I'll Be Seeing You Read Free Page B

Jessie. I roll my eyes at him because he’s watching my every move.
    "And your card? Um, Conrad says he can't wait to see you tomorrow too."
    Smiling at her hidden meaning, I start pacing the floor.
    "That's great, Joy. I’ll see you at the same time then?"
    "Yes. I’ll see you then," she says sweetly before hanging up.
    I feel like a sixth grader asking a girl out for a glass of Kool-Aid.
    "Spill, Matthew. You know how relentless I am. I’m not giving up because I’ve seen you like this only once." He leans over the table when Kathy brings our order.
    I hear him stifle another cursive at yet another interruption.
    "Here you go, Matthew," she coos, placing my plate in front of me. As she bends over to whisper in my ear, I can’t help but notice the deep cut of her blouse.
    "Call me sometime. I would love to see you again." I look over at Jessie, and he raises an eyebrow at me.
    "I can't, Kathy. I'm seeing someone right now, but thank you for your offer." I focus on my salad, just waiting to hear what Dr. Montgomery has to say.
    Looking across the table, taking my first bite of salad, I know he’s waiting. He knows not to press me; otherwise, I will clam up and not say anything at all.
    "Her name is Joy Johnson," I say simply, stabbing my salad for another bite. Jess continues to watch me as he fills his mouth with sweet potato fries.
    "She's beautiful, Jessie." The floodgates open, and he knows it. He leans in for all the details.
    "What does she look like?" he asks, curious. "Give me the details, Doctor," he says, sitting back with a grin.
    "She has the most beautiful eyes you've ever seen. Her eyelashes have to be an inch long. Her skin is porcelain white, and her lips are full and naturally red, making you want nothing but to kiss them. She’s not too tall nor too short. She’d fit perfectly under my arm."
    As I explain in detail, l pause at the thought of her. "She's blind," I say at last, taking a large bite of salad so I won't have to answer his next question.
    "Matthew, are you playing Dr. Fix-it again?" he asks sitting back in his chair.
    "See, Jess. I wanted to tell you about her. I wanted to tell someone about her but you had to go and say shit like that." I’m angrier than I’ve been in a long time and get up from the table and start walking back to the clinic. I don’t feel guilty leaving him with the check either. I don’t know if I’m angry because I don’t like him talking about her like that or if it’s because he’s right.
    I can hear him running up behind me, out of breath, but he soon falls into step with me.
    "You need to get to the gym more often," I say, listening to his heavy breathing from his jog.
    "Screw you, Matthew. I go every morning, and you know it. You can't have a bod like this and not work out," he says, laughing as he flexes his arm muscles for me.
    "Hey, Matt, I'm sorry, man. I can tell you really like her. I didn't mean anything by what I said. I just don't want you to get hurt again. Okay?" I listen to his apology and hit his arm accepting it
    Just as we are turning the corner, Jessie bumps hard into a woman that’s rounding the corner at the same time.
    She lets out a very unladylike "Fuck."
    "Matthew, look what you did," Jessie yells at me when he sees her.
    I stand there in shock with my mouth hanging open as he accuses me of his own clumsiness. As we help pick up her packages, about a dozen pair of lace panties spill out of the small, flat boxes. I quickly drop them, but not Jessie. He’s staring at her, practically begging her with his eyes to model them right there on the street corner.
    "I'm so sorry, Miss. I apologize, but the culprit is this one," I say, pointing at my stupid, drooling friend.
    "Jessie?" I say. "Jess?" I say louder. He doesn’t respond because he's in a trance. I’m about ready to buy a shovel to scoop his tongue off the sidewalk and shove it back in his mouth.
    "Jessie, you’re making this young lady nervous staring at her and her purchases