What He's Been Missing

I exhaled and rolled my eyes. “Fine, Bisa. I’ll do it! But only because it’s you and you’re one of my favorite clients!”

“The favorite!”

“One of the favorites.”

“Whatever!” Bisa took my hand and put it over her photo album like it was some sort of love Bible. She closed her eyes.

“What are you doing?” I laughed a little.

“Shhhh.” She gripped my hand tighter. “I am waiting for your wish.” She peeked out of one eye at me staring at her. “Close your eyes and wish.”

“Why?”

“Just do it!”

“OK!” I closed my eyes. “So what am I supposed to say?”

“How am I supposed to know? Just ask for your wish!”

“OK . . . well, I ask that the man of my dreams appears right now!” I opened my eyes but Bisa’s were still closed. I waited a second, but she sat there. The lights started flickering again, but this time it wasn’t coming from the ones overhead in the conference room. It seemed like it was something in the hallway. Maybe the fire lights. I turned and looked at the doorway, and there standing in the frame was Xavier. Red roses were at his chest.

I got up. Slid my hand from Bisa’s and ran to him. I had to feel him to know he was really standing there before I could believe it and say it aloud.

“It’s you!” I felt myself being held in his arms. The cool, wet touch of the flowers in his hands now on my back.

“Yeah, baby, it’s me. Three weeks was too long. I couldn’t stay away a minute longer.” He kissed me and I felt like I was up off the ground. “Had to see you.”

“No shit!” Bisa said. “No fucking shit!”

“What?” Xavier was laughing.

“Oh, I’m sorry, X.” I peeled only halfway from his hold to turn back into the room to face Bisa. “Let me introduce you to my client.”

She was standing up with the photo book in her arms, looking at Xavier like he was Moses walking on water.

“This is Bisa Ojaku—one of my favorite clients,” I said. “And Bisa, this is Xavier.” I patted Xavier on his chest and looked into his eyes. “My very good friend.”

Bisa shook Xavier’s hand and grinned at me knowingly.

“I hope I didn’t disturb anything,” Xavier said to me. “Krista wanted to come back here and get you, but I wanted to surprise you on my own.”

“I think you’ve succeeded,” Bisa joked.

“We’re fine,” I said. “We were just looking over Bisa’s wedding pictures.”

“Yes, and I was just leaving,” Bisa said excusing herself out the door.

After Bisa was gone, Xavier pulled me back into his arms.

“Now, I was hoping you were free for the rest of the day, Rach,” he said. “Was hoping to sweep you off your feet.”

“Sweep me off my feet?”

“If you’ll let me.”

Xavier had his bags in the reception area with Krista. Under her watchful eye, we picked them up and walked out of the office and into a romance.

Twenty years from then, if things worked out between us, I kept thinking that I’d have to lie to our children and say that we left the office and went to a café to listen to some jazz or walk through a park where Xavier picked daisies for me.