3 Ch 3: You’re late

But the night didn't go according to plan. She dropped Isabella and Samantha off at Leah home's for the night, and they seemed to be happy to visit their aunt.

Then Maya went back home and showered; she dressed in white skinny jeans, a wine cotton button Kup blouse and wine peep-toe wedges, and finished the outfit off with a white denim jacket and a beaded necklace. She carefully applied her makeup and flat ironed her already straight hair, making sure her fringe was perfect.

It was eight-fifteen when Dylan called to say that they were waiting downstairs in the lobby, and grabbing her sequin black beaded purse on her way out, made her way down to the car.

When she climbed in the back of the white Volkswagen polo, she noticed that she sat alone. She greeted Dylan and he introduced her to Victoria, who was a pretty, petite browny girl no older than around twenty-five or twenty-six.

She was polite and very pleasant, and Maya's worries that she might get the idea that she and her husband to be were involved in some way all but disappeared from her mind. "Don't worry, he is going to meet us at Cats," Dylan said with a mischievous smile.

"Who?" Maya replied nonchalantly, pretending not to know who he was talking about. "Your blind date," Dylan said with ecstatic. "Oh Lord, Dylan…" "I know, I know I'm just teasing you."

"I hope that's not what you told him," she said nervously. "Of course not," he winked, and then Victoria turned into the traffic and they were off.

But about an hour after they arrived at the quaint little lounge-type club called Cats, Dylan told Maya that his friend wouldn't make it.

He had called and said that he had to work and had specifically instructed that Dylan apologize to Maya for him. Maya was crushed. She hadn't realized how eager she was to meet the mystery man until he called it off.

She tried to enjoy her night and though there were a few men that tried to chat her up, she was tired and she eventually asked Dylan to take her home. Monday morning brought with it heavy rain, and for the first time since she had started her job at the paper, she was late.

Following an accident, the road to her work had been closed, and traffic had been diverted. Her boss was standing in the doorway talking on his phone when she entered the lobby, and when he saw her he cut the call short. "You're late," he commented. "I'm so sorry sir," she apologized. "There was an accident, and…"

"It's fine; just don't make a habit of it. Can you write?" She was taken aback by his sudden change of demeanor and wasn't quite sure what he was asking. "Yes, I can write…"

"I mean an article," he interrupted sensing her confusion. "Can you write an article?"

"I guess I could, it just depends on the subject." "The subject is the recent fuel price hike and how it affects consumers, I need the article by this afternoon on my desk.