First Date- a Novella (2 page)

“Hey, Ginger,” Teresa said, walking over as Ginger headed for the coffee pot. As she got closer, Teresa could see just how excited Ginger was. “My, aren’t you excited. I take it your excitement is about your date.”

“He has reservations for Dorgotti’s,” Ginger said, beaming.

Teresa swayed back on her feet, her eyes wide. “Holy cow.”

“I know, right?” Ginger grinned and started pouring creamer into her mug.

“I’ve worked with you for five years and have never seen you this excited about a date.”

Ginger turned around, waving her hand. “Please, those were dates with friends. Daniel is cool.”

“And a gentleman but also a hunk,” Teresa said, hiding her envy. Unlike Ginger, men asked her out all the time, but she could see in their eyes what they wanted. The same thing Mr. Barron wanted. Teresa wasn’t ashamed of her looks, but to her, they seemed like a hindrance. Looking at how happy Ginger was, Teresa smiled. “You have fun tonight.”

“I will, Teresa,” Ginger said, patting her arm.

Grabbing the box of coffee, Teresa followed her out of the break room. Teresa walked back in the reception area over to a table with a coffee pot. Ripping the box open, she threw one package in the basket and turned it on. “What has you riled up?” Glenda asked behind her.

“Nothing,” Teresa said, shoving the box under the table and looking at the two full-sized flags on either side of the table on long flagstaffs.

“It’s not because you asked Daniel out three times and he said no and he asked Ginger out, is it?”

Teresa walked over, shaking her head. “I never asked a man out before; maybe I did it wrong.”

Twenty years older than Teresa, Glenda smiled. “Sweetie, I told you, you’re not Daniel’s type. He likes women that are very active. Hell, he takes that karate class that Ginger teaches.”

Sitting down and rolling up to the desk, Teresa glanced over at Glenda. “I’m active. I work out.”

“You’re active in your kids’ lives, and yes, you work out; but I mean outdoor stuff.” Glenda smiled at the very beautiful woman. Teresa’s husband had divorced her years ago, and Teresa’s life now revolved around her two teenagers.

Teresa gave a sigh and nodded then smiled. “Carrie and Ben made the honor roll again.”

Reaching for her purse, Glenda pulled out two envelopes. “Tell them this is from Aunt Glenda.”

When Teresa didn’t reach for the envelopes, Glenda shoved them in her hand. “You really shouldn’t,” Teresa said, putting them in her purse.

“Horse shit,” Glenda spat. “That no-good SOB that says he’s their dad hasn’t called them in what, six months?”

“Seven.”

“I can spoil them,” Glenda smiled. “You going to get your flu shot today?”

“No, Carrie has a recital tomorrow, and I don’t want to be sick. I’ll get mine next week.”

Pulling back up to her desk, Glenda shook her head. “Sweetie, they’re saying this year’s flu is very bad. A lot of people that caught it are in the hospital. The CDC rushed this new batch of shots because it was so bad. On the way to work, I heard in Atlanta people were fighting to get the shots.”

Teresa shrugged. “The flu only brings me down a few days if I get it, but I’m always sick for a day after the shot,” Teresa said, looking down the hallway to her right where the executive offices were, including Daniel’s.

Glenda smiled, following Teresa’s gaze. “You’ll find you a good one, one day.”

“I hope,” Teresa huffed.

Chapter 2

When Daniel got to his office, he started on a massive pile of reports. After making a few phone calls and having to sit in on a phone conference, he grabbed his coffee cup. He liked getting coffee from the break room to listen to how people were talking and also getting a chance to see Ginger.

It didn’t take a genius to figure out why guys didn’t ask Ginger out on dates after they got to know her. Ginger intimidated many men. She knew several different fighting styles and even fought MMA (Mixed Martial Arts) but quit because it had too many rules. Then take into account the many other extreme sports she did, most men didn’t want to admit she was more of a man than they were.

