Mei Valentine

"I'm glad I was looking for you. The first band will start in about fifteen minutes and the place will fill up pretty fast. This is Burt. Burt, Val."

Introductions made, I sat down next to Gloria on the blanket they had spread out upon the grass. We had been talking for about five minutes when I noticed Ted slowly making a circuit around the gazebo. There was little doubt in my mind what he was looking for—I felt my stomach tighten. I had secretly hoped he wouldn't show; now I would have to deal with him.

I decided I didn't want to do it in front of Gloria and Burt, so I excused myself, saying I would be back in a few minutes. I walked away from the gazebo to stand near a vendor's table where I pretended to look at the merchandise. I glanced from time to time to watch Ted's progress as he circled the gazebo—all the while hoping he would give up looking for me. I had just looked up again and saw him walking straight towards me. My heart sank—I wasn't going to evade him. I resigned myself to my fate and managed a half-hearted smile as he called my name knowing full well that if I had been smarter this wouldn't be happening.

"Hi Ted, are you enjoying the festival so far?"

"It's been okay, but definitely better now that we can have a little time to talk. You know your annual evaluation is coming up next month."

I was puzzled. What did that have anything to do with being at the festival? That was work related and we weren't at work.

"I don't understand. Why would you bring that up? That's more a month away yet."

"Yes, it is. But, I thought I would give you an opportunity to get an outstanding report, not that I'm dissatisfied with your work ethic overall."

I looked at him, knowing in all likelihood where this was going. My stomach tightened into a knot as I replied, "I'm not sure what you mean, I show up on time, haven't missed any days due to illness, haven't had any customer complaints, and I get along well with everyone on the staff. So, why wouldn't I get a good evaluation?"

"Val, I'm not saying you're not getting a good evaluation, only that you could get an even better one. That is if you want to reach the top of your pay grade this time around."

"Ted, exactly what is it you want? I do my job, what more do you expect of me?" I was feeling frustrated with his last comment knowing he was leading up to something I was hoping not to hear.

"Val, you're an attractive, single woman. I'm a single man. If we spent some time together I think it would benefit both of us. It would be fun as we could spend a few weekends together at a place you pick—just the two of us, a bottle of wine, good food, you get the idea."

I felt myself grow tense with anger. Ted was capable of something lower than I thought he was. I had given him the benefit of the doubt that he would try to woo me rather than try to blackmail me with an increase in pay. I wanted to tell him where to go, but found I couldn't, not here. We were surrounded by people, some of whom I knew. If I made a scene given the rumors that were floating around, I would look even worse—sometimes it sucked to be me.

Ted reached over to touch my arm and I felt a cold chill run down my spine. I gave him a cold look and he removed his hand slowly with a smile. "Okay, I see you need some time to think it over. I was hoping we could spend some time together tonight, but I can wait. You look beautiful tonight, so enjoy yourself."

I walked back feeling numb and sat down next to Gloria just as the first tune started playing. Gloria looked at me, then leaned towards me, her mouth near my ear, "Val, you alright? You look a little shaken."

"I'll be alright. I'll tell you later."

I felt my eyes start to tear up. What a bastard, and I would have to face him again on Monday. We sat through the first band and waited as the second began to set up for their set. I had been talking with Gloria and Burt when I heard a male voice call my name. I turned to see Ruf standing behind me, and in the distance, Ted.

"Mind if I join you for a minute?"

I smiled, "No, of course not. I need to thank you for fixing the flat tire. I wasn't sure when I would be able to do it. You know I owe you for the repair."

"No you don't. You know, that damsel in distress thing. You didn't ask, so I just did it."

Ruf sat down next to me and I introduced him to Gloria and Burt. We talked for a few minutes until the band started playing and then listened to the music. It was about forty-five minutes later when the band finished their set and it was quiet enough to talk. It had been enough time for me to calm down a little, though I was still upset when I saw Ted standing at the very edge of the crowd where he could watch me discreetly. I felt as if I were being stalked but said nothing to Gloria as Ted could easily dismiss my concerns saying he was there for the music.

