I have just returned from witnessing Lamarr and Tammy’s second meeting. Well, their third, but second by arrangement (other than mine). Tammy had promised to wash the shirt she had borrowed and return it. Lamarr was aware, of course, that he did not need to be involved in this process, and he was pleased that she would use the excuse to see him again.
When she came into the diner, he left the kitchen—he had been watching, though he did not admit to it. Danit says that humans will often pretend to feel less than they are feeling; strong emotion is unseemly to them, at least in public. It is part of their obsession with comfort.
True comfort, however, is meeting a spirit that is like yours, and Tammy and Lamarr are two such spirits.
“Have a seat,” he said, motioning her to an empty table. “You want something to eat?”
“Just coffee, thanks,” she said, looking anxiously at the menu. “I’m on a diet.”[1]
Lamarr snorted loudly at this, motioning to one of his coworkers for a coffeepot. “What a beautiful girl like you is doing on a diet, I don’t have a damn clue.”
She blushed[2] at this and smiled. “You’re sweet. It’s medical, though—there’s heart trouble in my family and I’m not taking any chances.”
“Ah, okay. Well, you change your mind, you let me know.” He sat down across from her with a grin. “I whip up a mean set of pancakes.”
“I believe it,” Tammy said, sniffing the air with a smile.
“So you seal the deal with your big client?” he asked.=
“Mm,” she said around a mouthful of coffee. She set the cup down quickly and reached into the bag for the shirt. “Yes, here. I think I got all the stains out.”
“Don’t worry about that, it’s going to a dry cleaner, remember? Nick’ll get it out.” He pushed the shirt aside—it was never the real purpose for the visit, after all—and leaned over the table. “Tell me more about the job. Graphic design, right?”
“Yes. Well, the client asked me to put together a brochure for a new program he’s running—it’s a rehabilitation center…”
Tammy found Lamarr to be a good listener, and she was surprised but pleased to hear the intelligent questions he asked. Like me, she had judged him harshly on first seeing him, but like me, she was happy to be wrong. They went on to talk about Lamarr’s education, which is not yet complete—he has two years left on an architecture degree.[3]
“I like to make things, you know?” he said, his hands moving as he speaks. “Doesn’t really matter if it’s food or houses. What matters is making it, and making people happy.”
This warmed Tammy’s spirit as much as it did mine, but she also did not quite know what to say in reply. She leaned back in her chair. “How long have you been cooking?”
“Well, forever, really. My mama taught me. But I been here two years,” he said, glancing around the diner. “That’s why they’re letting me sit out here and talk to a pretty girl while I should be working.”
She laughed. “They must like you.”
“I’ll pay for it with the harassment I’ll get later,” he said, but he was smiling. (I expressed some concern about this to Danit, but she assured me that the ‘harassment’ he was talking about will be purely lighthearted. Humans call it ‘teasing’ and it is rarely meant to harm.)
“Well, should I go?” Tammy asked, making no move to leave. “I don’t want to get you in trouble.”
“Nah, even if I did, it would be worth it,” he said.
She glanced at the clock and gasped. “Wow, is that right? I should go, too.” She grimaced. “I did want to taste your cooking.” Her eyebrows lifted and her eyes glinted at him, laughter in her thoughts. “See if it’s any good.” (This, Danit explained to me later, was an example of teasing.)
“That sounds like a challenge, blondie.” He pointed to her. “Tell you what, you come over to my place any day of the week and I will make you the best meal you ever tasted.”
She hesitated, wariness coming over her for a moment. She wanted very much to see him again, but to go to his home, when she still did not know him, made her anxious. “Well…why don’t we do it at my place?” she temporized.
He saw her anxiety and leaned back, raising his own eyebrows. “I don’t know. I don’t know if you’ll have what I need. White girls don’t know anything about real food.”
I was surprised by his phrase—there is no part of Tammy that is white; she is all pinks and golds and the blue of her eyes—but it certainly was not intended to offend. Teasing, again. Tammy gasped, however, and protested that she knew a great deal about food. This led to a debate about good restaurants they both know, which only ended after some urgent signaling from Lamarr’s senior, a few chimes from Tammy’s phone, and an agreement to meet at the nearest place tomorrow night. Both of them left very satisfied with the arrangement, filled with the kind of excitement that lights up a person’s aura and spreads to others around them.
I was excited, too. I have read much about love in all its forms in the Repository, but it is so different to see it taking shape before my eyes.
Danit is pleased with me. She says that she was impressed with my method of getting Tammy and Lamarr to notice one another; she says it is not often that a new Cupid is so subtle. Most importantly, she has promised me that if Tammy and Lamarr’s date goes well, she will give me a new assignment, and I will be able to go on it alone, provided I report to her as soon as I return from the Garden.
A new assignment already! My wing-mates are happy for me—none of them have had such success. I will write again when I have learned more.
[1] A means by which humans restrict their intake of food in order to reshape their bodies. Often the restrictions are quite drastic.
[2] A fascinating physical reaction in times of stress or embarrassment. The blood rises close to the cheeks, and they seem to glow pink.
[3] A degree in this case is a measurement of education; with it, Lamarr can prove himself qualified for certain tasks. His chosen field is architecture, the conception and construction of buildings.