Chapter 16

Zoe stood in front of the mirror, examining her body. She slightly turned to the left and right, moving her hands over her curves.

"I wish I had bigger breasts," she said out loud.

As she looked at herself, she thought about Michael. It had been a while since she'd dated anyone. After college, she put all her time and energy into her restaurant. Even if she wanted to date, she had so little time. Men were a distraction. She wished she could be more like Chloe. "Date and dump," she called it. Chloe rarely had 3 dates with the same man. She said she liked to keep things fresh and moving.

"But what if you have a real connection with someone?" Zoe asked her one night during one of their after-hour get togethers.

"Connection? Girl, please. I'm not looking for a connection. I want to have fun. No strings, no emotional bullshit."

"You sound like a dude," Zoe said.

"What the fuck ever. I just know what I want, that's all. Don't label a bitch a dude because she can hit it and quit it. I don't need you to hold me or cuddle. You don't need to call or text me. Just keep it movin'."

She heard Chloe's words in her head. "I want a connection," she said.

She had no clue of what to wear. She went through her closet and pulled out several pairs of jeans, dresses, miniskirts, and shorts. She finally decided on a pair of jeans and a tunic top. She wore a pair of long silver earrings, bracelets on both wrists, and a simple silver chain with a small black onyx. She touched up her twist and put on nice, low black boots. She liked Michael, and she hoped their date – or kinda date – would go well. It had been so long since she had anyone in her life.

She walked out of the bedroom and into the kitchen. There was a large picnic basket on the table. She'd filled it with cold fried chicken, green salad, forks, napkins, two bottles of wine, and two wine glasses, and of course two mini sweet potato pies. She covered the content of the basket with a large cloth and closed the top, then grabbed her cell phone and set up a Lyft ride. She'd told him she'd meet him there.

When Tallulah told her Michael had given up his apartment, she wanted to call him but didn't know what to say. Now, she was a little hesitant even to go on the date, since he was basically homeless. She didn't want to add any pressure to his situation, so when he called to confirm, she decided she'd bring food and wine. She grabbed her keys, basket, purse, and cell phone and headed outside to catch her ride.

Michael had finally found a place to park. He'd used his press pass, but parking was still crowded and not very plentiful. He'd arrived a couple of hours before he was supposed to meet Zoe. Once parked, he walked around the jazz festival, speaking with vendors, musicians, and the organizers of the event. He wanted to be able to spend as much time with Zoe as possible, even though he was technically working.

He was sitting at a table, rewriting his notes when he looked and saw Zoe walking toward him. He felt a little nervous. He'd never really spent any time with her alone, except for their one date. It was a disaster. He was so nervous; he could hardly put two sentences together. He was so embarrassed; he never asked her out again and threw himself into his paper.

He couldn't believe how beautiful she was. She was carrying a basket and smiling brightly. He waved to her and stood up. She waved back and continued to walk toward him. "Hey!" he yelled as he walked toward her.

"You made it!" Michael was now standing directly in front of her. He wasn't sure what to do next, so he reached out to hug her. "I'm so glad to see you," he said.

She was surprised by the hug greeting, but she liked it and hugged him back. "I'm happy to see you, too." She released him. "I brought food. I thought we could have dinner and a little wine." "Great," he said. "I was just finishing some notes. Let's go sit down."

They walked over to the table. She put the basket on the table and sat down.

"This is nice. I'm glad we did this."

"Me, too," Michael said.

"Whatcha writing?" she asked.

"Oh, well I decided to cover the festival for the paper. I've been here for a while. I wanted to get that out of the way so I could spend time with you."

Zoe smiled and blushed a little. That's some thoughtful shit, she thought to herself.

"That's so thoughtful, Michael, but I wouldn't have minded hanging out while you talk to people." "Well, I did talk to a lot of musicians and can get us some VIP passes. I didn't know if you wanted to sit on the lawn or the seats."

"Ya know, VIP sounds good, but I like the lawn. Plus, I brought a blanket and basket. I thought

we could sit on the lawn and eat."

"You got it."

He quickly finished his notes and put them into his backpack. "You wanna find a place on the lawn?" he said.

"Sure," she replied.

He reached for the basket and her hand. She hesitated for a moment but then decided to extend her hand. He gently wrapped his hand around hers and led her to the lawn. She was shocked that he wanted to hold her hand, but now, in the moment, it just felt right. Her hand was soft yet strong. She squeezed a little tighter as they walked, happily allowing him to lead. They waded their way through the crowd and found a large empty space in the back.

