When Love Gets Corny

"Slow down!" she screamed again.

"We're only going ten miles an hour, but hold on!"

She had him in a death grip and every time he accelerated the slightest little bit, she shrieked. "That's not funny!" she said when he gunned once he knew the effect doing so had on her.

"No, but it IS fun," he said as he opened it up once they got to the dirt path that led into the fields themselves.

Tamara screamed, but he didn't slow down. "Hold on tight, okay?" he called back to her.

The road was pretty smooth by his standards, but Tamara felt like they were driving over some kind of obstacle course. "You're scaring me!" she yelled into his ear.

"Well, your proposal is scaring me!" he hollered back over his shoulder.

He kept going for another ten minutes then started slowing down. "There's a nice spot up here to take a break and talk," he told her.

"Talk? I don't want to talk! I want you to take me back!"

"No can do!" he told her as he pulled up under a large tree right next to a creek that was cutting across the field from east to west.

He helped her off as she continued to protest. Noah ignored her and said, "Come on. I want to show you something."

After just staring, or rather glowering, at him for half a minute, she reluctantly followed him. "This creek has provided water for our fields for well over 70 years. Your road will require draining it meaning we'll have to irrigate the land. That extra cost means I either have to close up shop or let four of my employees go. Without them, I can't run this place so either way..."

Tamara momentarily forgot how angry she was with him as they stood under the shade of the large tree and listened to the babbling of the water and the occasional crow in the distance. "It's so peaceful out here," he said. "I can't imagine having a road running right through this place." He turned to her and looked her in the eye and said, "Can you?"

She was flustered again and again angry at herself for feeling like that. "What is wrong with you, girl?" she asked herself before getting her composure back and answering him. "It's not my decision, Noah. You're shooting the messenger here."

"Maybe so," he replied, "but messengers deliver messages. What you take back—what you say—can impact the decision-makers. You don't have to rubber stamp this, Tamara. You can take a stand and do the right thing."

"Right for whom?" she asked.

He looked at her without answering until she couldn't meet his stare. When she looked away he said, "You already know the answer to your question. You just met them back at my house."

Tamara did already know the answer as she thought about those families and their children and it reminded her of her own childhood during times when her father had told her mother he thought he might be let go at the factory where he'd worked for many years. These were real people with real lives, and this decision would have a direct impact on all of them.

"Okay. You've made your point, Noah. But I really do have to get going."

"All right. I just wanted you to see the land first hand."

He handed her the keys and said, "Why don't you drive us back?"

"Oh, no! There is NO way I'm driving...that!" she said pointing to it.

"Now you don't strike me as a fearful person, Ms. Jones. Are you telling me you're afraid of...that?" he teased.

She glared at him again and said, "I'm not afraid of anything. Well, except maybe snakes. Okay, I hate spiders, too. Oh, and bats."

"Well then, you'll be just fine. Let me show you how to work the clutch and the gears." He gave her a short class on how to shift then handed her the keys.

She went to get on and faced the same problem with her dress. This time she said, "Don't you dare!" as she lifted it up herself then sat down and watched her insert the key and turn it to ON.

He got on behind and said, "Okay, hold in the clutch and hit the start button and don't let go of the clu..."

Before he could finish the sentence, she'd hit the ON switch then grabbed the throttle forgetting it was the throttle and revved the engine. The noise scared her and she let go of the clutch sending them jerking forward about two feet. Noah instinctively grabbed her just as she'd grabbed him. "Easy, woman!" he hollered.

Tamara screamed and then started laughing. "Okay, okay! I can do better! I'm a fast learner. Here. Watch. You'll see." This time she started it up and kept the clutch in as she slowly gave it some gas and gently released it. There was a small hitch, but the vehicle began moving forward. "Yes! I did it!"

She had it in first gear and was speeding up but not shifting gears. "You gonna stay in first all day?" he hollered as the engine wound out.

"Oh, right!" she said. She turned the throttle down, held in the clutch, then shifted into second and released it. This time, she forgot to give it gas and it sputtered and spat until she remembered. She had no issues getting into third and in no time, she was bombing down the road faster than he'd driven them out there.

