Yesterday's Date

Little lights strung across the brick and mortar patio of an old but

refurbished bistro, hidden within a hilly enclave of the city, warm

enough to make Yesterday forget about the chill. And tonight she’s

especially hard to miss. Sitting patiently with that half-smile, her

dark but vital fingers reach for water, instantly pulling back,

nagging for a proper drink first.

“To-morrow? I mean…Yes…Yesterday?” A timid but shrewd voice asks.

“Yes.” Looking up through the nervous wreck of a young man. Placing a

hand to his chest, he summons up a “Trent!”

“Oh of course!” Calming him, she doles out a half-hug. “Nice to meet you.”

“Yeah same! Is this place ok?”

“Yes, it’s wonderful.”

“I’ve been meaning to check it out.” Gesturing to seat herself, so he

can follow without getting behind her. In abrupt ignorance, he

indulges in adjusting his seat as she stares. Luckily for him, a

server arrives to save the day and he can impress her with his limited

wine factoids he picked up on that team building exercise to Napa a

few months prior.

“Can I start you two with any drinks this evening?”

“I just drink wine. Get whatever you want but…”

“Wine will be fine” Yesterday agrees.

“Two Gamay Noirs then please.”

“Excellent” retorts the Server. Turning to leave he is snagged by

Yesterday, “Can we get the food order in?”

“Uhh…” Eyes the Server, looking for help from Trent who interrupts

with “Of course! I’m starving! Do you like anything on the menu?”

“Rib-eye, medium well, frites on the side and extra chimichurri.”

“That sounds great. Make that two. But mid-rare for mine?” The Server nods.

“Thank…” The server leaves. “…you.” Fades Trent. “So um…” Yesterday

listening through a smile. “How was…your day?”

“My day?”

“Yeah. What did you get upto?”

“Uhh…just…house stuff.”

“Laundry or…?”

“What?”

“Sorry, I don’t do…this…very often” Trent exhales a laugh

“This?”

“Dates….on apps or whatever.”

“No shit.”

“Yeah.” Silence. He has nothing else to say. She can’t help but pity him.

“What did you do today?”

“Um, wor…worked.”

“Where do you do that?”

“Just um…downtown…financial dist…”

“Tech?”

“Yeah.”

“Sales?”

“Yeah.”

“Sounds really boring.”

“It is.” The server arrives to save him once more.

“Two Merlots. The food should be out shortly.” But before Trent can

reply the server darts off.

“Didn’t you order the gay noir?”

“Gamay…Yah…but this’ll probably go better with the steak. More uhh..tannens.”

“Uh-huh”.

Through a lump in his throat, Trent raises a quiet “Cheers” and they

clink glasses. Trent sniffs his wine while Yesterday downs half of

hers. He does the same just to be polite and blurts “Good huh?”

“Tastes expensive.”

“It is!”

“You know what I learned this year?” Looking through the glass. “Six

dollar wine is just as good as sixty dollar wine. Just gotta to know

the region. This was bomb…but…still…”

“No, you’re right. I used to go out a lot before but now I’ve been

buying all my wine at the deli and it’s way cheaper buying an entire

bottle. More fun too.” Laughing at his own joke he gets nothing but

crickets from her.

“You must get paid, huh?”

“I mean…”

“Do you like what you do?”

“No. Not really.”

“Then why do it?”

“Because I get paid” he says almost ashamedly.

She grabs her glass and signals him to grab his for another “Cheers”.

She finishes hers as he follows suite.

“I bet you’re always this honest.” She teases.

“Only when I’m not working.”

“How many dates you been on?”

“Two.”

“Including this one?”

“Yes.”

“Did you have a good time?”

“No.”

“Did you get any?”

“Yes.”

“Ha! Okay!” she exclaims. Abashed, Trent can’t help but laugh.

“You didn’t have a good time?”

“I don’t know. It was just…mechanical….kinda dead.”

“Sounds like you went on a date with a robot.”

“She probably was and I didn’t even know!”