"How's this?" Zoe asked.

"Perfect," he said, setting down the basket.

She opened the basket and pulled out a large cloth and fanned it out.

"Sit," she said.

Once sitting, she pulled out the chicken, green salad, plates, forks, and napkins. "Wow!" he exclaimed. "You didn't have to go to all this trouble." "Hey, I cook for a living. I can't help myself," she joked.

She pulled out a bottle of wine and two wine glasses. She quickly dished up the food and passed him a plate. It couldn't have been more perfect.

They ate, laughed, and drank. She felt completely at ease with him. He was easy to talk to, a great listener, and he had her same quirky sense of humor. The sounds of horns, guitars, and drums filled the air, and she watched the crowds of people dance and sway to the music. She'd often find herself looking at him. He was smiling, watching the band, enjoying the music. She tapped him on the arm and offered him one of the mini pies.

He laughed. "You know, I was secretly wishing for pie." "I thought so. I know T brings you pie when she works."

Michael took the pie from her, picked up his fork, and dug it into the pie.

"Ya know, I've never had sweet potato pie until I met T. You might as well call it crack. I love it." He took a huge bite and groaned with delight.

"I'm glad you like it. So how are things, the paper?"

He swallowed. "Well, I guess you know I'm crashing on T's couch," he said.

"She told me, Michael. I'm sorry."

"Don't be. I'm not sure what'll happen, but I know things will be okay. The printer has been increasing costs, and now it's to a point where I can no longer afford it. People don't read the paper anymore. Everything is online. You can get your news in a moment."

Zoe frowned. "So, what are you going to do?"

He sighed. "Well, I don't know yet. I guess I'll have to eventually shut down the paper. I can probably keep it afloat for a few more months. I guess I could find a job writing or editing. I've never worked for anyone, so I'm not sure what that's like."

"Well, I've worked for someone, and there's nothing like owning your own thing. I love running the restaurant. I'm not getting rich, but I'm doing pretty good."

"I think you're doing great. You're doing what you love. What could be better than that?"

She nodded her head. "Ya know, T's a good friend. I know y'all are cool and close. She cares about you. You've been a good friend to her; more like a brother. Now she's paying it forward." "I just want to make sure you know. I never thought I'd be sleeping on her couch. I don't want things to be awkward between us. On the bright side, her neighbor, Mrs. Herrera, has been feeding me the best homemade Mexican food."

"Well, I guess you ain't starving. You know T can't cook, right?" She laughed.

"I know. I got Mrs. Herrera," he joked.

As the night continued, the air becomes cold and chilly. The cold nip of the night air was enough for them to pack up the food and leave.

"Where did you park?" Michael asked, grabbing her hand.

"I took a Lyft," Zoe said.

"Can I drive you home?" he asked.

"Sure. That would be nice."

There was no hesitation in her answer. She didn't want the night to end. She'd learned so much about him and wanted to learn more. She liked him. He was so different than any other guy she'd ever dated.

They walked to his car. He unlocked and opened the passenger door for her.

Damn! He opens doors, too?! He walked around to the driver's side, opened the rear door, and placed the basket inside. He then climbed into the driver's seat and started the ignition.

As he went to put the car in reverse, she gently turned toward him and put her hand on his arm. "Wait."

Michael looked surprised and put the car back in park. "What's wrong?" he asked.

"Nothing's wrong. I just wanted to say that I really had a great time with you. I mean, I've known you for a while, but this was different. I feel like I know you better. I really didn't know how the night would go. I mean, the last date we had, you didn't say much."

Michael smiled. "I know. I was just so nervous. I had a good time, too. I really enjoy spending time with you."

She leaned over and kissed him. The warm, wet kiss caught him off guard. He felt her soft, gentle lips press up against his, and closed his eyes and kissed her back. She gently pulled away and looked into his eyes. He was staring at her. He started to speak, but she leaned in and kissed him again.

She leaned back and said, "Okay, I'm ready now." "You're full of surprises. I like surprises."

He put the car in reverse, and they drove off.

She was giving him directions when they passed a homeless woman with four kids, sitting on the curb near a convenience store. The woman had a few jugs of water and a few small plastic cups. She was sitting in a lawn chair, with her children sitting around her. She held a sign that read, "Please help, hungry. Need money for a hotel room. Anything helps."