"This is a blast!" she screamed. She kept up her speed all the way to the house and did a very credible job stopping it just outside the barn.

"Did you see me rock that thing?" she said as she got off. "That was totally awesome!"

"You did good!" he told her as he took over and pulled it into the garage.

Tamara said her goodbyes to everyone still at the house after trading in the boots for her heels. On the way back into town, neither of them said much. They listened to music at a very low volume until they got near City Hall. Noah parked the truck, got out and opened her door, and walked her to her car.

"I'm glad you me invited to see your place, Noah. I...I really learned a lot." She looked up at him and said, "Well, I still need to visit with two other families tomorrow, but I feel like I understand your side of things now. So...thank you...for everything."

"Listen, if you're staying here overnight, and if you don't have any plans..."

Tamara laughed out loud as she said, "Plans? Oh, right! I was debating whether to go to the ballet or a jazz concert tonight. Which one would you recommend, Noah?"

"Okay, Ms. Smarty Pants. Point taken. But we do have a couple of decent restaurants in town. I know I'm not wearing a three-piece Brooks Brothers suit, but I thought maybe you might like some company for dinner tonight."

A well of emotions sprung up inside her. A part of her wanted to tell him flat out she didn't date white men. Another part of her wanted nothing more than to be able to spend a little more time with this...enigma.

"I guess that'd be all right. As long as you understand it's just dinner and not a date or anything like that. But I do have one question."

"Shoot," he said.

"There aren't exactly a lot of people like me in Mason City. Are you sure you want to be seen with me...in public?"

"People like you?" he said with a raised eyebrow. "You're not the only beautiful woman in Mason City, you know. There are other people like you around here."

She wanted to stay serious but she couldn't keep herself from laughing. "Okay, touché." She debated mentioning this but it just came out, "Can I tell you something, Noah?"

"Tell away," he said still smiling.

"I've never...gone out with a...with a white man before and..."

"Oh, so now this is a date?" he said his smile never fading.

"Um, well, I guess I just assumed..."

"You shouldn't assume, Tamara. That can be dangerous. Just like judging books by their covers. Dinner isn't a date. It's just dinner. And the people in this town don't think that way. I know I don't, and I don't anyone who does. So maybe it's all just in your own mind."

"Wow. That wasn't what I expected to hear. I was trying to tell you I've never dated a white man and that I never would because...well, because..." She was going to tell him about black pride and keeping things simple and why she only dated black men but for the first time she every reason she planned to offer screamed: H-Y-P-O-C-R-I-T-E! in a very loud voice.

"But it's not a date, right?" he asked.

"No, of course not," she said trying to understand why that felt so disappointing.

"Okay. So where are you staying?" he asked.

"Honestly, I didn't check in anywhere. I thought...I hoped...I'd be in and out in one day. Do you have any place you can recommend?"

Noah had her follow him to the Super 8 motel, the nicest place in Mason City. He talked to the desk clerk, a woman named Carol, with whom he'd gone to high school and she gave Tamara a suite for the cost of a regular room.

"When would you like me to come back and pick you up?" he asked her once he'd helped her carry her suitcase into the room.

"Pick me up? That would make this a date. Why don't I just meet you there at around 7 o'clock?"

"I've got several errands to run so that sounds perfect. See you then."

Noah was waiting for her in the lobby of his favorite restaurant called The Rib Crib which served THE best ribs in town. He didn't see Tamara's car, so she surprised him when she walked in and said, "Hey, don't I know you?" while his back was turned to her.

He turned around and smiled then looked at her and said, "Wow! I thought you looked beautiful in a dress, but you look...amazing!" She was wearing a kind of clingy, white, sleeveless knit top with a scoop neck and pair of jeans that fit just right. She wore a simple gold necklace with matching earrings and Noah was very impressed.

"Well, thank you!" she said nodding her head slightly and smiling.

He opened the door for her and as soon as they walked in, a young girl said, "Hey, Uncle Noah! Table for two, right?"

"Yes indeed, Hailey," he replied. "Tamara, this is Angela's daughter, Hailey. Hailey, this is my...friend...Tamara Jones, from Des Moines. Okay, from Des Moines via Chicago. She's here about the new road."

