dated much lately.”
“No worries!” Aliyah was rising and gathering her things. Casually she said, “I need to go early to help out with a few things. Shall we meet in the lobby? It’s in Case Hall on campus. Do you know it?”
Brad almost snorted. Did he know it? Yes, he was extremely familiar with Case Hall at the university . “That would be great. May I have your number, Aliyah?”
“I don’t give out my number, but here’s one of my email addresses, and I would be happy to take your number!” Her sidelong smile and lifted eyebrow took any insult out of her decision not to give out her phone number. They settled their plans and Aliyah hurried away to work.
Once there, she found Amber checking the file of one of the patients who was unresponsive. They both looked sadly at the young man and left the room before chatting with each other. Although he mostly likely couldn’t hear or understand their words, they were respectful when they were working in the room of these poor souls who were trapped in bodies that wouldn’t respond to the world.
Outside of the room, Aliyah took Amber’s arm and guided her into the break room. “I know we don’t have time to talk now, but you’ve got to come to the play tomorrow night. I invited this guy and he’s… Wow.”
Amber laughed. “He’s ‘wow’? What does that mean?”
Aliyah laughed softly so as not to disturb the patients down the hall. “Well, he is. I met him in the coffee shop and he looks like he jumped off of a movie screen. He’s gorgeous! And he was really funny… And cute… And smart… And…”
“Okay, okay!” Amber shooed Aliyah out of the break room. “I get it, I get it! I’ll try to get there so I can get a look at this super hero!” She gave Aliyah a goofy look. Inwardly she thrilled to see that Aliyah had lived to have this experience. Being so close to losing this close friend made her thankful for every day that Aliyah lived and she looked forward to watching her date, and eventually marry and have a family.
As Amber worked throughout the day, she began to worry. Aliyah had dated some but she had always chosen men who didn’t treat her well. Also, because of her health problems, Aliyah hadn’t been exposed too much partying or wild dating scenes. Amber had done a lot more dating than Aliyah and she began to wonder if Aliyah was a bit naïve and gullible. She didn’t want her friend to get hurt and the idea of this man simply approaching her out of nowhere in a coffee shop made Amber pause.
That night, Amber got Jenna settled into her crib after a battle. Amber was exhausted and didn’t really want to take on more drama after a hard day at work and an evening of single parenting. However, her conscience wouldn’t let her relax until she called Aliyah for a heart-to-heart conversation.
“Hey there. It’s me.” Amber wanted to be quick about this but she didn’t know how to begin. Amber was never one to hold her tongue, so she took the plunge. “Honey, I’m worried about this new guy. We don’t know who he is and you haven’t dated much. You don’t need another James in your life, and this guy could be even worse! We don’t know anything about him!”
Aliyah grinned to herself about this precious friend who was always on her side. “Don’t worry. I thought it all through. I didn’t even give him my number! I’m meeting him at a public place where my friends will be around. I do see what you mean, though. There’s something about him that doesn’t quite make sense. It’s like he knows something about me or has seen me before.” She laughed at her own analysis. “Maybe he recognized me from a past life.”
Amber paused. “Well, I still don’t know if I like it. You be careful and I’m going to get a sitter and come to that play so I can check this guy out for myself!”
Aliyah laughed outright now. “You do that, girl. I’ll see you tomorrow morning. Kiss the baby for me. Love you.” The girls hung