Darrel and Danielle

"I'll get him to bend down."

There was never any doubt in their minds that I liked him. Who cares that he's black?

"Dani," Janet injected a mild warning. "He has a girlfriend."

A gloomy expression came to my face. Darn, I thought. I really have a girl's crush on him.

I will not be denied. I want him taking my panties down. Deeming it worthwhile, I went off to try a little seduction.

"Hi Darrel," I said finding him sitting at the well shaded picnic table puffing on his cigarette.

"Hi Dani," he answered.

"You need a certain hat to go with that goatee. One with a narrow rim all around. It would look pretty cool."

He chuckled.

"What kind of hat?"

"One like jazz trumpet player Dizzy Gelespie wears."

"Girl you are something else."

O my God this is great, I thought. He has no clue that I was, until recently, Dan. Knowing that he and Dan shared common interests, I started chatting about the things that interested Dan. Darrel responded to chat about cartoons like Family Guy, Cleveland Cavs basketball and blues music. Then there were matters of the heart.

"How's your little boy?"

"He's great. He's got me watching Sesame Street with him. He sings the theme."

The child, I guessed, had to be three years old.

"Are you and Tina divorced?"

"She was killed in an auto accident."

"I'm so sorry!"

"Thankyou. It was 8 months ago."

The sympathy of course was genuine but I really wanted to sleep with him. I began to wonder if he was over her.

He had mentioned a brother in Boston who fell in love with the basketball team in his adopted city. Knowing of his love for the game, I had invited him to use my ticket.

"Darrel," I said facing him across the lunch table after six days and a few attempts at flirting, "I've got season ticket's to the Cavs game. Would you like to go tomorrow night? The Celtics are in town."