“Where are you from? How old are you? Do you have any children? Are you dating anyone? What do you like to do in your spare time? You know…‘Getting to know you 101’.”
I started answering as best as my trust would allow. “I went to school in North Carolina and got my undergrad degree in Sports Medicine, after which I immediately moved to California and started PT school. I finished the PT program recently and you know what I do for a living. I’m twenty-six years old, have no children and I’m not dating anyone to speak of. Satisfied?” I had to leave open the possibility of there being someone in the picture even if slightly embellishing. I’m no lost cause!
“Damn. That seemed painful. Can I have the waiter get you some aspirin?” He gave a rueful smile in jest causing me to laugh.
“Well, tell me something about you. I want to know everything, too," I murmured noncommittally.
“I’ve been out here in California for almost sixteen years. I was born in Bedford-Stuyvesant, Brooklyn—”
“New York?!” I interrupted. I knew I’d heard urban enunciation in his speech. A Brooklynite, hmmmm…
He continued, “Yup, until I was about fourteen. I moved out here with a family-friend and this has been home ever since. You may know that I have a few businesses around the way. I’m always looking for the next money-making opportunity.”
“I would ask if you have a girlfriend but seeing that you asked me out I wouldn’t insult you with a silly question such as that one.” I was testing the waters. Please, God, no! I continued, "But do you have any children? And how old are you?”
“No children yet, just a handful of godchildren and extended nieces and nephews. I’m thirty-six years old. You wanna see my birth certificate, young buck?”
I rolled my eyes bashfully. Azmir made me nervous and I didn’t know if it was in a good or bad way.
Over dinner we talked, joked and filtered unpalatable discourse, avoiding touchy topics. I had two glasses of red wine and was feeling relaxed. I could’ve gone for a third but remembered my limit. Two was probably too much, but I started feeling a tad comfortable around this man. He was a little complex, though. On the one hand, he was the business mogul, on the other, he was a street-wise thug and somewhere in between he was a warm and charming gentleman. He seemed confident and unguarded and wasn’t afraid to tell jokes even if they were at his expense. He made wise cracks about me that not only made me laugh but delighted me as well.
Azmir’s sense of humor was of an acquired taste, it was peculiar. He didn’t find the amusing things he said nearly as comical as I did, but he knew that I would. He smiled coolly, very reserved; chuckling here and there but never gave a gut-felt laughter like mine. I wrote it off as charm. But more notable was how closely he observed me. He studied my movements and my eyes. He was intense. Nothing like anyone I’d ever met.