“That’s what happens when you take your work home with you.” Trent

eases into a smile. Yesterday smiles back.

Thirty minutes pass and Trent is showing his phone to Yesterday,

laughing warmly at the puppy on screen. Their steaks lay on the table,

Trent’s half-eaten, hers untouched. “He’s so cute!” She laughs “And he

keeps on chasing the sprinkler!”

“I love him.”

“No, I love him! He’s so cute and floofy.”

“And sweet.”

“I can tell!” Trent pulls his phone away, giving a last look at his

pupper. “I’m just glad I have him you know. This year would have

sucked without...” Choking up.

“It’s ok. He’s like...your kid or something.”

He nods. “Although, I’m not a huge fan of kids.” Yesterday takes this

in, sipping her drink.

“I mean, it’s not that I don’t like kids, it’s just like...too much

responsibility. You could say or do something and it messes up the

rest of their…” Brushing crumbs off the table…”lives.”

“You think so?”

“Or I’m scared…like…they believe everything you say…what if you’re wrong?”

Drops of wine roll down Yesterday’s throat.

“They do got them wide eyes don’t they? Totally clueless.” Giggling to

herself. “I remember when I was a kid, I went looking for my brother

around the house and I asked where he was. No one answered. Like they

were ignoring he ever existed, you know? But he must have existed. I’m

sure he… So, without even thinking, I dashed over to the pantry to see

if his favorite chips were still there, I mean he couldn’t live a day

without them. I’m hanging from the shelves, reaching deep into the

cupboard, swinging my hands and…they weren’t. And for the longest time

after, I didn’t know if he existed.” Checking her empty glass. “Stupid

right?”

“How’s the food so far?” Interrupts the Server.

“It’s good!” Yesterday fires back “Can you pack this to-go please?”

“You barely took a bite.” Trent smiles.

“I’m not hungry. I will have another one of these though. What it was

supposed to be though, not the Merlot but the…?” Nodding to Trent.

“Gamay Noir.”

“Gamay Nwaar.” She agrees, as she waves the Server off. Trent smirks,

admiring Yesterday. The wine is hitting both of them nicely. “So…what

are you doing after dinner?” Yesterday admires back.

Two blocks away, parked on a deep incline overlooking half the

cityscape, Rev sits in the driver’s seat with his two sons, Talib and

baby Mika watching The Lion King. Checking them through the rear-view

“Did he drop him yet?”

“No.” Talib says.

“Well turn it down when he does. I already saw it once.”

“When it first came out.”

“You calling me old?”

“Old scare-dee cat.”

“It don’t scare me. It’s sad. And there’s a difference, so turn it

down when I say. Cause I don’t wanna feel neither.”

In the side-view, he spots Yesterday approaching the car holding doggy-bags.

“You hungry? Mama brought a little somethin-somethin.” Rev pesters.

They stay fixed on the tablet. “Maybe some cake.” Raising his eye-brow

“Lava. Cake.” The kids perk up, hiding their excitement. “Oh, now

you’re listenin?”

“What?” Yesterday says through open passenger window.

“You got cake?”

“They only had soufflé.”

“Close enough.” Back to the kids “Do ya’ll want some soufflé?”

“No cake?”

“It’s cake.” Yesterday shoots.

“It’s what white people call cake.” Adds Rev. “Share it with Mika.”

Rev opens the box for them and hands them some napkins as Tomorrow

seats herself in the passenger seat. “You bring me cake?”

“No. But there’s steak.”

“Then pass it over here.” Rev opens the container while Yesterday

pulls out her phone. “You eat?”

“Bit. Wine was good though.”

“Have some of this then.”

“It’s yours.” Rev stares at the food. “Really.” Looking guiltily away

from her, he takes a slow bite and even slower chew. He’s in heaven.

“You don’t wanna pull up? Make another run tonight?”

“If you hit em up after ten they want everything but food.”

“There’s late night spots around here.”

“Just eat.” Grabbing a napkin from the doggie bag, she unfolds it and

pours out some ketchup. “Pass me a smoke.”

