into her new apartment took less than an hour. Mary was unpacking, when she heard a bell, and when she opened the door, there was Robert.
He looked tired, upset and gloomy.
Oh poor man, Mary thought. She involuntarily reached out her arm to touch his cheek, but dared not. She was deeply surprised with herself at the strong attraction to a man twenty years her senior. “What happened?”
“I have just talked with your tutors. Don’t worry – they’ll never disturb you again. Can I hug you or do you think I’m going to abuse you?”
“No, it’s okay. I’m thankful towards you.”
It was a father-like hug. Mary finally calmed down; she melted with a feeling of security and peace. Robert unclasped his arms, and Mary J. felt a loss.
“Mary, I’m no ordinary man.”
The statement drew a smile from Mary’s stern face.
“Right, you’re my guardian angel,” she joked.
“Well,” Robert faltered. “Sort of. Look, Mary, it’s going to be a very long talk, I really have to go. See you tomorrow, I hope.”
“Good night,” she whispered.
He left, and Mary locked the door.
Not bothering to finish her unpacking, she jumped onto her new bed, drowning in “the honey-heavy dew of slumber” even before her head touched the pillow. And in her dreams, she relived the hug that she had shared with Robert but in a much different way.
The First Date
That morning Mary woke up in her new apartment. She opened her eyes and could not determine for a moment if she was dreaming or if it was real. Her entire bedroom was decorated with flowers.
She got up, ran to the living room, to the kitchen… Flowers, flowers everywhere… Even in the bathroom.
Mary called the security service: “It’s 7—26. Who sent me the flowers, and at what time were they delivered to me?”
“Sorry, Miss, what do you mean? Nobody has called in here with a delivery since I started my shift.”
“When was that?”
“Unfortunately for me, I had to start at 9 o’clock last night.”
With her face flashing, Mary smashed down the receiver. She hated not knowing.
***
Mary sat down in front of her mirror, and did her make-up, then pinned her hair up, as usual.
She twirled from side to side checking herself out from all angles. The ponytail bundled on top of her head seemed like a magical golden snake, bathing in the sunlight.
For the longest time, Mary rummaged through her pitiful wardrobe.
“Darn,” she mumbled, biting her bottom lip. “The first date in my life, and I have nothing to wear!
Finally, she chose simple black pants and a matching figure-hugging shirt. It was her favorite emerald green color, flattering and turned her mood on as she looked intensely at herself in the mirror.
For the first time, she noticed that the fabric emphasized perfectly the curvy shape of her upper body. Her cheeks blushed.
In amazement, because this was not her normal way, she watched her hand move slowly up, and her tiny fingers, acting of their own free will, undid the first two buttons. In an effort at modesty, she patted down the edges of her almost plunging blouse.
“Mustn’t tempt themselves or others,” she mumbled. A tint of shame flashed green across her kaleidoscopic eyes. “So our clothing should be decent and chaste…”
She tried to compel herself to close her shirt as usual. She couldn’t!
“Come on, stupid!” she snapped at herself. “As if a man like him would fall for a little flash of skin. What, is he a virgin or a monk? Give me a break!”
She noticed that the cross she was wearing around her neck accentuated the crevice between her breasts, and she took the necklace off.
“Don’t overdo it, girl,” she mumbled, looking at her reflection again.
In the corner of her eye she caught the flowers next to the mirror, and she grew angry again.
Neat, she thought. Her lips parted slightly, revealing her pearly teeth, like a tigress displaying her fangs. While I was sleeping… A man or maybe even MEN were walking around! Thank Goodness I didn’t sleep naked!
She checked the time, took her purse and left. The café wasn’t too far away, so she arrived within a few minutes.
The table had been reserved. Mary sat by the window and took a menu. But when she saw the prices, she nearly fell off her chair. Mary had never visited a luxury restaurant before and she was astonished.
Okay, she mused. Let’s hope if he invited me here, he’s going be the perfect gentleman and pay for my meal as well.
Mary ordered an orange juice and a chef’s salad, and waited. She was still very angry about the flowers and was preparing a few harsh words for the suspected culprit.
But Robert was late and Mary had plenty of time to calm down, people watching through the window, entranced by the endless stream of pedestrians and traffic rushing to who knew where.
***
It was already 1:00 p.m., and Mary was growing impatient, but decided to wait a few minutes longer.
Almost as if on cue, a limousine stopped out front of the cafe at 1:03 p.m. A heavily built but smartly dressed man opened the door and Robert quickly got out.
Mary J’s eyes flashed with joy. For the first time in her lonely life somebody stood up for her like he did last night and she felt more than just gratitude for Robert.
Mary observed Robert speaking on his cell-phone. At about five feet eight, with dark brown hair, Robert was very slender and elegant. He moved with masculine grace. When he was turning, his refined body curved like a snake, and his stylish business suit emphasized this serpentine likeness.
Mary involuntarily recalled the Bible: The Serpent, the Tempter, the First Snake. And she smiled. Robert impressed her, but unlike most women, she was not afraid of snakes, and she was also a strong believer in God, and plenty strong enough to fight Satan.
Robert looked at his watch and entered the cafe. Mary waved, and a smiling Robert came to her. The driver plus an equally hefty man followed him in and sat at the next table. She gazed at them with curiosity then playfully glanced at Robert.
“Did you send one of those guys to bring me the flowers?” She asked. There was no reaction, so she persisted. “You did grease the palm of the security guard in my building. Didn’t you?”
“No, birdie, I’ll explain.” Robert ordered his meal to the waitress and turned to Mary again. “I wanted your first morning in the new apartment to be special. So, I just did this!” He snapped his fingers, and Mary gasped, when she saw a cute tiny corsage of lilies of the valley appear on her plate.
“Wow! Neat trick. You must have clicked your fingers quite a few times to fill my apartment,” joked Mary J. She liked that she had made him smile then looked back down to admire the flowers. She continued to chat Robert up. “Are you always with bodyguards?” nodding her head in the direction of the men at the next table.
“I have to be.” Robert’s face was serious. “I have too many enemies.”
“They are both so gorgeous, I thought all bodyguards looked like gorillas.”
“I prefer them to be as strong as gorillas, but not necessarily