A toast to human nature

A look into those sea-green eyes told him he was in for a lot. Damian allowed his eyes to travel through the length of her smooth, pale skin. He jolted when she suddenly walked into him, spilling hot coffee all over his starched, white shirt.

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“Oh, I'm sorry” her voice sounded like music to his ears. Damian didn't understand why there was a grin on his face when his chest was almost scalded by coffee.

Before he could speak, she was dabbing at his shirt and muttering several words of apology at the same time.

He didn't know why he held her hand but it seemed like the right thing to do.

“Hey, it's okay” that grin of amusement still on his face. She had a perplexed look in those green eyes but he didn't give her much time to think. “Do you want to have coffee with me?”

“I’m in quite a hurry. I'll see you here by 5 o’clock.” Then giving a smile, she hurried away.

Damian had returned to his office after getting his shirt dry cleaned but instead of working on the pitch he had to present on Friday, he thought about the green-eyed lady in the grey, short skirt.

She occupied most of his thought so that instead of completing his pitch and heading home to prepare dinner for himself and his best friend, Cole, as they planned, he shut his laptop without concluding the presentation and drove off to Wispy’s Cafe at 10 minutes to 5 pm.

She walked in 2 minutes before the time, scanned around, and expanded her face into a smile when she spotted him.

“Hi,” she held her hand out for a handshake. He took it not just in his, but also to his lips.

“Hi, I'm Damian.”

“Clara”

She took the seat opposite his before he could rise to draw it for her.

“Look, I'm really sorry about earlier. I see you've gotten your shirt fixed”

He nodded, allowing that foolish smile to take over his face again.

“It's okay Clara, it was a mistake” and that was not the only mistake Damian made with Clara, because it seemed like with her, mistakes were absolutely inevitable.

Damian checked his wristwatch for the umpteenth time and sighed with relief when he saw Cole hurrying over towards him.

“Hey, what's up?” He asked.

“She'll be ready in a couple of minutes”

Damian nodded and clapped Cole on his back with appreciation. He took a seat and brought out the blue casing in his jacket, opening it once more to look at the diamond ring he had gotten for her.

Then he remembered he should turn his cell phone on, and he did.

It was 5 minutes to when she would be here, Damian checked in with Cole again to see if preparations were ready on his end and he was positive.

Diane walked in wearing a long, black dress. Something leaped in his heart as she walked down to him, he rose to usher her to her seat.

“Hey baby” she reached out to kiss him, smearing some lipstick on his lips.

As they took their seats, Damian launched into the well-prepared speech he had prepared for that occasion. Then he brought out the ring, drawing a gasp from Diane.

“Damian!”

He saw a pair of green eyes flashing with anger. She was visibly shaken and didn't need any explanation when she saw the ring.

“So you're marrying someone else?”

Diane looked from Clara to her boyfriend.

“Damian? What's she talking about?”

“I'll tell you what I'm talking about my dear. This man and I have been seeing each other for the past 5 months and now I'm pregnant. But he suddenly stopped taking my calls a week ago. I only found him through the tracker I installed on his phone”

Diane's mouth hung open.

“6 years of my life, Damian and this is what you do to me. To us”

“6 years?” Clara's mouth also fell open.

“Baby, it was a mistake…I was in a tight spot…”

Clara swished the glass of wine before him on his face before he could finish talking.

“Well, it's obvious that I have made a mistake for the past 6 years of my life. And no, I cannot marry you.” She cast one last glance at Clara in contempt and walked away from all of them.

Damian rose to Clara's height, trembling with fury.

“Well, my dear, just in case you're having other beautiful ideas, I just want you to know that your first child wouldn't want to have a stepmother before he is born!” She was going to leave but she stopped by Diane's glass of wine and raised it.

“Why don't I make a toast? Cheers….to the latest parents in California”