New Relationships – Is He A Magic Carpet Ride or a Lifelong Hustler?

A Flash Fiction to Challenge Emerging Relationships

Whether grown in or sewn in, her flowing hair framed the striking features of her face. And then It curved until it landed just past her shoulders. She sauntered into the breakroom wearing the exact shades of blues he loved, especially on a woman who interested him. Her height was right, with noticeable curves at the hips. In his eyes, she was a flawless wish list manifested from one man’s dream.

The flirt began with a glance from her, acknowledging the stare she’d noticed for a while. And then she gave a slight smile. He smiled back, too. Step One came into play—his attempt to get her attention was met with a resounding hit. Now, the ball bounced back into her court, but she didn’t want to seem too eager. With a quick sashay, careful not to sway those hips too hard, she left the breakroom. Her well-fitted blue outfit had done its job. It was on! Both knew. The game must be handled delicately.

After coffee and several lunch conversations a month later, they agreed to ramp the emerging relationship up to a more exciting level. Silently, each suspected they might have found the person they’d been looking for. With promising views of their future, the breakroom flirt had evolved into a date.

She wanted to do something simple, just enough for them to sit and talk.

“No, no,” he said insistently. “I want to take you to a place worthy of your beauty and style.”

Flattered, she said, “Well, okay,” and gave in to him. His wavy hair and deep dimples are too charming to resist.

• But what would be the price of a good meal?
• How did she want the evening to end?
• Tonight, will she rush her fingers through that wavy hair?
• Will she not be able to resist the temptation of finding out if the hair on his chest matched the waves on his head. Maybe…

STOP HERE…

Before we continue with this tale of an emerging romance, let’s give the stars proper names instead of He and She.

Meet thirty-eight-year-old Jameela Dimmore, a direct report to Lawrence Howell, CEO of ‘Blast Dem Burgers,’ and thirty-year-old Cameron Cuttingham, administrative assistant to Mary Anne Finch, one of Jameela’s peers on the twenty-fifth floor.

Jameela had never married; Cameron told Jameela he’d been married once and had a seven-year-old daughter. He hoped to have another child—a son to bear his name.

The First Date…

Cameron picked up Jameela in a white Audi A8. Jameela was becoming more impressed with him by the minute. A candlelight dinner at the premier restaurant, Romeo’s Corner, was no joke. As they walked hand in hand, heat from their pores seared the atmosphere around them. On-looker couples gazed and smiled. Jameela and Cameron had come to officially declare themselves an item.

The date went well, ending with the exciting conclusion Jameela had hoped for. With emotions running on wide-open, she imagined a courtship flowing toward forever. To her, engagement was on the way.

Three months later…

After he’d borrowed her car, again, Cameron was late picking up Jameela. The Audi had been wrecked, and the old clunker his brother had loaned him broke down. Jameela could not believe that her wonderful dream man, Cameron, had forgotten to add rental coverage to his insurance policy. And she couldn’t bring herself to think that he bought a brand new vehicle from a dealership that wouldn’t work out something for their new car owners in crisis.

Yes. Cameron had been careless and irresponsible, but it wasn’t a deal-breaker in the world where Jameela’s heart lay. On that first date, she’d let Cameron make love to her and stay overnight in her luxury apartment. In bed, he knew exactly what to do, how to touch the right spots without being coaxed, and he lingered as long as it took. It had been over a year since she’d had that kind of action. She loved it!

Stop Here…Again…

By now, serious doubts should have had a headlock on Jameela’s mind. The answer to whether Cameron could maintain the Magic Carpet Ride she’d seen in the beginning should be “NO.” Also, the bright lights of ‘warning’ should flash wildly with reservations about his income.

Thus far in this fast-moving, imbalanced relationship, Cameron’s smooth techniques had pushed through Jameela’s irritation. He assured her that disagreements, ups and downs would come, but they’d keep moving forward as long as they pulled together.

Cameron declared he was buying a new car because the Audi couldn’t be repaired, so the insurance company settled with him. And he wasn’t going to get another expensive $100,000 car; he was going to buy a very nice truck, a Ford F150 King Cab, at $60,000, so he could save the rest of the money from the Audi for their future.

What??? Did Cameron not have an Audi loan to pay off? Did educated Jameela not realize that the Audi would have lost value the moment Cameron drove it off the lot???

WAKE-UP, JAMEELA!

Previously, she had grimaced at how twisted Cameron’s stories were becoming. Too often, she let dumb, discombobulated comments slide and became pleased when Cameron showed up, like the next day with the F150 King Cab truck.

Cameron wanted ‘Jamie,’ as he called her, to spend the night at his apartment. Although his apartment bore no resemblance to her beautiful place on the other side of town, it was always clean—except for the three times she’d showed up unexpectedly. Surprise! Junk everywhere!

That night, in his small apartment with a new truck outside, Cameron declared his love for Jameela and asked her to marry him.

“Marry me, Jamie. Be my wife,” Cameron said.

Before she answered, Jameela felt the cold, steel edge of the Con-Job touching her neck.

“Turn and walk away,” something screamed from inside. But by now, her emotional realm was too compromised, too invaded, for her to make a rational decision.

“Yes!” she answered.

From the beginning, Jameela saw Cameron as the man she’d been waiting for—the man she’d dreamt about for so long. But she didn’t allow enough time to discover who Cameron Cuttingham TRULY was.

Jameela slept with Cameron on the first date, let him drive her car way too early, and pretended she was okay with it when she went to his dingy apartment. And not to mention Jameela was pulling money out of her savings and giving it to THE PRICK. Bottom line, Cameron had beguiled Jamie’s mind.

END RESULTS

Jameela married Cameron, a man who…

• Was already married with not one child but five!
• Empties her bank account
• Drove her nice car into the ground when Cameron’s cousin came back to pick up his Ford F-150 King Cab. That’s right: The truck was not Cameron’s.
• Beat her whenever he wanted to.
• Finally, family members convinced her to leave, but Cameron wouldn’t let her go. After his last attempt to kill her, Jameela quit her good job and moved to another state. Now, she’ll have to recover from this traumatic event she should have never let happen and hope Cameron doesn’t find her.

What exactly is a Prick?

Meriam Webster says:  

1. A nagging or sharp feeling of remorse, regret, or sorrow
2. A slight, sharply localized discomfort like the Prick of a needle
3. A vulgar term for Prick is PENIS
4. A spiteful or contemptible man often having some authority
5. To ride, guide, or urge on with or as if with spurs: GOAD
6. To mark, distinguish, or note by means of a small spot
7. To trace or outline with punctures

The moral of this Flash Fiction: Loneliness is not a reason to court stupidity. See a prick for what it is – a parasite and possibly a wanna-be murderer.  

I KNOW MY WORTH

Courageous and strong, soft and warm

I am the brightness a Universe adorns

I thrust in, then pluck out my thorns,

Number One planner, giver of money

Other actions, if needed, laced with honey

Expect Respect. Unearth that marvelous rebirth

Always know your worth

© Max W. Miller