The Big day!

The Story of Fidel and Cheyenne © 2006 Tyrone V. Banks

"She doesn’t know it yet but today will be the day!"

Fidel gave himself his daily pep talk in front of his bathroom mirror.

“Hello, my name is Fidel Montesino, but you can call me Del!”

Fidel stood back, admired his shaved head and applied after-shave lotion to his head and face. Today was the day! For almost six months he would see her every morning and each day he had a goal of getting at least 1 inch closer to her until they would “accidentally” meet. It was always the same scenario, he’d walk in and she’d be sitting at a table by herself drinking a cup of tea. He’d order his coffee, rush over to the sugar and cream to add a little flavor and then take a seat in a close proximity to her table. He’d do everything to get her to notice him. Whistle, hum, snap his fingers, sing, etc…he reasoned that she probably thought that he had turret’s or something and could not control himself. He’d finally psych himself up and walk towards her table and she would be getting up and ready to leave.

He didn’t know her name. All that he knew was that she was an attractive African American female in her late twenties, her nails were always manicured and her shampoo or hairspray smelled like fresh green apples. She had such a smooth light brown complexion and her hair was dark brown with light brown highlights. She wore cinnamon colored lip stick; she was about 5’6” and drove a 2005 silver Toyota Highlander.

Fidel was an average looking 28 year old guy with smooth Latin features. He preferred to shave his head and face daily, although shaving his head became more of a necessity versus a preference after his hair stopped growing back. He was proud of his Cuban heritage but he wished that his parents left his first name; “Fidel” back in Cienfuegos Cuba when they left there over 25 years ago. He wasn’t much of a dresser but he was told that he dressed like a cop even when he was off duty. The fact that he drove a late model Ford Crown Victoria while off duty didn’t help much either to diffuse the “cop” look.

He put on his State Trooper’s uniform and ran into the living room to grab his large duffle bag. He looked at his watch and picked up the pace. He knew that he had a small window of opportunity between 6:00 and 6:30 in the morning to see her before he had to report for roll call. He started up his car and screeched out of the driveway. He rushed to the coffee shop and screeched to a halt in the parking lot. He rushed out of his car as she drove away in her car. He entertained the thought of pulling her DMV records to find out all about her, but, that was against the rules. He was even tempted to chase after her in his cruiser, but, that was also against the rules and would probably generate a lot of paperwork and freak her out. He settled for getting up earlier the next morning and trying again but that was not an option today, it was Friday. He walked inside and ordered his usual; a large coffee. It wasn’t the same without her sitting nearby. He stirred the cream into his coffee and stood there totally lost in his thoughts about her. He could still smell her hair and he wanted to see her. He felt someone next to him and he turned.

“Honey?”

She was back and standing right next to him. This was going to be the day, he just knew it!

She called me honey! My dream girl came back and called me honey!

He replied; “Yes?”

“May I have the honey, please?”

Fidel stood back and she reached past him to reach the honey. He inhaled her hair deeply and almost closed his eyes. He thought; two can play that game!

“Sugar…”

She passed him the sugar.

Darn it!

“Have a nice day officer!”

“Thank you ma’am!”

She left. He just stood there, stirring his coffee at least two million times and she left. He glanced at his watch.

I’m going to be late!

He reluctantly placed his coffee on the counter and jumped into his cruiser and sped off towards the nearby police station. He was in a special program that paired state troopers with the local police officers. Fortunately, the local police department was less than a block away from the coffee shop. He parked his cruiser and ran in as his name was called. His partner, one Officer Juan Soto noticed the puzzled look on his face as he sat down next to him.

“Fidel, what’s up?”

“Do you remember that girl I told you about?”

“Yes, the one with the sexy lipstick and delicious smelling hair with the...”

“Yes, that one! She called me honey today!”

“Did you get her number?”

“No.”

“Her name?”

“No!”

“Her license plate number?”

“Yes, but no, we aren’t doing that! Haven’t we talked about that before?”

“Well, that’s how I met my wife!”

“You gave her a speeding ticket!”

“Yes, but she still liked me!”

A loud voice boomed across the room; “Soto and Montesino!”

“Yes Sir!”

“You’re going into a hot area today! Make sure that you wear your vests!”

“Yes, sir!”

Soto whispered, “I’m not wearing a vest, it’s too hot today!”

During the last six months Soto and Montesino were one. They thought alike, talked alike and were paired up with each other every year during the joint operation. They took their jobs seriously and had a desire to remove the drugs and gang bangers from the streets. Soto was from the area and was respected by the law abiding citizens and feared by the criminal element. Montesino began to know who Soto knew and they enjoyed conversations in Spanish while on the streets. This was another reason why the community enjoyed their presence – simply put; they fit in.

Today they would spend some time on the South End of town. During the last month, the incidents of gun-related violence were at an all time high. During this chaos thoughts of the mystery woman kept Fidel in a positive mood regardless of the situation.

***

Cheyenne Carter was a very private woman – or at least that’s how she appeared to others. She was twenty seven years old and a meticulous dresser who was always in touch with the latest fashion trends and hairstyles. To some, she appeared to be a materialistic go-getter. She always had the best of the best and that fact caused others to believe that she had a wealthy boyfriend or some other means of support. She had no children and no significant other in her life. Her independence caused her to allow herself to be constantly consumed with her work and she was a self-labeled perfectionist.

The only downtime that she allowed herself was the daily trip to the coffee shop located a few blocks away from her office. She’d sit and drink her tea, which had to be flavored with honey minus sugar or any other condiments. She was a very private woman but she was very observant. Her deductive skills were impeccable and she knew if a person was lying or telling the truth simply by the tone, volume and pitch of their voice. She expected perfection or at least honesty in everyone that she encountered.

She worked for the State in a stuffy, outdated office divided by cubicles constructed in the 19th century. The computers were old, the furniture was old, her co-workers were outdated as well, and each of them trapped in the 80’s with their own twisted ideas of how the world should be. Her co-workers were creatures of habit, doing the same thing every day and in the same uniform way. Each of them was quick to quote how long they were on the job and how

Impressum

Verlag: BookRix GmbH & Co. KG

Texte: © 2006 Tyrone V. Banks
Lektorat: Tyrone V Banks
Tag der Veröffentlichung: 22.06.2008
ISBN: 978-3-7396-9005-6

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Dedicated to all of my brothers and sisters in Christ.