiled slightly right before I heard the click of her phone hanging up. I never admitted it to them, but I kinda liked that nickname.

I left my bedroom and headed towards the bathroom. My apartment wasn’t all that big, but anything felt huge when you're scurrying from your room to the bathroom in just a towel and all your blinds are up. Once inside, I closed the door and let my towel fall to the floor. I turned on the water, freezing at first then slowly getting warmer.

I looked in the mirror as I waited for the temperature to rise. There were defined bags under my eyes, but I've come to terms with the idea that they’re never fully going to go away, at least not while I have this job. My freckles were faint, as they disappear slightly in the winter, but the small bridge of little dots marching across my nose still survived. My overall skin looked lighter, paler. I guess cold air and no sun doesn’t really do wonders for the skin. But the little beauty mark diagonal to my right eye was still staying strong and as dark a brown as ever. I never liked that little mark. It always looked like a blemish to me. And my mother had one in the same spot, so I disliked it even more.

I never knew how to feel about my appearance. Like everyone else, sometimes I liked how I looked, sometimes I hated it. But overall, I had decided that I looked quite average. I’ve had a handful of people tell me I was pretty or beautiful, or smoking hot as Daniela thinks, but I never really agreed. I figured as far as everything else is considered, there were so many other people in the world who deserve be rewarded with those compliments, not me.

When I was younger, my father used to always tell me I was prettiest girl he’d ever seen. But then when he and my mother would argue, he would call her ugly and disgusting, among other words. Everyone had always said I was the splitting image of my mother. I never knew what to make of that. I guess I still don’t.

The mirror around my face was starting to steam up. I turned back to the shower and put a hand in the water to make sure it was the right temperature. I took my hair out of the messy bun I had slept in, pulled back the shower curtain and stepped into the soothing water.

~

When the water was running, I couldn’t hear it, but as soon as I turned the shower faucet off, I could hear it loud and clear. My phone was ringing.

In a sudden hurry, I grabbed the shower curtain and tore it back. I stepped out of the tub, grabbed my towel that was on the floor, and lazily wrapped it around myself, doing a poor job of drying my body. I opened the bathroom door, and started for my bedroom where I had left my phone on my dresser. My apartment was hardwood floors, and my feet were wet, and I’m sure any other person would realize that this wasn’t a good combination, but I hadn’t thought about the property of physics that was about to take place until my foot slipped and I was on my butt.

Despite the pain that was now running up and down my leg and also radiating in my rear, I picked myself up, and with a towel just barely covering me now, more or less crawled my way into my room. I grabbed my phone off the dresser from where I sat on the floor. I answered and shoved it to my still very wet ear,

“Hello?” I answered through a huff of air,

“Annabel?”

“Yes.”

“It’s Spencer, is this a bad time?”

“No, why?” He chuckled slightly.

“You sound totally exhausted.” I looked down at my knee that was starting to grow red from where I had hit the floor; I guess from the fall and all the adrenaline to get to the phone so quickly, I got a little winded.

“Oh, uh no, no, you’re fine. I was just trying to reach my phone in time.” I almost told him I was just getting out of the shower when I heard it, but I figured I shouldn’t let him picture me talking to him naked. Not before the first date at least. “So uh, how’ve you been?”

“Busy. I’m really sorry I didn’t get a chance to call before now, work has been totally hectic. I work with some animals, and I just haven’t had a free moment.”

“Oh it’s totally fine,” I reassured, but I still had some funny feelings about him calling so late. “I know what you mean, sometimes I feel like I work with a bunch of animals too, never a moment to yourself.” He started chuckling again, more this time though. I grew confused.

“No, no Annabel, I literally work with animals. I work at the Central Park Zoo. I’m an animal trainer and an animal psychologist. There were a few new tiger cubs born a little whiles back, and the mother is recently new to the zoo, so she was having some problems letting people touch and take care of her babies. I had to try to keep her calm while her cubs were checked for health and given their shots. I had to do a few overnights with her too. So, really again, I’m very sorry I didn’t get the chance to call sooner. I wanted to though, believe me.”

Well, those funny feelings are gone. I felt bad for doubting him, because he sure had one hell of an alibi.

“Hey, really don’t worry about it. You called now, and that’s really all that matters. Besides, now that I know what you do for a living, I want to hear all about it later.”

“You got it. And speaking of, where did you want to go?”

“Doesn’t matter to me. Anywhere’s fine.” I hadn’t really been out to eat in a while, so I wouldn’t have even known what to suggest to him. The only place I ever really go is out to Tay’s with my friends sometimes.

“What about Tay’s?” I smiled. It’s like he read my mind.

“That sounds perfect.”

“Beautiful. Say around seven?” I liked the way he spoke, the terminology he would use. The way he said ‘beautiful’ instead of ‘okay’ or ‘good.’ It was differentiating, unique. I liked it.

“Beautifuller.”

“I’ll pick you up. Where do you live?” Everything inside of me told me you should never tell a man you don’t know where you live. But I was naked and my lower body hurt, so that part of me wasn’t working very well at the moment. Or just didn’t care.

“11th Avenue, the West Delsea apartments.”

“I will see you then. Oh, and make sure you wear something you can dance in.” He laughed again, and I couldn’t stop the smile from creeping fuller and fuller onto my face.

“Well of course.”

“I can’t wait for tonight, Annabel.” After the last minute sudden stressful morning I had, it was nice to know that I was going to be able to relax tonight, and relax with someone who wanted to relax with me. My smile couldn’t go away.

“Me neither.”