Year of the Chick: Beginnings (a prequel short story) Read online

  “Donnn’t you worry, when you are married you will be at home…cooking. Like you SHOULD be!”

  I rolled my eyes, but still I was relieved to be a few years away from “arranged marriage” set-ups and the vomit-worthy pressure. I hope that day never comes.

  I finally got my mother off the phone and turned to the mirror. It was definitely “half-sleeve” weather once again, but weary of the “farmer’s tan” like all other girls, I wore a loose purple tank-top with jeans and some shiny sandals. My mother would be very upset when I developed this tan, since “fair-skinned” Indian girls were like the Lexuses of the bridal meat market, and by sunning I was degrading myself to the level of a Hyundai Pony. So fine, I was a lowly hatchback, but if I listened to her I would probably wear a full body-suit or never leave the house, and neither of those options were acceptable ways to live. Sorry, mom.

  ***

  Aaron and I were walking along the Harbourfront past a row of fancy yachts, on our day of exploration in Toronto. He was wearing jeans, a simple blue T-shirt and a Red Sox baseball hat. Every time I looked at him I remembered how cute he was. No, he’s a CO-WORKER friend!

  “What do you think about yachts, Romi? Like that one?” He pointed to some multi-tiered angular work of “yachty” art at the center of the dock.

  “I think they’re dumb. And let me guess, you think they’re awesome?” I turned to him and smiled.

  “Not necessarily. Why do you think they’re dumb?”

  I sighed. “Because of what they represent, I guess. Like ‘gather up all your rich friends and escape!’ That’s okay, I suppose, but MY dream of seeing the world involves going to crowded market places and being around people. People are the ‘place,’ not the shiny vessel you use to guard yourself from all the realness.” I looked at him to see if any of my wisdom was sinking in.

  He actually stopped walking and stood in front of me. “That’s bullshit. You’re just jealous because you’ve never been on one.”

  Dammit.

  I smiled. “Usually people eat up my sweeping social statements like a Snickers bar. And Snickers satisfies!”

  He laughed.

  “Whatever,” I said, as I strolled away from him. “Screw you and your bullshit meter!”

  So Aaron was not only cute, but also not afraid to tell it like it was. I had a feeling I was going to be in trouble.

  Then why did it feel so nice?

  ***

  I stretched out my legs and repositioned myself on the uneven piece of rock that was my temporary chair. The waves of Lake Ontario were swishing back and forth from the strength of a strong May wind. It was soothing, and a pretty nice back-up to an ocean, since we didn’t really have one nearby. I became so distracted by the swishing that my ice cream started melting off my cone, and was now trickling down my inner forearm.

  “Shit!”

  I tried licking it off my arm until I noticed Aaron staring.

  He smiled. “Well don’t stop now, I’m enjoying this.”

  I elbowed him and looked around for the napkin I thought I’d had.

  “You mean this?” He waved a napkin in my face and laughed.

  “If you don’t give me that napkin, I will wipe my ice cream covered arm all over your Boston CrapSox hat.” I narrowed my eyes which he probably couldn’t see from behind my sunglasses, but I did it anyway.

  “Calm down, no need to diss my team.” He shook his head. “You can be scary when your arm is covered in food. I’ll have to remember that. Now come here.”

  He gently took hold of my forearm, and used his other napkin-holding hand to wipe off all the ice cream. As I felt the pressure of his fingers running along the inside of my wrist, I started to feel things you shouldn’t really feel for a coworker friend, especially one who was multiple levels higher than a minion, in a company where interoffice dating was a no-no. I was so distracted by this feeling, that it took a while to notice the rest of my ice cream melting fast, landing drip by drip on the rocky beach.

  I laughed. “Look! I think this ice cream is a lost cause.”

  “It’s ‘cause you’re such a slow eater. Do you mind?” I shook my head no, and the next thing I knew he was practically eating ice cream out of my hand. He let me finish the rest, at which point I realized our saliva had just mixed, at which point I realized we should probably just kiss. It was only a flicker of a thought though, and one that I forced away.