The woman wore a small jacket and hat. The children were sitting on large pieces of cardboard and huddled together for warmth. He noticed they didn't seem to have coats and were wrapped in small blankets.

Zoe and Michael both looked at the woman as the car passed. As they came to a stop at the stoplight, he looked in the rearview mirror. He watched her as she put down the sign and began pouring water from one of the jugs into a small cup. She handed the cup to the littlest child. Michael thought he must have been about 4 years old. He heard Mrs. Herrera's voice in his head: "No one should go hungry."

He continued to watch the woman when he heard Zoe's voice. "Greenlight," she said.

He started to move forward. As he passed through the light, he turned into a small grocery store parking lot.

"What are you doing?" she asked.

"I'll be right back."

Michael put the car in park and went inside the store. Several minutes later, he emerged from

the store with several bags, blankets, and a cooler. Zoe jumped out of car, ran around to the

driver's side, and opened the rear door.

"What's all this?" she said, surprised.

"It's for the lady and her kids," he said. "No one should go hungry."

He loaded everything inside the car and drove back to the corner, where the woman was sitting. He got out of the car and walked up to her. "I have some food, cups, and blankets for you in the car."

Before the woman could speak, Michael walked back to the car and opened the rear door. He pulled out a cooler, blankets, and several bags.

Zoe jumped out of the car to help. He placed the cooler in front of the woman and opened it. It was full of ready-made sandwiches, juice, water, and Gatorade.

"Wwwwhat?" the woman stammered.

"For you and the kids," he said.

He turned toward the 4 kids. The oldest couldn't have been older than 10.

Zoe carried the bags of food and set them next to the cooler. "There's fruit, crackers, chips, and snacks in the bags," she said.

Michael said, "I found some hats and gloves, too. I hope they fit."

The woman stared at him. She tried to speak, but she had no words. Tears began to flow from her eyes, and she reached out and hugged him.

"Thank you," she whispered. "Oh my God, Jesus is good. Thank you, sir. Thank you!" "You're welcome. Do you have a place to stay?"

The oldest child, who was a little girl, walked up to him and said, "We don't have no place to stay."

The woman was still crying, staring at Michael.

She nodded her head and managed to say, "I lost my job and have no money for a hotel room. The shelter is full."

"How much is the hotel?"

"I have a voucher, so it's only $40 per night. I start a new job on Tuesday."

He pulled out his wallet and looked inside. He had exactly eighty-five dollars. He handed her the money.

"Go get the room. This is enough for two nights. I wish I had more. I just want to help." Zoe looked at Michael. This had caught her completely off guard.

The woman started crying again and held up her hand. "You've done enough," she said. "Take it, please." He took her hand, put the $85 into her palm, and wrapped her fingers around it. "Do you need a ride?" he asked

"No," the woman managed to say. She was still crying. She hugged him again. "I prayed for some help. Just a little help. God is good."

She hugged him a little harder and released him. Zoe watched in amazement as the woman hugged Michael. She then turned toward Zoe and hugged her, too.

"Thank you," she whispered. "Thank you so much."

"Are you okay? Do you need a ride?" Michael asked again.

"No, the hotel is across the street." The woman looked at her 4-year-old daughter and gently said, "We don't have to sleep outside tonight. These nice people are helping us. They're angels."

The little girl walked over to Michael and said, "Are you really an angel?"

Michael looked at the woman, who spoke for him. "You don't ask an angel if they're an angel; you just know. He is an angel."

The little girl quickly placed her hands around Michael's waist and hugged him. "Thank you, Mr.

Angel," she whispered, then smiled and ran over to her siblings.

The woman turned toward Michael. "I can pay you back. If you give me your name –"

He held up his hand. "No, angels don't need money." He winked at her. "If you're okay, we'll be going now."

The woman started crying again and nodded her head. Michael walked over the driver's side and got in the car. He watched the woman hug Zoe again. "Bye," Zoe said, then got in the car.

She turned toward Michael. "Michael, what you just did…I…"

"I just wanted to help. Pay it forward. Sometimes everyone needs a little help, a little saving," he said

"Wow. I'm speechless. You gave that lady $85, bought her food and water, and I'm the one full of surprises?"

He smiled and put the car in drive.

"Something just hit me." He said.

She grabbed his hand and squeezed it. "You're gonna get your blessings, Michael. You have a good heart," she said, with a smile. He gently pressed on the gas, and they drove away.

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