Sandalwood Pt. 02 by FlynnTalwar,FlynnTalwar

“Mr. G, no phones in class!” Ava called out.

“He’s texting his girlfriend,” Brady said. “You know it when he’s looking at his lap and smiling.”

“Boys and girls, eyes on your pages,” Cole ordered.

“It’s definitely his girlfriend,” Brady spoke up again. “Look, Mr. G is turning red.” Cole cleared his throat and willed his voice not to crack.

“I was looking at something funny on my phone but you’re right, I shouldn’t have let it distract me in class.” He held the device up high and slid it into the side pocket of his lunch bag. “See? I put it away and it won’t even–”

BUUUUUUUUZZZZZZZZZ…

The class laughed as he retrieved the phone and switched it to silent.

“Okay, now it won’t even make a sound. Let’s remember if you don’t finish those sheets before the bell, it’s gonna be homework. Do you really want homework on the long weekend?” A room full of seven-year-olds turned their heads back down to their desks. Cole watched his phone light up repeatedly from within his lunch bag and bit his lip, convinced the analogue clock above the window was actually moving backward.

The last bell finally rang and Cole held on for a few minutes more while the kids put away their work and grabbed their backpacks to go home.

“Okay, Caroline,” he said to the last child there, famous for taking her time. “Because it’s Friday afternoon, I’m going to help you gather your shoes and homework.”

“You can’t wait to look at your phone, can you?” the red-haired, freckled little girl responded without missing a beat. “You’re definitely talking to a lady, Mr. G.” Cole sighed and laughed in spite of himself. Helen Keller would probably notice I was talking to a lady, he thought, shaking his head. “Is she nice?” Caroline asked.

“Very nice.”

“Is she pretty?”

“She’s the prettiest lady I think I’ve ever seen in my life.”

“That’s a long time,” Caroline said, sliding on her rubber boots one by one. “Does she love you?” Cole stopped in the middle of putting Caroline’s running shoes in her carrying bag.

“Hmmm,” he said. “I don’t know.”

“You should probably ask,” Caroline advised, squirming into the straps on her backpack. “You always tell us to ask if we don’t know something important.”

Caroline had taken so long her dad came into the portable, to Cole’s relief. He handed him the child’s shoe bag, waved goodbye, and made a beeline for his phone.

I was unaware I had to pick you up at this point, Maya had texted. I figured all I had to do was show up in red heels. Cole felt himself lift to half mast at recalling that incredible afternoon. Anyway, she wrote, wanna spend part of the day together tomorrow? I have to do some cleaning and groceries, but I’m free in the afternoon.

What if I drop by earlier and go shopping with you? Cole replied.

I dunno, dude, Maya said, I have to go to the Indian store, not the regular supermarket.

Oh, in that case, maybe not, Cole answered, smirking to himself. The white people network frowns upon that, you know.

I deserved that, Maya replied. Is two-thirty okay? I’ll wait outside for you.

***********

Cole pulled into Maya’s driveway the following afternoon, unsure whether she’d be coming out through the garage or the front door. Just as he turned his eyes toward the porch, he saw her and was taken back in time. There she was in the knee-length, light blue cotton sundress she’d worn seven years ago in his portable. It was the same dress, smock waisted with white spaghetti straps.

Her hair was held back by sunglasses perched on her head, and her lotus-petal eyes were lined in black. Silver anklets sat above her feet and made jingling sounds every time she took a step. Cole wasn’t sure he was fine to drive anymore. Maya hopped into the passenger side and smiled knowingly at him.

“You remember, huh?”

“Think you can drive this thing?” he replied, swallowing hard. She laughed and they switched sides, which was easier since she didn’t have to direct him.

Cole gazed at her the entire way, from the moment she slid the driver’s seat closer to the steering wheel, to the point she pulled into the parking lot of a little plaza about 15 minutes away. Maya gave him little smirks at every stop light she caught him watching her. He soon found out how she may have felt because he was the one getting stared at as soon as they entered the store.

He stuck behind the grocery cart and stayed close to Maya, who paid as little heed to all the eyes on them as she had to Cole’s eyes on her in the truck. As he was struck by the fragrant aroma of spices in the air, she casually picked out produce and placed it in the cart.

“Feeling out of place yet, Eminem?” she grinned as they turned the corner out of the vegetable section.

“I have no idea what you mean,” Cole said, looking away from an elderly lady in a flowing tunic outfit who glowered at him. “They’re all staring at you in that little dress.”

“I’m sure they’re wondering what your parents fed you to get you that big,” Maya giggled.

“I’m only six feet, Maya,” Cole said. “You keep talking about my height like I’m the Jolly White Giant.” Maya snorted and covered her mouth.

“Compared to me at 5’5″, you are! And Indians aren’t huge, you know,” she replied. “We have our share of six-footers, but it’s a way smaller percentage.” She paused, lost in thought as they turned down the spice aisle. “Sorry, just thinking about if I have enough maple syrup at home,” she said after a second.

“Maple syrup?” Cole asked. “It doesn’t seem like the kind of thing you’d get here.”

“No,” she responded, stepping back and leaning close to him, “but I was thinking of pouring it on you cold and licking it off your chest later.” Cole stopped walking and leaned forward against the cart handlebar, looking at the floor and trying to subtly shift in his jeans.

“You hate me, don’t you?” he murmured.

“Which packet has the smaller mustard seeds?” Maya asked, squinting at the packets she held in each hand. Then she smiled and warmly rubbed Cole’s arm. “How does this still happen to you after everything we’ve done together?” she asked. “I can understand if we hadn’t even touched and you were anticipating some action. But we’ve had more sex over the last few months than–” she stopped.

“Than?”

“Nothing,” she said, slightly embarrassed.

“Than you’d had with your husband in years?”

“Yes,” Maya admitted, twirling her necklace and avoiding Cole’s eyes. “Even when he was here. But anyway, how does this still happen to you with just one racy sentence?”

“Because as soon as you say it, I start picturing it,” Cole explained, slowly pushing the cart forward again. “And then I get other images in my head, and thinking of hockey doesn’t help. Sorry, but the novelty of this hasn’t worn off for me yet.”

“Maybe it’s time to get you home then,” Maya smiled at him.

They turned into the checkout aisle, paid, left, and loaded up the truck. Cole, now in the driver’s seat, caught Maya looking at him at the stoplights this time during a wordless drive. When he met her gaze, she simply put her hand on his resting on the gear shift and gave it a little squeeze. He pulled directly into the garage and they started moving the groceries into the kitchen.

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