  I suddenly winced. “My butt’s starting to hurt from sitting on this rock. Do you wanna walk around some more?”

  “That’s weird, my butt doesn’t hurt at all.”

  “That means you have a fat butt.”

  His eyes widened.

  “What?” I said innocently. “If your butt doesn’t hurt on jagged surfaces, it means you have a thick layer of fat on it. It’s nothing to be ashamed of.”

  “You’re nuts.”

  “No really! You should be proud of your body. Curvy is beautiful.”

  He pushed me and I nearly fell off the rock.

  I turned and smiled. “C’mon fatty, let’s go to the art show.”

  ***

  One of the things I loved about Toronto or any city that celebrated the arts, was the random exhibits that would pop up out of nowhere. A plain stretch of street and sidewalks one day, and a super-cool art show another. Today’s was focused on the emerging painters of our city, and I was captivated. So captivated in fact, that I’d kind of lost track of Aaron, as I was mesmerized by an abstract depiction of three women.

  “So what’s their story, Romi?” Suddenly Aaron was behind me, and even though our bodies weren’t touching I could feel him. It was eerie.

  “Uhh…well.” Why is this bastard making me nervous? “It’s about treachery.” Yeah, that’ll work.

  He stood beside me now, rubbing his chin with one hand. “I’m not seeing that.”

  “No but look.” I pointed to the first woman. “Her head is the largest because she stole something from the middle one. A dress, a man, whatever. So her ego is through the moon. Hence the giant head. That’s why the middle one has sad droopy eyes.”

  “Okay…”

  “The last one has diamond eyes though, ‘cause she’s…focused.” Yeah, sure. “She’s gonna screw them all, but no one even knows ‘cause she’s standing in the back. I wanna buy this!” I checked the price tag. Wow. “I definitely DON’T wanna buy this!”

  We laughed, and I started to look around for anything else that might catch my eye, but Aaron kept shifting his feet so he was always in front of me. It was annoying. “What’s your problem? You’re blocking my view.”

  “I’m trying to get your attention…so I can tell you I had a great time.”

  My annoyed frown from seconds before was replaced with a nervous smile. “I had a great time too.”

  “But it doesn’t have to end yet, does it? Let’s grab some dinner.” He put his arm around my shoulder and led me out of the zig-zag display of art, as I wondered where on earth this would lead…

  ***

  I hung my suit jacket over a chair at an empty table and glared at its thick polyester. Mandatory suit jackets? Even in the summer? This company needs to chill out. Literally.

  Laura and Jayla followed me to the table, and we all began to sip our iced coffees at once.

  “Ahh…” I said.

  “Yeah…” added Jayla.

  “So tell me again how you’re living at home but you secretly have a boyfriend?” I raised my eyebrows at Jayla, this typical Indian-Canadian with a double life.

  “I always tell my parents I’m sleeping over at my friend’s house…like a couple times a week.” She laughed. “They never question it.” Mine would NEVER fall for that.

  “And what did they think when you got your orange highlights?”

  She shrugged her shoulders. “I guess my parents are a little more chill than yours….except for the fact they still think I’ve never kissed a boy.”

  We all laughed, and in that moment I re
alized how strict even the “chill” Indian parents were.

  “What about you, my beautiful Laura?” asked Jayla. “Any hot Italians chasing you around?”

  She shook her head. “No, thank god. All I care about right now is making sure our one-year evaluations go well.” She looked nervous.

  Suddenly I looked more nervous than her.

  “Don’t worry Romes,” said Jayla. “The crazy HR demon doesn’t have a clue.” She was referring to Aaron and our growing connection. Nothing had happened after that day we’d spent together. Even after dinner that night, he only patted me on the shoulder to say goodbye (which was totally awkward and weird).

  Laura smiled. “You’re really starting to like him, aren’t you?”

  I blushed.