“They’re not good for you.” Dipping his fries into chimmichurri.

“Messes up the flavor receptors on your tongue.” Yesterday glares.

“Facts”. Salt crumbs dust the stubble on his upper lip.

“I can’t eat facts can I? And I sure as hell can’t smoke them.”

Turning to the kids, “Ya’ll want some fries?” Grabbing a handful from

Rev’s container.

“Hey!” She lands them on the ketchup napkin and hands it to the kids,

who remain absorbed in the movie.

A man’s voice from outside of the car interjects “How’s the soufflé?”

She looks back startled. It’s Trent, bent over in front of her open

window, hovering with a warm smile. “Good. Rev, this is uh…”

Waving “Trent.”

“Trent.” She repeats.

“Sup Trent?”

“Nothing. Just walking home.”

“Cool.” Responds Rev but Trent remains. “You gonna keep walkin?”

Yesterday butts in “I had a nice time.”

“Not nice enough, huh?” Spotting the kids in the back, “These your

kids?” Looking back to her, “So wide-eyed.”

“Uh, yeah. They are. My kids.”

“Your dating profile your cardboard sign or something?”

Rev starts the car “We’re gonna get your way now, Trent. Kids say bye

to Trent.”

“Bye Trent.” Waves Talib. Trent sticks his head half-way in. “Look, I

actually had a good time tonight.”

Rev pulls out of the parking spot, scraping the car in front of him,

knocking Trent’s head.

“Argh!”

“Stop damn it!”

“Look what he made me do!” Holding his face, Trent nurses a swelling

cheek. The kids squeal as Rev jumps out of the car, “Fuck you doing

sticking your head in the car like that!?”

“You peeled out!”

“I can beat your ass or you can walk!”

Yesterday calms the kids and follows Rev out. “No one’s beatin anyone!

Rev get your ass back in the car!”

“You can’t just leave, you hit them too!” Trent points, infuriating

Rev into grabbing him.

“Fuck you gone do about it!?”

“Rev!” pleads Yesterday as Trent knees him in the groin and runs off.

Catching Rev, Yesterday pulls him toward the car. “Get up!”

Shoving her away, Rev sits looking at his kids watching from the

back-seat, completely breaking him. “It hurts. It all

hurts...everything just...”

Tears streaming between each breath. Yesterday crouches next to him.

“We don’t have much time. I can drive. You just gotta get in the car.”

“I can’t.”

“You can.”

“It’s a shame. Just...one big...”

“According to who?” Rev quiets, unsure. Putting a hand on his knee

“You know the difference between Trev and you?”

“Trent.” he corrects.

“You know the difference? Huh? He don’t feel no shame cause he chooses

not to feel it. You go around in this world like you didn’t get to

some level. Who. Fucking. Cares. You deal with the level you’re at.

every damn day. You think I’m ashamed of wanting to eat? Wanting to

drink? Wanting to breath?” Rev finally looks at her. “Shame? Ain’t no

such thing.”

“I don’t deserve you.”

“You deserve everything you get. Now get in the car before we really

get it.” Picking him up, Yesterday pushes him into the passenger seat

while she gets in the driver’s side. The kids remain quiet as she

starts the car. Checking himself Rev recoils “Damn, I got sauce all

over myself.”

“That’s the chimi-churri.” She hands him some napkins and veers out of

the spot.

“Looks like I messed myself.” After a few dabs of the napkin, Malik

chimes in from the back. “Daddy dookied.” Everyone but Rev holding

back hushed giggles.

“Oh you like that huh? Daddy messing himself?” They can’t contain

themselves. “Someone…It ain’t funny.”

“No.” Interrupts Yesterday. “It’s hilarious!” Rev cracks a smile and

can’t help but join them. “Ya’ll are stupid.” But he looks to

Yesterday and eyes an “I love you.” Shaking his head, he turns to

Talib “So, did he drop him yet?”

“He about to.”

“Oh yeah? Show me.” Talib hits play and they adoringly ride with Yesterday.