Philly Story - Taxi Ride pt 2

"I'm not ready to leave." Deandra leaned closer to him attempting to wrap her arms around him. Jarvis bristled, his normal stoic public self. She pushed forward anyway, some part of her realizing this would be the last time she saw him. "You are so much more than you realize, Jay. I am gonna miss you."

He quickly hugged her, a forced smile on his face and then pulled away. He turned from her and took her bag from the trunk of the car.

Deandra became vividly aware of all the activity around her: cabs dropping off people, long farewells, bags being checked in curbside and the roar of planes overhead. She could smell the air off the Delaware.

"Call me when you land," he ordered. Deandra shook her head in agreement but knew she wouldn't comply. Although her visit had proved romantic, too many things were left unsaid. She had tried to talk about the issues most important to her, but Jarvis had a way of avoiding conversations by leading them in other directions.

She pulled the tip money from her pocketfor the curb check-in the way Jarvis had instructed her to do, a smile on her face because she remembed. Breathing it all in, she wanted to remember everything about this moment. "I wonder if he noticed," she thought but knew that he hadn't.

Quickly, he pulled her into him and kissed her. Rough, unexpected and lingering. "Have a safe flight," he muttered and then quickly moved away and into his car leaving her standing alone at the check-in unable to breathe.

Jogged from her reverie by the clash of thunder, Deandra stared blankly at him, unsure what to say.

"What are you doing here?" he asked again.
Words formed on her lips, but before she could utter a response, the taxi pulled to the curb and the cabbie yelled out the window, "you the fare fro Mother Bethel?"

"It was awesome to see you again, Jay, but I have to get somewhere."

"You going to the benefit luncheon?" he asked, holding her steady as she stepped off the curb toward the taxi. He was attending the event, too and had intended to take his own car to leave the city afterward. "We could share the taxi."

She positioned herself in the back seat with all her bags beside her.

"Uh, um, you going to the Mother Bethel benefit luncheon?" Deandra's thoughts whirled around her. She muffled her laughter at the thought of Twilight Zone and an altenate universe. "Sure, sure," she replied and began moving her bags to the floor.

In the crisp dark blue suit, Jarvis stepped into the cab and back into Deandra's life after five long years. Glancing at her, he could not believe she was sitting next to him in a taxi again.

"De, you look amazing. I still want to know what you are doing in Philadelphia. The last time we spoke you were still in Austin."

Slowly, she smiled. Looking at him from the corner of her eye, she decided to position herself more comfortably to enjoy some light flirtations. "That was a long time ago, and lots of things have changed."

Returning her smile, he replied. "I can see that. But first, tell me why you are in Philly and why Mother Bethel?"

Rain began to fall, and Deandra thought of a time years earlier when she had first met Jarvis Williams in Austin. Set up on a blind date by coworkers, the evening they met at the Elephant Room turned into a downpour and they had ducked into an alley alcove and kissed for the first time.

"I don't remember seeing your name on the list, Jay."

"What about the list?"

"The guest list for the luncheon, I don't remember seeing your name on the list." She pulled her phone back out of her pocket and was searching for the guest list when he put his hand on hers. "Talk to me, De."

Irritated, she wrestled her hands from under his and continued searching. She wanted to laugh at the absurdity of the moment, but emotions and nerves dictated professionalism. She found the file and was scrolling through the list.

"As I said, I don't remember seeing Jarvis Williams on the list," and just as she finished the words, she saw Williams Associates. Jarvis pulled his confirmation card from his jacket pocket to verify. They both laughed.

"Associates," she said, a question lingering in her mind.

"I assure you, De, I am on the list. It was a pretty costly donation to have lunch today."

Tucking the phone back into her pocket, she agreed. "Yea, but I promise you will not be disappointed."

"You gonna tell me what you are doing in Philly? It is not like you to avoid a direct question."

"As I said, lots of things have changed," she replied.

Rain continued to fall, trailing sideways across the window as Market Street blurred outside. Where to begin, she wondered.

"I have been working on the museum expansion," was all she could muster.