  “If you want my advice,” started Jayla, “forget about our uptight office, and go get your fix before he’s gone!”

  My eyes widened. “Gone?”

  “Well you know…he’s from Boston. Consulting. That’s probably not a permanent thing.”

  My mouth hung open.

  “He’ll probably be here ‘til the end of the year though!” Laura quickly added.

  “For sure!” said Jayla. “But wouldn’t it be nice to spend the next six months figuring out if he’s…boyfriend material? ‘Cause if he is, maybe you can make something work once he leaves.” She finished off with a wink.

  Huh?

  I was barely getting used to the idea that he was here, and now I had to think about him leaving? This was all just a bit too much, so I sipped my iced coffee hard until the brain-freeze agony hit. I need more time with Aaron.

  ***

  I looked into the tiny compact mirror at my desk and smoothed out my hair. Then I checked the clock.

  4.55pm.

  It was almost the end of the day, but I wouldn’t even dare start packing things up, not when the exit was right beside HR’s office. One day Derek had left five minutes early, and he’d actually been called to the demon’s office the next day, for a gentle warning about early departures and lack of dedication to the company. Her bun had been extra slicked back that day. I shuddered.

  I suddenly realized I had more important things to worry about than how much hair gel HR-demon used for her daily buns. Instead I had to smear on some lip-gloss, as I was minutes away from an evening date with Aaron. He’d heard about this cool piano bar uptown, and asked me if I wanted to check it out. Of course I’d said yes, but I wasn’t too keen on wearing my nerdy office clothes to something cool, nor did I feel like changing in the office bathroom.

  So he’d offered to let me change at his apartment.

  His APARTMENT!

  My heart rate quickened but there wasn’t any time to be nervous.

  Five o’ clock.

  ***

  Aaron’s apartment was minimalistic, which is exactly what you’d expect from a heterosexual man, but it was even more plain than normal since he wasn’t a permanent resident. It was also very small. Or cozy. He pointed to one of two doors.

  “Bathroom’s over there if you wanna change.”

  I smiled and headed past the white couch, flat-screen TV and tiny kitchen. It took me about two seconds to make that journey.

  Once in the bathroom, I naturally creeped his medicine cabinet like any normal person would. After a quick scan of all the items, I was relieved to find nothing with the word “fungal” on the label.

  I quickly changed into tight dark jeans and a semi-fancy tank top, then threw on a necklace and got the hell out of there.

  When I exited the bathroom I was suddenly standing in front of his bedroom. Small apartment. The sun was still shining brightly on this midsummer’s day, and the angle of the light poured directly onto his bedside table…and onto the picture frame sitting atop it.

  Aaron and a girl.

  Or more accurately, Aaron and a pretty blonde girl, in a close up and snuggly pose.

  I quickly turned around to make sure he hadn’t caught me. He was busy watching TV, so he obviously hadn’t heard the sound of my heart falling flat on the floor. I felt trapped in this moment, and suffocated by the thought of spending an entire evening with him.

  He turned around and smiled. “You look great, let’s go!”

  So I went…

  ***

  I listened to the sound of pianos keys to distract me. The beautiful soft notes partnered well with this lovely woman’s voice. She was probably in her mid-forties, and I was mesmerized by every verse, especially because it meant I didn’t have to look at Aaron. I broke my focus to take a (long) sip of my wine.

  “You’re so quiet tonight,” he said, leaning back in the plush purple booth.

  He smiled warmly.

  I didn’t smile back.

  Even though my experience with boyfriends was minimal given my commitment-phobic years in university, I’d never been one to play games.

  “I saw the picture…of you and your girlfriend.”

  His smile disappeared.

  “Look it’s totally fine,” I quickly said. “I mean now I understand why all you did was awkwardly pat me on the shoulder, after our…amazing day together.” I smiled to myself. “Now it all makes sense.”

  He looked serious. “I’m not a jerk you know. Like I don’t go around to different cities and try to pick up girls.”

  “So you don’t have a ‘ho in every area code?”

