Men Do Cry Episode 2 by Sonia Okehie

Men Do Cry Episode 2

Written by Sonia Okehie

All through the ride home that day, Jaden couldn’t get his mind off the beautiful and calm fast food attendant that had caught his attention. He kept questioning himself and wondering why he was drawn to her. Not in a thousand years would he had thought that a fast food attendant would make such impact on him. He was love struck but hadn’t realised yet!

“Of all the specs of beautiful women I see everyday, why this one in particular?” He asked himself but couldn’t provide an answer. The more he tried to get the mysterious fast food attendant off his head, the more he thought about her.

Finally, he arrived home and prepared himself for bed. He fought every thought of the mysterious lady, by reminding himself who he was and how he wasn’t going to be vulnerable or give his heart to any woman again. “Jaden you’ve come a long way and can’t turn back for a fast food attendant. Come on, no way!” He assured himself continuously before finally sleeping off.

The next day, Jaden had to rush to the office earlier than normal because he had a client waiting for him. He arrived at the office and hurriedly attended to his client who was waiting. That day was a hectic one for Jaden as he went from one meeting to another without having any chance for breakfast or lunch. He was starving but held himself till he was done for the day.

At around passed 4pm, Jaden closed from work and left the office in search for food to quench his hunger. As he drove, he slightly thought of the mysterious fast food attendant from the day before. He tried to shut down every thought of her but it was almost impossible. Seeing that there was little he could do to stop thinking about her, he decided to visit the fast food again in order to convince himself that she wasn’t worth the stress.

In no time, Jaden arrived at the fast food and gently walked in. The first place his eyes went to was the counter; at the exact place he saw her but she wasn’t there. Jaden sighed in disappointment, “Was she in my dreams yesterday or is this whole thing real?” He thought to himself as he managed to walk down to the counter.

“Goodevening, please what can I offer you?” The lady there asked and he hurriedly told her what he wanted so he could leave fast. Just as Jaden was waiting for his order, he heard someone from the other end of the counter say “The supervisor is calling you, don’t worry I’ll take the order for you”.

The voice sounded very familiar but he couldn’t see who it was because they were behind the standing fridges that was at the counter. Just as Jaden was about to think further, the mysterious lady that almost drove him insane all night, was walking towards him with his order. His heart skipped several beats and his palms became sweaty, “ah ah! why is my heart beating so fast?” He asked himself as she walked closer. “Hi, here you go” the mysterious lady said, “thank you, keep the change” he said without making eye contacts but she rejected his tip, “I can’t take it but thanks for being kind” she said and handed his order to him.

Jaden wanted to start a conversation with her but his pride wouldn’t let him. He didn’t want to leave too soon again, so he ordered for a meal to eat there. “Can I just get something to eat here before leaving?” He asked, “Yes sure, what do you want to eat?’ she politely asked, “give me anything you want to feed me with” he jokingly said and she smiled. The smile on her face sent chilled reactions down his spine but he concealed his emotions. “Don’t worry, I know what to give you” she assured and he went to a corner not far from the counter and sat down to wait.

While Jaden waited, he couldn’t take his eyes off the lady that had stolen his thoughts. He watched her every move and was smitten by her graceful and charming personality. It was then that he noticed her long natural hair that came out of the cap she wore. He admired the way her uniform was beautifully fitted on her body, and he admired the way she smiled at every little thing her colleagues said. Jaden was going crazy!

After a little while of waiting, she started walking close to him with a tray. He immediately put himself in order and wore a straight look on his face. “Here you go! So sorry for keeping you waiting” she politely said, “It’s fine” he replied and pretended to be focused on the food. “Don’t you think the air conditioner is too close to you? You might end up catching a cold” she gently said and turned to leave but Jaden stopped her by asking why she didn’t venture in a career on consultancy, since she loves giving advice and making suggestions for people. She smiled and turned again to leave but he stopped her, “you still haven’t answered my question” he said, “I graduated from the university 2 years ago so it’s already too late to have a career in that field of study” she replied smiling. “What did you major in while in the university?” He asked, “I studied accounting” she replied.

Jaden was impressed but confused at the same time because he couldn’t connect why an accountant was working in a fast food. “Why are you here then, since you studied accounting in school?” He enquired, “Job search hasn’t been easy so I decided to go for this job, so I can save up for my dream business” she replied, “What’s this dream business?” He curiously asked but she didn’t let the cat out of the bag. “You ask too many questions, I have to go” she said and was about leaving.

Jaden stopped her one last time and said “I haven’t gotten the chance to know your name, can you tell me your name?.

She smiled and said “My name is Laura”.

To Be Continued….