"Oh, okay," the girl said smiling brightly. "It's so nice to meet you, Ms. Jones! You look really great, by the way. I love your top!"

"Well thank you, Hailey. That's very sweet," she replied.

"What can I get you two tonight?"

Between dinner, dessert, and two glasses of wine, they spent nearly three hours there talking about jazz, blues, sports, their college experiences, and their hopes and dreams.

"You never really did answer me earlier, Tamara."

"About what?" she asked him.

"About your future. Does it include a husband and children or..."

"Oh, right. I guess I didn't really want to answer when you asked me, Noah. Maybe I'm still holding on to a lot of things."

"Such as?" he asked kindly.

"I don't know. What happened with Terrence I suppose."

"Is it just that or is there maybe something else?"

"Like what?" she asked pretending she really didn't know.

"Oh, I don't know. Maybe something like judging books by their covers? Covers the books don't choose." He looked down at his bare arm leaving no doubt about what he meant by that.

"Noah, it's just so complicated. I wouldn't expect you to understand. You've never been black. You have no idea what it's like and..."

"No, I've never been black. That's 100% true. And I never will be. But I have been 100% human all of my life and so have you." He paused then smiled as he said, "And that's in spite of being a lawyer."

Maybe it was the wine, but he made her laugh again and she found her looking at him...differently for the first time.

"I love when you smile," he told her.

Dammit! There was that feeling again. She was a grown woman. An educated professional. An attorney. A proud black woman. And yet she felt so...vulnerable...around him. It was insane. She'd just met him and there was no chance she'd ever really go out with him, so what was it she was feeling? It annoyed her to her core.

He noticed she'd stopped smiling and he said, "Did I say something wrong?"

She'd looked away as she was thinking. She turned back to him and said, "No, not at all. I've just got a lot on my mind. You know, with the proposal, work in general, and everything else."

"Do you ever take any time just for yourself?" he asked.

"Time for myself. What an interesting concept!" she said. "I can't remember the last time I did that. Maybe last Christmas? I flew home for a week but other than that..."

"You should. Take some time for yourself," he reiterated.

"I don't know. Work keeps me pretty busy and I'm not seeing anyone these days, so time off might not be such a good thing."

"That's a shame. I know someone who'd like to spend some time with you."

Tamara was never at a loss for words but was suddenly speechless. She sat there just staring at him as he smiled at her. He reached across the table and took her hand. She willed herself to pull it back but it wouldn't move—not even when he began tracing little circles on the back of it with his finger.

"But if you don't feel the same way, then I understand," he told her.

Her heart had started beating faster and she watched as from afar as her hand tightened around his. "Noah...it's not that I don't like you," she began. Then someone else spoke for her when she said, "I do. I do like you." Tamara took over her body again when she told him, "It's just that...well...I mean, I live in Des Moines and I have a career and you live here and..."

Noah smiled and said, "I understand. That makes a lot of sense. I mean, it's not like we have some way of actually traveling that far or the ability to communicate with each other any time we want. So yeah, I guess you're right. That could never work."

Tamara was so caught up in a sea of emotion she hadn't realized he was being sarcastic. "Exactly, so..." She blinked and said, "Hey, you're mocking me! You know what I meant."

"No, not really," he told her. "I heard each word, to include the 'I like you' part, but I really don't know what you mean. What do you mean, Tamara?"

She looked down at her hand which was still holding his and it made no sense to her. The hand she was holding didn't look like hers. Then again, it did have five fingers on it. It had knuckles and nails and...

"I really don't know, Noah. I'm just so confused. I think it might be time for me to go back to my room."

"Okay. If that's what you'd like, then sure. But I'm gonna follow you there to make sure you're okay."

Tamara laughed. "Are you worried I might get carjacked or something here in Mason City, Iowa?"

"No, of course not. But you've had a couple glasses of wine and I just want to make sure you're okay," he told her.

"I'm a big girl, Noah. I'll be fine. Thanks anyway," she said as she let go of his hand.

"You may be a big girl and even a hot-shot lawyer, but I am going to make sure you get back okay."

"Fine. You can follow me back to the motel."

She tried to pay for her meal but he refused until she let him pay. He followed her to the Super 8 where he pulled in next to her.