As he passed the reception desk on the way to the cubicles, Daniel smiled at Teresa and Glenda. Daniel wasn’t an idiot; Teresa was the definition of Barbie only life-sized. When he took into account she had two teenaged kids, it only made her more attractive. Teresa was also very sweet, and anyone would say she loved her kids, but Daniel wanted someone to do stuff with, and Ginger was only the second girl he had found that liked doing the things he did.

Walking in the break room, Daniel saw Ken, Don, and Joe, whom he called the three stooges. The only time he could recall seeing only one was when they came out of the bathroom. If Ginger could be called a nerd, the stooges were the textbook version complete with pocket protectors and thick, black glasses.

“Hey guys,” he said, walking to the coffee pot.

Ken looked up from a pile of paper they were studying. “Hey, Daniel,” he said. “What are you doing this weekend?”

“Nothing much, Kenneth.” Daniel shrugged and caught himself before he called Kenneth “Moe.” In Daniel’s mind, the three even looked like the stooges. Ken was the leader as Moe with a black bowl cut. Don was Larry with curly hair, and Joe was Curly with a crew cut.

“Heard you had a hot date. Who’s it with?” Don asked, grinning as he looked up.

Daniel just winked. “Kenneth, did you get my e-mail about that attempted hack yesterday?”

“Yeah,” Kenneth scoffed. “It originated from Europe.”

“Look familiar to you or anyone you’ve heard of?”

“Nope, and whoever it was, was very good,” Kenneth said and looked back at the stack of papers they were studying.

Daniel shook his head, grinning at the stooges, and walked out. Moving through the cubicle maze, he headed to the far side to the offices along the wall. Looking around, he only saw a few people when there should’ve been over a hundred.

Looking through the window to Ginger’s office, Daniel grinned, watching her hands blur across the keyboard as she chewed on an ink pen. He counted four more ink pens and one marker shoved in the back of her hair, giving her a porcupine halo. “Where is everyone?” he asked, walking in.

“Huh?” Ginger said, never looking away from the screen.

“The rest of the staff, where are they?”

Registering who it was, Ginger looked up, spitting the pen out of her mouth. “Oh, umm…” she said, embarrassed that Daniel caught her chewing on a pen like a cigar. “Getting flu shots,” she finally said. “Memo was put out last week that everyone could take three hours off with pay to get their flu shots but only from ten to noon, but you could tie your lunch on at the end.”

“I don’t remember that,” Daniel mumbled.

“VP Gordon put it out. He said it would save the company money in the long run.”

“No wonder; I never read what he sends,” Daniel said with grin. “Hey, it’s not part of our date, but you want to head over to the food court and grab some food?”

Ginger smiled then glanced at her computer screens, and the smile fell off. “Ah, I really want to, but I need to figure out what is wrong with this program,” she said then looked at her watch and saw it was almost lunch. “How about in an hour?” she asked hopefully as she prayed silently that she hadn’t made Daniel mad.

“How about I get us something, and we eat in the break room in an hour?”

Sighing with relief, Ginger spun around in her chair. “Well then I’ll buy,” she said, reaching for her backpack.

“Ah, Ginger,” Daniel said in a snappy tone that made her look up in alarm. “Darlin’, I’m from Louisiana. That’s the south in case you’re wondering. If I was to allow you to buy me food, everyone I know—friends and family—would come to kill me, and it wouldn’t be pretty. I don’t know how it is up here, but a beautiful woman that you’re going to take out, you have to be a gentleman at all times. Hell, my own momma would tar and feather me for disrespecting you like that.”

With her mouth hanging open, Ginger flopped back in her chair, flabbergasted. “I don’t want you to get in trouble with your family,” she muttered in shock.

“You like the Chinese place?” Daniel asked with a warm smile, and Ginger just nodded, still in shock. “I’ll get us something.”

