Knowing Is Not Enough by Patricia Chatman, P Ann Chatman, A Chatman Chatman, Walker Chatman Page A

terms of what was going on between Sanford and me. If we were just friends, then it would be fine for Sanford to be around when I met the new guy. If we were on the verge of being more… I don’t want to kick the ball out of bounds with, although it brief, meeting with a potential suitor in front of him—that might not go over so well.
    I managed to get in and out of the hair salon in less than two hours. We agreed to meet about six or six-thirty.It wasn’t in Sanford’s nature to be late. I knew he would be there right at six. Tobey—unfortunately for me—was a different story. She was always late, and not just by a few minutes. If Peter was bringing a friend to introduce me to, I wanted to make sure Tobey would be there to thwart any unintended exchanges requiring any degree of explanation later.
    I called Tobey, and she’d heard from Peter. The man he wanted me to meet would be there, “So make sure you look good!” she said.
    “I don’t know what you mean by that. I always look good.”
    I called Sanford on his cell to see where he was. I was batting a hundred. He picked up right away too. “Hello?”
    “Hey, there, what’s up?”
    “Nothing much,” he replied. “Just wrapping up here. What’s up with you?”
    “Heading home, getting ready for tonight,” I said.
    “Oh, what’s going on tonight?”
    I frowned. “I know you playing, right?”
    Sanford laughed. “Yeah, I’m messing with you. What time are we hooking up?”
    “I told Tobey about six or six-thirty, but you know her, she’ll be late. We can get there about seven.”
    “Okay, seven actually works for me, but I’ll probably have to cut out early. I have to work tomorrow.”
    “No, that’s fine,” I said. “I need to finish some paperwork I didn’t get done today.”
    “All right. So just meet you there or you want me to pick you up?”
    “You know what? That sounds good. Will you pickme up?”
    He chuckled. “I would love to.”
    “Alright, so about six-thirty?”
    “What time is it now,” he asked.
    “Five-thirty.”
    “Okay, I can me it for six-thirty.”
    “Good . . . I have a couple more stops to make, then I’m headed home.”
    “Where are you now?” he asked.
    “Driving to pick up my dress then to the grocery store.”
    I could sense the face he was making through the phone. “You can’t do that tomorrow?”
    I laughed. “No dear, I can’t. I’m wearing the dress tonight. Don’t worry it won’t take me long.”
    “I’m not concerned. I’ll wait on you.”
    “You don’t sound convinced. I’m telling you, I’ll be ready.”
    Sanford laughed. “Yeah, okay surprise me.”
    “Well, I just pulled up, so I’ll see you in a little bit.”
    “Alright.”
    I’d asked the owner of a clothing boutique I frequented way more than I should to alter a dress for me. I tried the dress on just to make sure it expressed what I couldn’t—or wouldn’t—say. To my delight, it did.
    A run through the grocery store, and no sooner than I closed my car door I felt lights on my back. I raised my right hand over my eyes so I could see. Then I heard a car door open and Sanford’s voice. “Why aren’t you dressed?”
    I opened my door, and stepped out on the lawn. “Is it six-thirty?”
    Sanford looked down at his watch. “No, but you haveall of ten minutes,” he said. He grabbed my bags out of the back seat. I opened the front door and entered the foyer with Sanford close behind. I tilted my head back and sniffed up in the air. “You smell nice.”
    Sanford smiled. “Oh you like that, huh?” He turned toward me and held out his arms for a hug. “Oh, so good, these hugs of yours,” I said. Sanford swayed me in his enormous arms. I peeled away and he pulled me back into him. I pulled away, and looked up at him. “You want me to get dressed?”
    “I guess I can let you get dressed.”
    I smiled. “Wise decision my good man.”
    I went around the table and grabbed my things. Sanford walked to the