Jeffrey felt restless. He very rarely watched television but for some reason he turned it on. Immediately he saw Zen’s face on the screen and his heart raced. He had fallen hard and deep for a woman, ten years his junior. He knew he wanted too much from her. She had just started her life and he was her first lover, but she had taught him so many things. She was fearless in her approach to everything and she had never once denied there was much she wanted to do, see and accomplish before setting down with anyone. Her age for marrying and having children was between thirty and thirty-five and that was nine to fourteen years away. She had just celebrated her twenty-first birthday. Turning up the volume, he listened to her words. “I have no issue with interracial dating at all. In this country, one would be hard-pressed not to date interracially since many of us are a mix of many things. However, if I were to have an issue it would be a person choosing a mate solely based on their race if it were different than their own.” Mindy Chan’s brow rose at that statement. “So, you are saying that it’s okay to only choose black guys to date, if you are black but it would not be okay to exclusively only choosing white guys, I you are say, Chinese?” “Not exactly, what I am saying is itsnatural, in my very limited opinion to choose a person who is of your own ethnicity so that doesn’t seem odd to only choose that as your love interest. However, we should choose whom we want. But I have heard blacks say they are only dating white because they want their kids to be of lighter complexion or Asians to only date whites because they want their children’s eyes less slanted. In my opinion that smacks of self-dislike and dislike of anyone who looks similar to you. As you can see, I am a dark girl and my preference is dark men of African descent, be that American, Haitian, Jamaican or African man, that is what I like and I would love to bring any babies born of us into our union. I am not ruling out anyone else, I am saying up front what I like. I know many black men, white women and Asian women, specifically who rule out ever dating a man from their own culture or ethnicity.” Startled laughter sprang from Mindy’s throat because she hadn’t expected such a succinct answer. “You are really in tune with what you want to say aren’t you?” “I am, because it is a huge waste of time, not to say it and get it out of the way. People are making choices from pain in many cases and not from real love or desire. I see it all around me. On the other hand, I see interracial relationships that are organic and happen because two people meet and fall in love, at the end of the day that’s how it should be.” “There you have it Center City, Zen Cooper Jones has spoken.” Zen stood and bowed as she was prone to do. She was dressed in a magenta vintage dress that showed her off to perfection. However, on her feet were jet-black jump boots. The show faded to commercial and Jeffrey sat on the side of his bed, thinking, “At least, that is in my favor.” He smiled to himself as he prepared for his day. Mindy stopped Zen as she departed the studio. Somehow, she had made it downstairs ahead of her. “Mindy, you must have wings. I stopped by the restroom and you swooped down here.” “I wanted to talk to you, can we have coffee or something.” “Of course, there is a smoothie shop across the street, they also have coffee, but I need fruit and veggies.” After they were seated and Mindy had coffee and Zen a banana, coconut and spinach smoothie, Mindy stared straight into Zen as if she were trying to see her soul. Zen’s glance never wavered. “How are you so confident and self-possessed?” “I choose to be. As a young girl, I knew there were many things I could have chosen to be because of certain things, like being dark skinned or not knowing my biological father or being tall and brainy but I simply chose to embrace and enhance those things because that is how God made me. I am good with Zen.” “Your name is so fitting because you are certainly Zen and at peace with who you are. It is refreshing though daunting.” “Daunting how?” “I am thirty-five and I’m not nearly as confident or sure as you are about certain things. I never wanted to date Asian guys and it was for superficial reasons like height and size if you follow me. But it was also because their expectations of women were more traditional than I wanted to be. I mean I never dated Chinese men, ever. Of course, my family was horrified. Or any Asian man for that matter but I dated everyone else. My parents didn’t mind white as much but black and Hispanic, not so much.” “You are grown. My mom spent twenty years not with my dad because of family stuff and they are both black. Suppose either one of them had ended up in a horrible marriage or died. We cannot live our lives like that, we just can’t.” Mindy sipped her coffee, nodding. “I agree with you. I am now at that age where I want to marry, have a child perhaps and I am so out of touch with myself I don’t know what to do. I do know I don’t want a Chinese man and at this point they don’t want me either.” Mindy chuckled at her own truths. “Why wouldn’t they want you?” “I am tainted. There have been too many men; I am too American, too independent and too old. I am suffering from the toos.” “That Mindy is too silly. You better shake that off and get in the game. I need to run but you have my numbers.” Mindy, smiled watching Zen zip out of the café and down the streets. She had met a new friend.
Posted on: Thu, 31 Oct 2013 17:57:25 +0000
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