FLASHBACK 
 
Santerían
 
One Wish
 
December 4, 2015
1:02 p.m.
The very first day she walks her mocha brown sweetness past my classroom door, I fall hard. I rush over to the doorway and watch her walk down the hall, sashaying with the most graceful walk I have ever seen. Her curly hair is in a heap, crowning her head like a halo. She wears a mauve and tan long-sleeved dress, delicate colors to match her subtle beauty that stands out amongst every woman in the crowded space. Her knee-length brown boots move her further down the hallway until one of my students demands my attention by asking for help with the English exercise we’re working on.
Damn. I almost forgot I was at work.
Huffing, I reluctantly leave my position at the door to help my A-student, Alana Moore. As I explain the purpose of a complex transitive verb to Alana, my mind goes back to Clark’s new mystery woman. I think of ways to get close to her, whose swaying hips I can’t get out of my mind. 
“Ah, yeah, that’s it! Omega’s Christmas party!” I expel, snapping my fingers. I’m too engrossed in ways to meet up with the woman I just saw to think about the grammar lesson I’m supposed to be teaching.
Alana looks at me with confusion. “That’s not an example of a transitive verb, is it?”
“No, I was just thinking aloud. Excuse me.” I leave her desk and return to the front of the room to discuss transitive verbs and their usage in sentences with the entire class. It’s exciting stuff, but nothing compared to the plan brewing in my mind. Omega’s annual Christmas shindig is in two weeks, and it’s the perfect place to hook up with the mystery girl from IT. As soon as my class ends, I call up Omega.
“What’s up?” is his greeting.
“Got a huge favor to ask you,” I begin.
“Yeah, so what’s new?” he teases.
“Ha. Good one. Listen, there’s this new girl that I saw walking to the IT department and she—”
I cannot finish describing her because Omega takes over, and a little too excitedly for my liking. “Oh, yeah? Brown skin, about five-seven, wearing a tan dress with boots today?” he describes the mystery woman to a T.
“Yeah, her,” I respond dryly. “So, you’ve been checking her out?”
“Oh, she’s gold, man. She has this natural look going on that’s killing all these other girls around here.”
Now, I am intrigued. Actually, it sounds like we both are intrigued by this woman. My body tenses at that thought. I have never had a problem with Omega, but being attracted to the same woman could be our first dilemma. A huge one. This woman, I’m not letting go. She’s mine.
“How did you know who I was talking about?” I ask.
“Because I’ve been checking her sexy ass out. She walks through the halls like there’s golden honey between her thighs, and I bet it’s sweet as hell. Probably got that Erykah Badu, the kind to drive a man insane.” His voice is thick as he talks about my future woman, and I can feel the pressure building in my chest as the conversation progresses. I’ve never wanted to lay a hand on Omega, but if he were standing in front of me, I would have decked him. I feel dangerously possessive over a woman I haven’t spoken to yet. I don’t even know the sound of her voice.
“Well, you can stop checking her out right now. You already have Rosae and your tribe, but she’s off-limits. I called you because I want you to invite her to your Christmas party. For me.” It’s far out of my character to ask Omega to set me up with someone, but I don’t want to look like a drooling professor by catching up with her in the school hallway and asking her out on a date. This is the only chance I have at controlling the environment we meet.
“Oh, I see.” Dead air enters the line for a few seconds. “But if you don’t want me to check her out, why do you want me to invite her to my party?” His ass is so arrogant.
There is a bite to my bark when I say, “Just invite her and stay out of the way after that. I’ll handle the rest.”
“Aw, this is sweet. You’re falling for her and you don’t even know her name. This isn’t like you, my guy, but consider it done. She’ll get the golden ticket to come to the party.”
“Thanks, Mega.”
“No problem. Are we still on for the club tonight or what?” he moves the conversation along without missing a beat. 
“Definitely still on. I need a change of scenery.” Staying home alone and thinking about her will drive me mad.
He chuckles. “Finally, you’re ready to get out of the house on a Friday, instead of sitting around like some lonely old professor.”
“Ha. Yeah, I’m ready, but don’t act like I don’t hang out with you, man. I just have more papers to grade than you.”
“If you stop giving out so much work, you will have more time,” Omega surmises.
“No, I have to prepare my young people to be great writers.”
“Yeah, we both have young people to prepare. I just do it in less time,” he retorts. 
I concede that point and begin to calculate how much time it’ll take me to get home, get dressed, and make it to the club, “I’ll meet you there around eight.”
“Nah, I’ll come to get you since last week you ghosted me.”
“Hey, you still ragging me about that? I told you that I fell asleep reading assignments.”
“Yeah, well, none of that tonight. I’ll be there to get you at eight.”
“Got you. Just make sure you do that favor for me. Get her an invite.” Her, the mystery woman whose sexy build causes me to lick my lips.
“No doubt,” Omega assures and hangs up the phone.
I’ll go and hang out with him tonight, but I’m really looking forward to his Christmas party, where I hope my wish to connect with her again comes true. 

I’m a classic man, so I treat ladies to classic experiences. I take them to the best restaurants; daily excursions of horseback riding, horse-drawn carriage rides, and short adventures are my speed. I do those things with the full armor of chivalry: door opening—she better not touch the handle, chair pulled out, meal covered, walk to the door, or to my bed if we have chemistry. The point is to see how she responds to queen treatment. Not every woman is mentally ready to be treated right, and some downright reject proper treatment.