I engaged Ruf in conversation, glancing once in a while to see if Ted was still present. When the third and last band finished playing, we stood up and Gloria started to gather and fold the blanket with Burt's help. Ruf and I visited a little more and then he said he should get home. We bid each other goodbye after he bade goodbye to Gloria and Burt. At least he had made me laugh, making me feel better—perhaps there were still good men left in my world.

It was a week later, the first week of June, when I walked out of the office at noon to go to lunch. It had been a tension filled week as I made every effort to avoid Ted as much as possible—not easy when the entire office has but the open customer service area, Larry's office, and a file room with a table for coffee and small snacks, and the bathrooms. Getting out to go to lunch each day was a way to escape Ted's gaze—each time it seemed as if he were undressing me, evaluating my body for his potential pleasure from inside his office.

Each night of the next week I went home to my apartment emotionally exhausted. I sought my escape in my books and in talking to Gloria for a few minutes each night on the phone. I still hadn't told her what Ted had suggested. But Gloria knew something was up between us—I was sure the other women suspected too, but no one said a word.

It was Friday night and I decided to go to the library as I had read all of the books I had taken out the week before. I had finished selecting another four books and stood at the circulation desk waiting to check them out when I heard a familiar voice behind me. Ruf was talking with his cousin Larry in the entrance of the library. I smiled and walked towards them, my arms full of books. When Ruf saw me his face lit up with a broad smile and he pushed his brother's arm to get his attention. "Hi, Val, looks like you have the same date I have tonight, just different titles."

Larry followed up with a warm greeting. "I heard you two had met. It's good to see you, Val. It's been a while."

"Yes, it has been a while—good to see you. I haven't seen Dawn in town for over a month. I assume both of you are busy on the farm."

"It's that time of year. No rest for the wicked you know," he laughed. "Well, I have to go. Dawn wanted me to drop off these books and get back. Ruf, I'll see you at home. See ya Val."

We watched as Larry left and then walked across the parking lot together. I looked up and saw Ruf's soft brown eyes looking at me, a smile gracing his handsome face, his sparkling white teeth showing between nicely formed lips. Lips I was sure would be a joy to kiss, or better yet, to be kissed by—a confident man was always attractive in my mind and Ruf exuded it without effort.

"Since both of us are here, can I buy you a coffee?" he asked.

"Maybe I should buy you one. After all, you treated me with a repaired tire."

"You aren't going to let go of that are you?"

"What makes you think that?" I replied with a wicked little smile.

"That smile of yours for one thing. Okay, the coffee is on you," he chuckled.

We walked down the street to a small coffee and donut shop and sat down after getting what we wanted—I paid the bill and Ruf thanked me. The gesture somehow gave me a sense of well-being. Perhaps because I felt in charge for change—a man had actually listened to me and understood what I had said. We talked about the books we had checked out and went on to discuss our likes and dislikes in terms of genres and authors. I was surprised to find we had some shared interests and our conversation was lively and interesting.

We wandered back to the library parking lot and I decided I needed some company on my previously dateless date—I decided it would be a book date, something I had just made up. I told Ruf about my idea with a smile while flicking my long hair over my shoulder.

"A book date? That's a different concept. Okay, I'm in. Here or someplace else?"

I looked around the parking lot thinking perhaps an outdoor table or bench would be good. It was then I noticed a dark-colored car with someone sitting inside—I was sure it was Ted. I felt a surge of despair, he was stalking me!

"Val, what's wrong? You look frightened. Really, I'm not..."

"Ruf, it's not you. It's my boss, Ted. He's sitting in his car at the end of the parking lot. I thought last week he might be following me, but now I know he is. It can't be a coincidence this time, not this late in the evening."

Ruf didn't turn around to look, but looked at me with a serious expression. "Val, are you sure? I mean that's really kind of weird stuff. Has he been coming on to you?"

'Yes, but I've turned him down each time. There's more to it than that, but...well...it's complicated."

"Okay, I'm going to walk to my truck and pull around onto the street and walk back and watch as you walk around the side of the library and sit down on that bench. I want to see if he follows you and watches. Do you want to do that?"

