Page 98 of Love Is an Art
“Well, I can tell that you’re going to last. I have a good sense for that.”
Her friend laughs and affectionately punches her arm. “She always says that. But she does have a good sense for that. And I agree.” She turns to Tessa. “The way he gazes at you. That’s the way mine looks at me. That’s the way you want a man to look at you.”
Do I look at her like that?
I can't. I thought I was keeping it all hidden.
“Like that?” Tessa asks.
The friend waves her hand. “Not like that. That’s the way they look when they’ve been caught.”
I school my face.
At that moment, her other friend arrives and explains that the landlord keeps saying he’s going to fix the toilet, but he doesn’t. They’re using a bucket of water to flush the toilet. She and Tessa sit on the bench together. Tessa leans forward, totally immersed in this woman’s plight, her desire to help palpable. I snap a quick shot.
“I have a contact in the Queens FLAFL office. I can put you guys in touch. But you should also contact your council member since you live in New York City housing. I used to help with these types of cases when I was a legislative assistant for a council member. Here, let me write some emails for you,” Tessa says. “But I also recommend this YouTube video. It shows how to fix a toilet.”
The two other moms are swiping through the photos, looking delighted and showing them to each other.
“Which one do you like best?” I ask.
They each show me the one they like best, and I tell them I’ll send them a print.
Tessa stands, having sent the emails. “It was great to meet you.”
“We have to go,” I say.
We walk away, back to the apartment entrance.
“You didn’t ask them much about Howard,” I say.
“No, not yet,” she says. “They seemed too close. I wasn’t sure if I could trust them. But I still got useful information that corroborates my hunch, and hopefully, the video footage will be conclusive. Do you want to watch the entrance? If we can get some videos of him with this other woman, that would be great.”
“Sure. And you didn’t think I’d be helpful?”
“I didn’t realize that this was a multi-person operation. I’m glad you came.” She smiles at me. She has such a mischievous grin, like we’re kids up to no good.
It’s hard to be inconspicuous on this block. There are no stores. We move a bit down the block and lean against a brick wall of a building.
“Why was I a photographer?” I ask.
“I didn’t think I should say you work on Wall Street. And I definitely don’t want to say you’re a doctor or anything that might require immediate services. I didn’t realize that they’d all want you to take pictures. What do you want to be next time?”
“Is there going to be a next time?”
She looks up at me. “That depends on you. I still think we should give this a try.”
The attraction is still there.
I look at her like I like her.
Idolike her.
Even more now that I know her better.
I swallow. I avoid eye contact for a moment and then turn back to her. “You know you’re a little crazy.”
“Only a little? In a good way or a bad way?”
