Usually Wasn’t Tonight
As
usual, the time was 6:15 p.m. when Tina stepped outside her office, leaving to
go home from work. This evening was much cooler than the previous nights, so
she unfolded her coat that was hanging from her forearm and shrugged into the
deliciously warm jacket before she crossed the street.
She
had walked a few blocks before stopping at some shops. Normally, she would go
straight home, turn on What Not to Wear and head to bed, but tonight, it was
Friday and she planned on staying out. She was tired of her daily routine and
needed an outlet from her stressful job as chief financial officer.
Stopping
at her favorite clothing store, Tina was browsing the store when her dark blue
eyes noticed a peculiar man staring at her. Or at least she thought he had been
staring at her. Of course, he had been across the street, with his hands in his
pockets looking in the direction of the store, also in the direction of some
hot tourist spots in the city, but somehow she felt as if he had been staring at
her.
Looking
back towards him, she saw only an empty spot where the man had stood. Shopping
didn’t sound appealing to her anymore, so she decided it was time to head home.
Leaving the shop, Tina noted that the sky was still an assortment of warm colors,
but soon the sun would set and she didn’t want to be walking alone when it was
dark.
Only
a few blocks away from her apartment, she sensed a presence. Without looking
behind her, she knew the mysterious man was there, following her. Reminding
herself to stay calm, she kept her normal pace. Once she arrived at her
apartment, she unlocked the lobby door and walked inside.
Usually
she would head straight to her room, but tonight, she wanted to see if the man
had followed her. Trying to stay hidden, and see out the window was hard to
manage, especially when she was using a plant to cover her. Proud of her
stealth skills, from where she stood, she thought no one would notice her.
After
a few minutes of nothing, and feeling like a total ass she climbed out of the
plants and started to head towards the elevator, but something caught her eye.
She ducked down and looked hard out the window. It was the man. He looked up at
the building, as if looking at her window and then just as quick as he arrived,
he left.
Scrambling
to her feet, unable to think of anything but the man, she started after him. She
knew what she was doing was stupid, even insane because he was much larger than
her, had obviously been following her for a reason and she didn’t know who he
was. She didn’t care. She had to know.
Sure,
she might get raped or mugged or killed, but who would really miss her? She had
no boyfriend, her mother died when she was younger and she didn’t have any
sisters or brothers. She never knew her biological father because he was some
dope who needed money and donated his sperm at a bank and since work kept her
so busy, she barely had time to make friends. With that in mind, she forgot
about her heart pounding hard in her chest, her sweaty palms, and even the
churning that was making her stomach ache, she forgot about the fear that was
telling her to turn around and go home. Instead her curiosity won. Picking up
her pace a little, she moved closer to the man and she shouted, “Hey! Why the
hell were you following me?”
The
man immediately stopped. So did Tina. Tina could see her own breath as she
exhaled slowly, anticipating for him to turn around. She wasn’t afraid anymore.
Nervous, and cold from the nights chill, but fear had slowly faded once those
words flew from her mouth. She some how knew this man was not going to hurt
her, just like she knew he was staring at her back at the store.
Tina
watched the man drop his shoulders, and slowly turn around and look at her. It
was night now, but the city lights illuminated his face, displaying his
features. He wasn’t as old as she thought, but his receding gray hairline, and
wrinkles told her he was still much older than her. His dark blue eyes gazed
back at her and still, he didn’t respond. Once again, she opened her mouth and
demanded he tell her. Sweat beads were forming on his forehead and he started
to shift from one foot to the other. Tina realized he was more nervous than
her. His eyes left hers and looked towards the sky as if the answer was floating
around up there.
“I
know this looks horrible.”
“A
little, yeah.” Tina nodded.
“I’m not very courageous, so I could
never get up the nerves to call you, or even approach you. I’m sorry for
scaring you, but I just had to see how you were doing.”
“Who
are you?”
The
man lifted his hand as if to shake hers. “I’m Ethan Cole, your biological father.”
Taken
aback, dropping his hand, Tina look puzzled and then asked, “Sperm donor dad?”
“Is
that what your mom told you? Looks like we have a lot of catching up to do.”
Usually
Tina would run away from such accusation, but tonight she didn’t care. She wanted
to get to know her dad.
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