Chapter 2: Nauseating Fads and Good Advice

(Aisha)

I was getting hungry, but once I get started on a painting, I can't stop. There was a knock on the door. When I opened it, my best friend, Murray, was standing there with coffee and a white bag.

"I'm assuming that white bag is for me," I said.

"Actually, it's not," Murray said. "It's for me. I just wanted to stop by and eat it front of you because I had a sixth sense that you were working on another painting and I knew you couldn't be torn from it."

I walked away from the door and Murray followed me, closing the door behind him.

"So, what's really in the bag?" I asked.

"Egg bagel and cream cheese," Murray said, handing me the bag. "I really did have a feeling that you wouldn't make it out of the apartment this morning."

"Bless you," I said, hugging the bag to my chest pretending it was the most important thing in the world and sitting on the couch. "Do you want anything to eat?"

"No thanks," Murray said, sitting in the chair across from me and sipping his coffee. "I already ate."

He turned to look at my half finished picture. It was of me and the Egyptian guy in the tomb we were buried in. It was yet another image from my dream.

"Have another dream about the 'sexy' Egyptian guy?" Murray asked.

I blushed. Murray knew everything about me. Well, he should, I thought. He's known me since college. He knew about my reoccurring dreams. But, it was a little embarrassing to tell him about the dream where we went all the way, so he assumed that every dream I had was about that and he made fun of me about it.

"Did you two have sex again?" Murray asked.

"Stop," I said.

"Where did you do it this time?" Murray taunted.

"I said stop," I said.

"Lying down? Standing up? Upside down? On the ground? In the guy's tent? Standing on your heads?"

"We were buried alive in a tomb."

"You did it in a tomb under ground?"

I chucked a pillow at him. "You're sick," I said.

"Okay, seriously," he said. "What happened this time?"

"We were actually dying," I said. "You actually died, too."

"That's bad."

"Tell me about it. At one point I fell back against the wall and I guess there was a hole at the top of the tomb because sand kept pouring in really fast and it went into my mouth and I couldn't breathe."

"Wow."

"Yeah. I was shaking for an hour."

"So, are you terribly traumatized?"

"No."

I'd been dwelling on these dreams for a month (that's how long I'd been having them). I was always trying to figure them out, but I couldn't.

"I need to find out what these dreams mean," I said, aloud. "They're driving me crazy."

"You need to get out of this apartment more often," Murray said.

"I do get out of the apartment," I argued.

"Food shopping or any other kind of shopping doesn't count," Murray said.

"Touché."

"Thank you."

"You're welcome."

Murray was right. I only did leave the apartment to go shopping, but I couldn't help it.Art was my life.

"Look, Amy and I finally got reservations at the Rainbow Room tonight," Murray said.

"Cool," I said.

Amy was Murray's girlfriend and my other best friend. Of course, we weren't really friends until Murray introduced us. She and I went shopping together and she stopped by more than occasionally.

"We would like you to join us," Murray said.

"Really?" I asked. "Wouldn't you two like to eat there alone together? I mean you'd been working to get reservations for………ever."

"We got reservations for four," Murray answered.

"Four?" I repeated.

"One of Amy's friends is coming us, too," Murray said.

"Male or female?"

"Why?"

"If it's female, then you're just having a dinner with friends. If it's male, then you're setting me up."

Murray stared at his feet and clasped his hands in front of him. That was what he did when he was guilty. Which could only mean………

"You're setting me up with a guy?" I asked.

"Amy and I talked about it," Murray said. "We both agreed that you need this set up."

"I don't need a set up," I said. "I can find a guy on my own."

"You haven't been on a date in a month," he argued.

"This is not your field of argument," I said.

"Why not?"

"A woman is supposed to use that argument. Unless you're acrossdresser, gay,or a hermaphrodite, you can't use that argument."

"Fine, but Amy really wants this. You'd be doing her a big favor."

I didn't know what to say. I didn't want to let Amy down, but I also didn't want to say yes until I knew a little bit about the guy.

"Who is he?" I asked.

"It's her childhood friend," Murray answered. "Name's Roderick."

"That guy?" I said. "I don't want to go out with him."

"You've never met him," Murray argued. "You couldn't have possiblydecided that you don't like him."

"You told me he's a republican," I said. "You know I don't like to date republicans."

"You're last boyfriend was a republican," Murray said.