I hesitated. Was this a good idea? I finally nodded my head, thinking I may as well know for sure if Ted was following me—rather than think he was. I looked at Ruf, "I'll stall a little bit by putting most my books into my car and wait until I can see you behind him. Then I'll walk around to the bench and sit down and start to read."

"Good plan. Val, can you do this?"

"Yes," not sure I was being all that convincing, my heart racing.

I watched as Ruf got into his truck and drove past me slowly, waving as he passed and turned onto the street. I walked slowly to my car feeling exposed and vulnerable—even though I knew Ruf was near. This whole situation seemed unreal, like something you would read about, not actually live. I saw Ruf standing on the sidewalk behind the car I thought was Ted's a minute later and started walking toward the bench. Upon reaching the bench I sat down, opened my book, and started to read—well, that and sneak peeks to see if I saw anything.

It was a few minutes later I saw a man walk to the corner of the library building and look in my direction. He stopped when he saw me and stood still watching as I quickly glanced back down to my book. Then, when I glanced up again, Ruf appeared behind him and stood still. It was several minutes before the man turned only to find himself face to face with Ruf. I could tell it startled whomever it was that was watching me. I couldn't hear anything, but it looked as if they had traded words, then the man left quickly, with Ruf watching him. I quickly got up and made my way back towards the parking lot, stopping to peek around the corner. The car the man had been sitting in pulled out and left the parking lot pulling out onto the street. This time I got a good enough look—it wasn't Ted. I breathed a sigh of relief and walked towards my car where Ruf stood waiting.

"Do you know who that was?" Ruf asked.

"No, it wasn't Ted. I know that for sure."

'Well, he said he was waiting for someone and when he saw you decided it was her, then when he got closer knew for sure it wasn't."

"Good, I was worried for a while. Ruf, I'm sorry I was so paranoid. I hope you don't think I'm crazy or something. I mean there's no reason for someone to be following me. Okay, let's put this behind us. You can follow me and we can go to my apartment for our book date. That is if you still want to."

"I do," he replied with a worried expression.

"Come on, I'm sorry I got so worked up about nothing."

"Val, if he wasn't following you, why did he leave rather than wait for the woman he said he was waiting for?"

I felt a cold shiver run along my spine, then a tinge of fear crept in. Ruf was right, I should be concerned. Now it was a mystery as to who would have taken an unwelcome interest in me that filled me with dread. I had a target on my back and didn't know why. I looked at Ruf, feeling better he was going to see me home safely.

"This isn't a good development is it?" I asked, knowing as soon as the words left my mouth it was at best a gross understatement and far more likely, had too much truth attached to it. Truth I really didn't want to admit.

"I don't think it is and if you see anything like this again you should call the police. Better yet, do you want to do that right now?"

I turned his words over in my mind, then considered perhaps I was over-reacting. "Maybe you frightened the guy enough he didn't want to wait for the woman and will come back after we leave. Ruf, I really can't think why anyone would be following me, I'm a plain-Jane office worker with a boring job and life."

"Okay, Val, it's your call. I'll follow you home."

Almost twenty minutes later we arrived at my apartment and walked in. I with my books and Ruf with one of his own. It seemed strange in a way we would sit next to one another and read, but that was the basis of what I had in mind—basically to have a warm body close to ward off the loneliness. We had sat down on opposite ends of the sofa, the most comfortable piece of furniture in my apartment, and read for almost an hour.

"Ruf, would you care for something to drink?"

"No thank you. I'm good, thanks for asking. If you want something for yourself don't let me stop you."

I looked over at Ruf a few minutes later and smiled. "This reminds me of my grandparents. They sit in the same room and hardly speak to one another for hours. It always seemed a bit strange until I asked my grandmother one day why they often did that. She told me that after almost fifty years of marriage they were comfortable enough with each other to feel they didn't need to fill the time with idle chatter, that the silence was a sign of contentment, not of a problem."

'Val, that's a nice story. I can see that happening after so many years. It's a nice thought really."

"Ruf, why did you agree to this date? I mean, it's not very exciting for you when you could go out to a bar or something more exciting."

I saw his surprised expression, then a pensive expression grew, then a smile. "I suppose you want me to tell you the truth?"

