Eyes Of Muniz

Chapter 7

Marisa and Ned arrived at the restaurant. They went to their table and sat down. Marisa had never been to a proper restaurant before. She'd gone to a dozen fast food outlets but never to a restaurant before. Marisa didn't intend to let Ned see that. They placed their orders and started talking as they waited for the food.
" Tell me about yourself Marisa", Ned started.
" What do you want to know?" Marisa asked him. She knew there was nothing to tell.
  " Everything, Marisa. Your last name, age, shoe size, colour, lingerie type....."
" Lingerie type?" Marisa looked at him. Ned gave a flat smile. She's not that type of girl.
"Well I just wanted to joke around", he lied.
" There's nothing much to tell. Marisa Muniz, Mexican, twenty five and housekeeper" she said.
  "Come on, hey. That's not enough" Ned said. He was really finding it difficult to get through her.
"Okay fine. I came here in the US when I was a baby with my grandmother. I never knew my parents or why my granny brought me here. She never disclosed the information to me. I went to high school and college..."
  "You went to college?" Ned asked.
" Does it look like I didn't?" Marisa asked him.
  " Well, being a housekeeper and you know most Latinos usually don't...."
" Don't what? What are you saying?" Marisa asked. She was clearly offended. This guy had no shame.
  " Well,  I..you know those lat.."
" I know what you meant, it's fine. It's not like going to college matters anyway." She said. Ned looked  at her. Going to college mattered. He had became a doctor because he had went to college. She didn't know what she was saying.
" Well it does matter, you know. I became a doctor and nobody can tell me what to do. I'm who I want to be. Why are you working for Michael?"
  " Because I have to make a living. You're quite wrong though. If you go to college your focus is only on what you studied and you won't know how to handle problems that do not involve stuff you learnt. That is why many proffesors die loosers," she said. Marisa took a sip from her water glass. She knew Ned felt offended but she didn't care, it was the truth.
" But you went to college, Marisa. They are good...."
  "So what if I did go to college? It doesn't matter. I want to be a  housekeeper" she said.
" Oh it's your passion?" He asked her. She sighed and relaxed in her chair.
  " No. A lot of things are happening now I just need to make ends meet. I didn't even finish college. My sponsor died so, you know", Marisa told him.
The waiter brought their food. They started eating as they talked.
  " I didn't know things were like that for you Marisa. You if you had dreams to pursue something other than this it's never too late" Ned said softly. I've got to make her like me.
"Thanks, Ned. I bet you're a good doctor" Marisa said.
" I love making people okay. Everyone deserves to be smiling and that it was I live for. I saw something like that when we first talked, I had to take the chance," Ned said. I have to fatten worm for my fish.
  "Mr Evans..."
" Please Marisa, call me Ned", he said flashing one of his best smiles.
"Okay, Ned. I like you. You care about others and I think you and I will get along so well" Marisa said watching him. He smiled at her and reached for her hand from across the table and gave it a smooth squeeze.
  " I like you too Marisa. We'll get along just fine. I'm not a man who wants to see such pure beauty go to waste. You're beautiful, your eyes are the right shade of blue", Ned told her. He was trying for a night with her.
   "Which reminds me id like to show you my apartment after this, I have beautiful Mexican art there and you'll love it,"  Ned added. He was sure he had pushed the right buttons.
"You do know I  meant we'd get along well as friends, right?" Marisa saw where he was going. She had seen what type of person he was, pompous. He was proud and judgemental. She didn't want to go on a second or third date with him, this alone was enough.
" We're already friends. It won't hurt to level up at some point you know?" Ned said. He knew she was rejecting him. He didn't know where he had went wrong. Most girls would have skipped dessert to go to his apartment with him. They would have even preferred to have dinner at his house and they'd ditch the idea and went to bed instead.
  " I won't make any promises. I'd like to see the art at your  apartment but not tonight" Marisa said with a smile. It wasn't her first rodeo. She knew better than to mess with men in white coats and killer smiles.
   They discussed other things. The dinner even went well because Ned did not show his disappointment. He didn't feel the argue to pursue further but he wasn't used to losing. He hated losing, it was not his thing. The fact that she had rejected him made him want her even more. He also had one fear, Michael could get to her first. She wasn't his type but the fact that she was too stunning for a housekeeper made him more insecure. Most of the times it would just be the two of them in the mansion with Michael. He wanted to be better than Michael in any way. He was his best friend but he was in a secret competition with him.

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Ned took Marisa home after the date. He watched her enter the house and wondered if Michael was still awake. He waited for a moment and drove off. He would have stayed and had a beer with Michael but he was too pissed that nothing had went his way. He had taken an Ice Queen for a date. He smiled as he drove home. There is always next time.
    
Marisa went straight to the kitchen for a glass of water. She found Michael in the kitchen sitting on one of the stools, he was on his laptop. He never worked in the kitchen, she was quite surprised.
   " Hello Mr Howard", she said pouring some water into a glass.
" Hey Marisa", he replied not taking his eye off his laptop. That was as far as their conversations usually went.
  Marisa gulped down the water and was leaving for bed when she had Michael's voice.
  " Marisa....."

...There is  always next time.

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