When Daniel left, Ginger grabbed her chair and kicked off into a rapid spin. “He said I was beautiful!” she cheered. Stopping the chair, she felt her head become light. Ginger calmed down and concentrated on the screen again. “Shit, if it doesn’t work out with Daniel, I’m asking for a transfer to our Texas plant if southern boys act like that.”

As Daniel walked by the reception desk, he saw Teresa hanging up the phone. “Glenda go get a flu shot?” he asked, stopping.

“Yes and to buy my kids something, I’m sure,” Teresa huffed.

Laughing, Daniel walked over and leaned on the desk. “Hey, I’m going to get Ginger and me some food from the Chinese place. Want me to bring you something?”

Teresa smiled and reached for her purse. “Oh, would you please? I’m starving. I’m not getting my flu shot, so I don’t get this three-and-a-half-hour break.”

Offended, Daniel pushed off the desk. “I have it,” he snapped. “What the hell is wrong with you women? I said I was going to get some food. When a man says that, it means he’s buying.”

With her hand halfway in her purse, Teresa froze, staring at Daniel. “Ah, no it doesn’t,” she said then quickly added, “just the ones I’ve met.”

Daniel nodded, turning around. “Well, you’ve met assholes,” he said, walking out.

Dropping her purse in shock, Teresa nodded. “You can say that again,” she said, kicking her purse under the desk. “I wonder if he has a brother; right now, younger or older doesn’t matter to me.”

As Daniel walked down the hall across the building, he passed a doctor’s office. Looking through the glass wall, he noticed it was rather full, and several people were holding buckets in their laps. “Damn, they look sick as shit,” he mumbled, glad Ginger wanted to eat in the break room.

Passing an expensive clothing store, he saw two of the employees sitting down with their heads between their legs. Stopping in the open door, Daniel called out, “Hey, you guys okay?”

One of the women looked up, and Daniel took a step back. She was pale, and her eyes were red. “Yeah,” she croaked. “All of a sudden, I just don’t feel good.”

“Why don’t you go home? Not meaning to sound rude, but you don’t look so hot.”

“I called the other managers and can’t find anyone to cover for me or her,” the woman said, nodding at her co-worker, who still had her head between her legs.

“Hope you get to feeling better,” Daniel said as he waved, not wanting to get close to them. The woman gave a half wave and dropped her head between her legs before he turned away. “Shit, if that’s the flu this year, I might need to think about getting the shot,” he mumbled.

Walking into the food court, Daniel looked around and noticed several people with their heads on the tables. Then he realized there were nowhere near the number of people that should’ve been there even if lunch was an hour away. “If they look sick at the restaurant, we eat out of the vending machine,” he said, heading to the Chinese restaurant.

Happy to see the staff healthy, Daniel placed his order then glanced around and noticed only a few of the booths and tables had costumers. “If this flu shot works, I’ll get one,” he vowed. It didn’t take long for the hostess to bring him his order, and Daniel fought the urge to run back to the office. A few more people were in the food court. Even the ones that didn’t have their heads down looked sick.

Looking at his watch, Daniel thought out loud. “Maybe I can to get a flu shot real quick.”  Hearing his own voice, Daniel stopped and heard his Ranger instructor’s voice. “A hasty action always causes harm either to you or someone else. Make sure you know which and can live with it. A decision or action that comes from training is what you always fall back on.”

“I’ll wait,” Daniel said and walked off but did speed up the pace. “If the shot works, I’ll get it in a week or so, and if not, I’ll just have to suck up being sick as shit.” Coming around the corner, he saw several people getting off the elevator, and only a few looked sick. Luckily, the ones who were staff at SCC didn’t look sick.

Teresa saw Daniel and other employees coming down the hall and pressed the button under her desk to open the doors. Walking in, Daniel let the others pass as he stood off to the side. When they were gone, he walked over to Teresa. “I’ll put the food in the break room, and you can eat with us. You know how the bosses get when they see someone eating at their workstation.”