She got out of her car and said, "Okay. I'm here. Safe and sound."

"May I walk you to your room?" he asked with those big, boyish eyes looking down at her.

"If I tell you 'no' will you leave?" she replied smiling.

"No."

"Then I guess you can walk with me. TO the room. Okay?"

When they arrived she pulled out her key card and said, "Okay. We're at my room."

"Yes, we are," he agreed.

"So...thank you for dinner and for showing me around your farm today. Oh, and for letting me drive your four-wheel. That was a lot of fun, by the way," she said as she smiled and nearly laughed thinking about flying down the dirt road at full throttle.

He just stood there smiling at her. "So...you can go home now, Noah." She held up the key card and said, "I'm here. I'm going inside. See?"

"May I?" he said as he reached for the card and took from her.

"Excuse me?" she said as he slid it into the key slot.

He pushed it open and held it with his toe then handed her the card. "Thank you," she said quietly. "So...goodnight," she said.

As she went to move toward the door he gently reached out with his right arm and touched her left arm. "Good night," he told her.

She knew she shouldn't look back up at him, but that other person who lived inside her wouldn't let her just walk on by. As she looked up, he leaned down and kissed her softly on the lips. For the briefest of moments, she didn't move and for an even briefer moment she kissed him back before pulling back and saying, "Noah. Please don't do that." She wouldn't look back up at him.

"Okay," he told her. "Good night, Tamara."

She stepped passed him and into her room. As the door closed behind her, she fell back slightly against it and just stood there, her eyes closed tight until she heard his footsteps fade away into silence.

She lay in bed all night unable to sleep until very early into the morning hours.

She spent the rest of the next day tracking down and meeting with the other property owners before heading back to Des Moines around six o'clock. Still unable to sleep, she worked late into the night putting together her report, revising it until it was perfect. Again, she lay there tossing and turning and fighting this raging internal battle going on inside her mind until she was too exhausted to fight anymore.

When she got to the office the following morning, Joe was thrilled with her work. "This is perfect, Tamara! I'll get us on the schedule and you can present your findings. Talk about the proverbial slam dunk!"

When she learned the date and time of the hearing, she sent a text to Mayor Freeman, Noah, and the other property owners. She was sure no one would show up, but she was required to provide some sort of notification and texting was notification.

Less than a minute later, her phone buzzed and her heart began to race when she saw a response from Noah: "Thanks for the info, Tamara. I haven't been able to stop thinking about you. Noah."

She put her phone down and closed her eyes and tried to push it out of her mind. She was not going to text him back. Period. She shut her phone off and went back to work. But again that night, she couldn't sleep. The next night was even worse.

She woke up the following morning and tapped out a text message and hit 'send.' She held the phone in her lap and waited. Moments later, she saw the reply. "We'll be there. Can't wait to see you!"

As board members entered the room, there was still no sign of them. Tamara was due to make her presentation in less than five minutes. Joe was standing outside with her. He looked at his watch and said, "It's show time. You ready?"

She looked at her own watch then down the hall one last time as she told him, "Um...yes, I'm ready." As she was closing the door she heard the sound of footsteps. Lots of them. Walking fast. Then she heard voices.

"Tamara! Hold the door!" Noah was holding out an arm signaling for her to keep it open and then she saw Cliff and Hector right behind him.

"You made it!" she said.

"You sure about this?" he asked her.

"Very," she told him.

"Okay, then. Let's do this."

For the next forty-five minutes, Tamara, Noah, and the two other men made impassioned pleas not to build the road. Joe's eyes were wide with disbelief as his own attorney presented the legal side against building the road. By the time Noah spoke, he was fuming and stormed out of the meeting. Both Cliff and Hector explained the impact on their lives should the farm go out of business then Tamara presented a closing argument.

The senior member of the board spoke. "This was a very...interesting meeting and if I may say, also very unexpected. We'll examine all of the information presented tonight as well as your office's report, Ms. Jones and report our findings within two weeks. Thank you."

After handshakes and hugs, Cliff and Hector excused themselves leaving Noah and Tamara alone to talk.

"So what do you think, counselor?" he asked her. "Do we have a chance?"