Now And Always. by Nancy Nwaguru

"I still trembled after seeing the young man, hoping he wouldn't mention the coffee incident.

I offered them coffee, and the young man spoke. 'Sir, I'm afraid I've already met Linda this morning. She spilled coffee on my shirt. Please don't scold her; it was a mistake.'

I thought to myself, 'Why is he being so nice all of a sudden? He was mean to me earlier. I guess it's because Mr. Darius is present.' 'Jerk.'

'Damian, don't bother. I won't scold Linda. She's a nice girl, and I know it was an accident. Linda, please be more careful and watch where you're going next time. You may leave us now,' my boss said.

'I'm sorry, Damian,' I apologized once more, and I left.
I returned to my office and continued working on the file.
We closed from the office at exactly 4:00 PM. It was time, so I took a taxi home.

When I arrived home, the door was already open. I entered the living room, and it smelled of beer. My dad lay on the sofa, drunk again.
I dropped my bag and sat next to him. Dad hadn't been the same since Mom passed. Sometimes, I wish she'd never left us.
I helped Dad to his room and laid him on the bed. As I was leaving, he called my name.

'Linda, how was work today?'
'It was a stressful day at the office, but it was fine,' I replied.
Since I grew up, things had changed. I knew my dad loved me, and I missed my mom a lot, but why did her death have to change Dad this way?
I went straight to my room, changed my clothes, and lay on my bed. I couldn't stop worrying about my dad, so I thought, 'I need a drink.'
And who was the best person to have a drink with? Hailey!

I texted her immediately, and she responded, 'I'm in.' I'd been so busy at work that I hadn't had time to hang out with my best friend.
I got up immediately and put on a nice mini-gown from my wardrobe. It was late, so I didn't bother with makeup. I was gorgeous enough without it.

I have long brown hair, emerald green eyes, a beautiful flat nose, and small light pink lips.
I was pretty, but I wondered why guys didn't see that. Over the years, I'd dated a few guys, but they all dumped me for various reasons.

My ex dumped me because I didn't wear makeup and had no fashion sense. He said he needed a 'hottie.'
He wasn't so cool himself, though. Imagine a guy who worked out for his butt. I mean, who does that? The guys I've seen work out for abs, but he was different.

Well, tonight, I didn't have time to ponder over a guy who dumped me. I was going out with my bestie, who'd be at my door any minute.

Speaking of minutes, I heard a knock. It must be Hailey. I rushed to open the door, and wow, she looked amazing.
Hailey was my best friend. If there was something she was good at, it was fashion. She knew how to dress up and apply makeup.

'Linda, are we ready to go?' she asked.
'Of course! What are we waiting for?' I replied, grabbing my bag and going straight to my dad's room to tell him I was heading out.

I took a taxi with Hailey, and we went to a bar called 'Cocktails.'
I went straight to the bartender and ordered two drinks, one for me and one for Hailey.

I sat down with Hailey, and we caught up. She told me she wanted to get a surprise birthday gift for her boyfriend.
Hailey had a boyfriend named Jazz. He was a really cool guy and made her laugh most of the time. She was so lucky. I wished I had that.

I scanned my surroundings until my eyes met something that shocked me. It was Damian from Glamour Enterprise. What the hell was he doing here?

I hoped he wouldn't see me. I took another sip of my drink, but before I could finish, I saw Damian coming straight toward me. I guess he caught me staring at him.
Hailey saw the guy and quickly excused herself. Damian sat next to me and spoke.

'Linda, right? I'm sorry we met in such an awful way. Forgive my manners. My name is Damian Lebron, son of Mr. Jerome of Glamour Enterprise. It's nice to meet you again. I must confess, you look stunning tonight.'
'Hi, I'm Linda Morgan, and I'm sorry about the coffee incident once again. It wasn't intentional,' I replied.
'So, the girl who was sitting here before, I guess she's your friend? You guys came to have a drink; that seems cool. I don't really have friends, so I came here alone. I'll be leaving soon. I hope to see you again, Miss Linda.'
'Me too,' I replied. 'It was great talking to you.'

'How about tomorrow? Can we meet at Latinos restaurant? I'd love to get to know you better. You seem nice,' he said.
'Is it a date?' I asked.
'Yes, indeed. Will you make it by 5:00 PM tomorrow?' he asked.
'Sure, I'll try. Thanks again. See you tomorrow, then.'
He stood up and left. Hailey came back a few minutes later, sat down, and said, 'Linda, I never knew you had such good taste in guys. That guy is hot.'

'Hailey, he's just a friend, but I have a problem. I have a date tomorrow, and I need your help.'
Hailey laughed and said, 'Don't worry, girl, I got you!'"