“Thank you,” Teresa smiled. “Ginger won’t get mad, will she?”

“Ah, why?”

“You bought food for me.”

Totally lost, Daniel shook his head. “I don’t know, but is this like poking fun at us southern boys?”

A smile filled Teresa’s face as she laughed. “No, but if she gets mad, I’m giving you money.”

Not saying another word, Daniel spun on his heel as another group of employees came in, and he followed them through the doors leading to the cubicles. Dropping off the food, Daniel walked back to Ginger’s office. He found her studying the screen as she scrolled with her mouse. “Ah Ginger, can I ask you a question?”

“I can use chopsticks, and I like my fortune cookie, so I’ll wrestle you for it,” she said, never looking away from the screen.

  Daniel laughed as he walked over and noticed in her other hand was a chewed-on pen. “No, I bought Teresa’s food, but she said you would be mad. Are you?”

A pang of jealousy hit Ginger as she looked up and saw an innocent look on Daniel’s face. “No, am I supposed to be mad?” she asked. She wanted to admit the jealous part, but honestly, she wasn’t mad.

“Not according to the way I was brought up,” Daniel said, sitting down and looking out the window as more employees came back. “If a man offers, he can’t accept money. Hell, I watched my dad spank my brother because he let his girlfriend buy her own popcorn at the movies. My brother said she insisted, but Dad said he needed to dump the bitch if she didn’t like being treated like a lady.”

A grin slowly spread across Ginger’s face as that one statement opened a vision into Daniel’s world. “Well, if you offered, I would be very disappointed if you had taken money,” she said, and Daniel let out a huge sigh of relief.

“I was beginning to wonder about you northern girls for a minute,” he droned.

“Just don’t go thinking I’m a girly girl,” Ginger chuckled.

Daniel looked over at Ginger with a straight face, and she stopped chuckling. “My momma could out shoot my daddy and my older brother. One night, Daddy got drunk and pissed her off. Momma broke his jaw with her fist. Now, she also broke her hand, but Daddy was knocked out,” Daniel said, leaning back in his chair. “A lady is tough but should always be shown respect. No matter if it’s your wife, girlfriend, or a woman on the street. Momma worked and helped take care of the farm plus raised three kids. My momma was a lady.”  

“Whoa,” Ginger said, falling back in her chair.

Daniel glanced over and saw the stunned expression. “You ready to eat?”

“I’m not going to offer you money,” Ginger said.

“I didn’t ask that. I asked if you were ready to eat.”

Ginger got up, staring at him. “If Teresa insists on paying you back, I’ll take her to the bathroom for a girl talk.”

“Don’t threaten her, or they could fire you,” Daniel said, getting up. “They’ve almost fired Gary for that a dozen times.”

“Gary’s a dick,” Ginger said, walking around her desk.

Walking out of her office, they heard the buzz of chatter all around the cubicles. As they walked to the break room, Daniel noticed more than a few frightened faces. He saw the stooges talking to another group, and they looked worried. “You getting your flu shot this year?” he asked.

“Nope,” Ginger said. “If I get it, I get it. I’m all for immunizations, but the flu shot’s pushing it. Most of the time, flu shots are less than thirty percent effective. If I made an anti-virus program that was thirty percent effective, I would be fired. I’m not putting something in my body that’s thirty percent effective, especially when my body will do the same damn thing.”

Really liking that reasoning, Daniel nodded. “About how I feel,” he said, opening the door to the break room. He led her to the back corner table where he had set the food. “Unsweetened tea,” he said, pointing at her cup.

Moving over to the coffee table, Ginger grabbed a handful of sugar packets. “Never seen you drink that before,” she said, tossing them on the table.

“All they had ready.” He pulled out her chair. The door to the break room opened, and the three stooges looked around the few occupied tables and saw Daniel. Like ducks, they fell in a straight line and walked over. “I’m so not in the mood,” he mumbled, sitting down.