"Yes, sorry, I didn't mean to put you on the spot. I shouldn't have asked. Sometimes I don't put my brain into gear before putting my mouth in motion."

"Val, that's alright. To be honest, I'm not sure there's a single right answer. Part of it is I think you're a nice person, and second, you needed help. Like with your tire, it was something I could do to help. Tonight, it was when you thought someone was following you. The other thing is I'm really not much into the bar scene, I don't drink alcohol. I learned years ago that most people our age label you as someone who doesn't know how to have a good time. Once they find out, they don't invite you to their party thinking you're not going to have a good time. It's one of the reasons I spend a lot of time at the library. It's not like I'm antisocial—it just takes me time to find the right people to hang out with. I think you're one of those people. And the other reason is that I have a girlfriend. She's in Michigan, not here, so I haven't seen her in over two months, though we talk in the phone each week."

It occurred to me that he was lonely—he was new in town, didn't have any close friends yet, and probably didn't want to spend too much time at Larry and Dawn's house in the evening to give them some alone time. I didn't feel I should comment on his girlfriend at all, though I wasn't sure why they didn't talk more often if they missed one another.

"Thank you for telling me. I didn't know about the drinking thing, but I can relate. I don't drink either and know people tend to think you're a wet blanket if you don't. Even my last boyfriend tried to get me to start drinking so we could have a BETTER time."

"Sorry to hear that. You're an attractive woman. I would have thought he would have given you more consideration than that. Sometimes, I think guys are just a little too dense to understand and be sensitive to another person's needs."

I looked at Ruf. He was still holding his book in both hands, his face showing an earnest expression—he had just told me I was attractive. If he understood what he had just said to me it didn't show. It made me feel so good to know he thought so. Didn't he know he was a head turner, a man that made a woman squirm in her seat if she looked too close or for too long? I decided it was time not to be so serious, it was time to change the mood.

I laughed, "You know we can agree on one thing—men are incredibly dense."

He grinned, "And women are completely understandable, logical, and supportive?"

"Yes, absolutely!" I shot back instantly.

We both started laughing, knowing our stereotypes didn't reflect reality. It was then I felt completely comfortable with Ruf—he was confident, honest, and not afraid to reveal his feelings. He was certainly different than Craig had been in many respects; the best comparison I could make.

"Hey, are you up for something to drink? I have some Cokes and a few chocolate chip cookies."

"You're on! That is if you don't mind a few crumbs, I can be a little messy with chocolate chip cookies unless they're the soft batch kind."

"I looked at him with a broad smile. "They're hard, but I'll show you where the broom and dustpan are kept," with a giggle.

We ate a few cookies, talked, and noticed it was growing late as Ruf gave a yawn, covering it with his hand. We bade each other goodnight and I watched out the window as he drove off. I double-checked the locks on the door, and went into the bedroom and started getting ready for bed. Despite the scare at the library I felt good as I slipped into bed. It had been an enjoyable evening with Ruf—he had kept the loneliness away. Our first book date had been a success, and I was determined it wouldn't be our last.

The next day I talked with Gloria and told her about my 'date' with Ruf. She giggled several times as I told her how we had sat together at opposite ends of the sofa reading our books.

"Val, you're way too clever for me. I never in the world would have thought of making a date out of staying home with a book and a guy. I guess you should stay away from erotic romance stories," she laughed with obvious glee.

I didn't tell her about thinking Ted had been stalking me, but wasn't. I was positive I had been paranoid and decided to put the incident behind me. I had enough stress with Ted and I didn't need to add more than what was already there. I smiled to myself the next day as I swept the floor under the table where Ruf and I had been eating chocolate chip cookies—he hadn't dropped a single crumb. The weekend passed with grocery shopping, laundry, and general house cleaning.

The next week passed and I had caught Ted leering at me from inside his office all too often. I fought back by wearing loose pants all week, avoiding skirts so he wouldn't get any enjoyment out of seeing my legs. It wasn't much, but it made me feel better knowing I was denying him his lustful pleasure. I had given him a few really nasty looks when he got too near me in the file room several times during the week—he had backed off and didn't offer any off-color or lewd comments either time.