  My remark changed his serious expression into a smile. “I really don’t. You were just the only person in the office who didn’t seem like a loser or totally nuts, and I really didn’t know anybody here.”

  “So I was a convenient tour guide...” I rolled my eyes.

  “Let me finish!”

  “Okay, go on.”

  “Well that’s the hard part…what do I even say? You…you make me realize that life is messy.” He sighed. “That day we spent together was perfect.”

  I blushed but didn’t respond.

  “The whole time I was wondering to myself: how could a girl be so fun and cool and smart, without secretly being insane?”

  “Well…” I said.

  We both laughed.

  “I think I met you at the wrong time,” he said.

  He stroked my arm, and knowing this was all I would get, I let him.

  By now my heart was sinking fast. What was I supposed to say to all of this? I wasn’t sure, so I stayed silent and let him continue.

  “I just thought if I didn’t mention her to you, we could keep on hanging out without anything happening, because I really didn’t want it to stop! Which, now that I say it out loud…sounds totally selfish.”

  I pushed away the sadness and cleared my throat. “Don’t worry about it. I mean look at it this way: if you didn’t have a girlfriend, we’d both get in deep shit for ‘inter-office dating.’ Now we don’t have to worry about that.”

  “What? Are you kidding? No office policy could get in the way of me dating someone as cool as you. You’re too good to pass up.”

  “Except for the whole girlfriend thing…”

  Suddenly our conversation came to an awkward halt.

  I sipped my wine and looked away.

  ***

  After the abrupt and awkward end to my “date” with Aaron, we started to avoid each other at the office. I missed all his visits to my desk and the funny e-mails, but I didn’t want to waste my time with someone who was chained to a girlfriend back home. I also couldn’t keep hanging out with him as a friend, when we both knew what was bubbling underneath the surface. He didn’t really put up a fight, so he must’ve also agreed that the party was over.

  And just like that, I lost the American friend that I’d gained on my birthday night…

  ***

  In early September, about a month or so after Aaron and I stopped hanging out, our rotund VP was getting ready to make an announcement, with everyone squished inside the glass-walled boardroom.

  First he coughed and made some accompanying laboured noises.

  T
hen he began.

  “First of all, I want to commend the Toronto office, your numbers have only gotten better in the last few months. So congrats to you, and even though I’ll be staying on---what can I say, I love maple syrup---I’m sad to say that Aaron will be leaving in two short weeks.”

  Sierra gasped in true dramatic form, but otherwise the room was silent. I stared at my hands, and tried to pretend this wasn’t happening.

  “Now let’s not get too upset, because Aaron’s still staying with the company. In fact he’s going back to Boston to become a Senior Sales Director!”

  He’s going back to HER, you mean.

  Everyone clapped and congratulated Aaron while I forced on a smile. For a moment our eyes met, but we both quickly looked away.

  The congratulations spilled out into the kitchen where everyone lingered, but I snuck away fast and returned to my desk. Part of me wondered if Aaron had taken the job so he could get away from me. Another part of me thought it was pretty egotistical to think I had affected him that much. None of it really mattered anyway, because in reality his early departure was a blessing. No more reminders.

  A few minutes later, the ever-dramatic Sierra had already sent out an invite for Aaron’s goodbye party in two weeks time. She’d picked a great pub that was right on the Harbourfront, not far from where Aaron and I had been on that one amazing day. Great.

  I accepted the invite like any good coworker would, and just like that the countdown to his leaving began…

  ***

  The laughter in the pub had somehow taken over the music, with our VP’s “ha ha ha’s” ruling over the airwaves. I was sitting near Matt and Derek, who were busy making jokes about ugly girls, and generally being idiots as usual. Aaron was at a further table with a few of the Sales Directors, which made sense since he was one of “them” now. I looked out at the lake in the darkness, as the lights of the city bounced off it and moved with the waves. It wasn’t too cold on this late September night, so I grabbed my light jacket and decided to go for a walk.