"That was different," I said. "Things were going great until he found out that during the president election of two thousand, I voted for Gore instead of Bush, which resulted into a huge fight and then a break up. Since then I have sworn off republicans. You and Amy of all people should know that."

"Look, he needs to get out, too," Murray said. "He's always working. When he's not working, he's either watching TV or reading or listening to music."

"So, he's a fat republican who's too involved in his work," I said.

"That's not fair," Murray said. "You're notnormally this shallow."

"I know," I said. "I just……."

I just don't want to go, I thought. But, I didn't have a good reason not to. I hated blind dates.

"Maybe you're dreams are telling you that you need to start dating again," Murray said.

Murray did have a point there, but I just didn't know that I wanted to do it any time soon.

"Please," Murray begged.

I sighed. "Fine," I said.

"Thanks," Murray said, walking out. "Seven o'clock."

"I'll be there," I said, pasting a fake smile on my face to look like I was excited.

As soon as Murray closed the door, I dropped my smile. I didn't want to go on a date. But, maybe I did need to go out. Besides, I was getting a little lonely. Maybe going on this date would do me some good. But, I had a feeling that something would go wrong.

(Roderick)

I walked out of my building to go to work when I bumped into my best friend, Amy, who I had been friends since we were seven.

"Coming to greet me?" she joked.

"Of course," I joked back. "What are you doing here?"

"I came to see if you wanted to go to breakfast," Amy said, as we started walking down the street.

"Can't," I repliedd. "I have to go to work."

"You know, you've been working really hard," Amy said. "You need to get out more."

"Ah, here comes the lecture," I said, sarcastically.

"No lecture," Amy said. "However, Murray and I managed to get reservations for four at the Rainbow Room."

Murray and I used to work together (before Murray got a better job). In fact, I was the one who introduced him to Amy.

"Why four?" I asked.

Amy looked at me knowingly.

"You're setting me up?" I asked.

"It's Murray's college friend," Amy said, quickly.

"The Democrat?" I asked.

"She's really sweet," Amy said. "This is the first set up for her in a month. She's an artist. She doesn't get out much either which is the whole point of the set up."

"Okay," I said. "You're setting me up with a weird-ass, artsy Democrat who doesn't know that theres a world beyond her apartment?"

"What do you have against Democrats?" Amy asked.

"My boss is a Democrat," I answered. "I met her friends who are all Democrats. They're narrow-minded. They look down over their noses on people if they don't agree with them."

"Has it ever occurred to you that this is just your boss and her friends?" Amy asked.

"Nope, it's all Democrats," I said, stopping at a newspaper stand to buy a paper.

"Looks like you're the one being narrow-minded," Amy scoffed. "Or are you waiting for a certain woman you've been dreaming about?"

My hand froze in mid-air on the way to my wallet. She was referring to my dreams, which I'd been having for a month.

"Maybe a Nubian to be exact," she said.

"Shut up," I said, not turning around.

"Ahot, sexy,Nubian," she taunted.

"Shut up," I repeated.

"Do you have a date with her tonight?" she taunted. "Or are you just skipping to the sex?"

"Shut up about the shtupting," I said through clenched teeth as I paid the guy and walked away.

"Look, I know you don't want to do this," she said, following me. "But, just give this woman a chance. Maybe you might enjoy yourself."

I started to regret telling her about my dreams. Amy made me sound crazy, but she was right. I really was being choosy about the people I dated. Maybe I was waiting for the Nubian woman.

"Fine," I said. "I'll do it."

"Seven o'clock," Amy said, signaling a cab. "Don't be late."

"I'll try not to be," I said. "Where are you heading anyway?"

"Bloomingdale's," she answered. "Big sale. Fifty percent off."

That was typical Amy. She couldn't pass up a big sale anywhere. She loved clothes and shopping or anything having to do with that. She was an assistant buyer at Saks' fifth avenue.

"Please change your outfit before you come," she said, before getting into the cab.

I resisted the urge not to throw my newspaper at the cab. Sometimes Amy annoyed me, but she was right. I had to give people a chance. I couldn't just sit around my apartment waiting for the Nubian girl. But, I had a feeling that I wasn't going to enjoy myself tonight.

To Be Continued……………

A/N: Can you guess who Amy and Murray are reincarnated from? Well, if you don't know now, you'll never figure it out until next chapter. I know Aida and Radames wouldn't say stuff like that, but they aren't actual the characters. Well, they are modern-dayversions of the characters, but I can make them up so don't flame them. Chapter 3 is coming soon.