LOVE IN THE BAKING

BIN & DOG

Callum dragged on his cigarette and thought of what Liz had said.

"That's the strut of someone who has turned the page. It's now or never for whoever is interested in her," Liz threw in sentences like a bottle in the ocean. One interpreted what they wanted. Callum caught the bottle and tried to figure out how to open it.

Of course, not all saw Thandie's and Callum's budding proximity with an approving eye.

Keisha noticed how Callum rushed to give her kids free cakes. Callum's attitude surprised her. She didn't imagine he was the type of man willing to accept a bundle of kids in exchange for romance, yet Keisha knew Callum was the caring type. The trait attracted her like honey to a bee.

It flustered Keisha to feel the attraction grow to the point that racy dreams about her boss became recurrent. She wondered how to stop Thandie's and Callum's romance teaser from becoming a feature.

"I wouldn't advise anyone to try their luck with the load of kids she has. It's not like she's twenty."

Keisha barely hid the spite in her words.

Liz chuckled, "Can you remind me how old you are, Keisha? Perhaps you should focus on your status. You young women make me laugh. It's as though you think your titties and butt won't ever sag like the rest of us. God forbid you lose your other half when you find him —death, a divorce, growing apart. No one is immune to that. Everyone should have a second chance to love again. She's a pretty woman who doesn't look her age. I'm sure plenty of men are willing to date her now that she's single."

Callum hoped Liz was wrong about the last piece. Thandie was on Oppo, and the probability of her meeting someone became high. He had no strategy, even if Thandie believed he was using her children to get to her. It wasn't entirely true; it was half of the answer. Callum didn't hate kids, on the contrary. Seeing Thandie's kids smile made him feel less of a shithole concerning his parenting issue.

Keisha spoke of Thandie's situation, but he wasn't far off from being benched in the dating game either. Who wanted a man with an autistic child?

Callum wasn't young or buff. He counted on others to enumerate his qualities. If a long time, he ignored his desires, for some unexplained reason, he couldn't feign anymore. Especially when the element of his passion manifested itself before him in the most unexpected moment as it did then.

"Pebbles."

Callum barely had an instant to register what was happening as his dog ran and leaped to greet Thandie. Startled, Thandie stumbled back and fell.

"Pebbles, oh gosh, I'm ever so sorry."

Providence, Callum didn't know whether it was a gift or a curse. Everything always went haywire when Thandie entered the picture.

Why did every action end in King Ubu's manner?

Couldn't the heavens let him leave a good impression? Callum thought as he faced Thandie's glare.

"Sorry, I don't know what got into him," Callum said, offering a hand to help her up.

"He's a nuisance," Thandie said, ignoring Callum's aid and getting up.

"I'm sorry."

Thandie closed her eyes and breathed in before lashing out, "Can you please stop saying that? I heard you the first time."

She was far from living the cliché fantasy of the sexy and confident neighbor. Thandie eyed the Callum up and down and wondered how a man of his stature could seem so awkward in his skin. All the men she knew were full of boldness, and they didn't have half of the physical attributes Callum had.