A Good Dude Read Online Free PDF Page B

life?”
    “Yeah. It’s cool. Most parts. I’d love to travel one day. I’ve never even been out of the state.”
    “You definitely need to see more places,” Candace agreed.
    “I plan to,” he said. “I know I don’t look like much, but I’m going to be a doctor.”
    “You’re pre-med?”
    “Not till I get to Texas Lutheran. I’m working on my basics now. That place is expensive.”
    TLU was the largest and most prominent university in the city. Famed NFL running back LaDainian Tomlinson hailed from the prestigious school.
    “Pre-med is hard,” Candace said.
    “What’s your major?” he asked.
    “Physical therapy.”
    “You wanna be a tech?”
    “No. I want to be a physical therapist.”
    He smiled. “That’s cool. Everyone wants to be a respiratory tech , or a dental tech . No one wants to do the real thing anymore.”
    They approached her car. Candace pulled her keys from her purse and disabled the alarm. The stranger’s eyes grew big when he saw which vehicle chirped for her.
    “This is your car?”
    “Yeah.”
    “ Man. ” He shook his head. “I was going to ask you out, but now I know I can’t afford you. You wanna know what I drive? Never mind. I’m not even going to tell you.”
    Candace laughed and blushed, glad to finally know what he wanted.
    “Okay, I lied,” he said. “I’m still going to ask you out. You probably won’t want to go in my car, but we could get lunch in the cafeteria, after classes if you want to.”
    She chuckled. “I don’t even know your name.”
    “I didn’t tell you my name? I planned this whole conversation out in my head over and over. I can’t believe I forgot that. My name is Celestino. Celestino DeLeon. My friends call me Tino.”
    The only time a Latin accent showed up was when he pronounced his full name. He sounded like Ricky Ricardo when he said that.
    Celestino. Celestino DeLeon.
    “You planned this conversation, Tino?”
    “For weeks,” he admitted. “That sound stupid to you?”
    “No. Not really. It’s sweet, but—”
    “No. Please don’t say ‘but.’ Nothing good ever comes after but . Well, some butts are good. Yours is— God, did I just say that ? I didn’t mean it. I promise I’ve never looked at your butt.”
    She laughed. “Tino, you’re a trip—”
    “Okay, I look at it sometimes.”
    “You’re crazy.”
    “Okay, every day. Dammit ! I can’t help it. But I don’t stare at it. I just, I just think you’re awesome.”
    Today Candace wore a gray sweater with tight blue jeans. She wondered how long Tino had followed behind staring at her lady lumps before he spoke. She was devoted to Rilla, but couldn’t help feeling excited about Tino’s advances. This guy was handsome, smart, and charming as hell.
    “Tino, I have a boyfriend,” she said almost grudgingly. His smile fell for the first time. “Damn. I knew you were going to say that.”
    “I’m sorry,” Candace said. “Honestly, I think you’re pretty cool. You make me feel special. If I didn’t have a boyfriend, I would definitely go out with you.”
    “Really?” His smile was back now.
    “For real,” she said.
    “Cool,” he said and took a couple of steps back. “You’ll go out with me if y’all break up?”
    Candace giggled. “Sure, Tino.”
    “Will you tell me when y’all break up?” he pressed. “I want to be first in line. There’s a lot of guys here who like you.”
    That was news to Candace. “Who?”
    “I’m not telling you,” Tino said as if this was common sense. “Some of them look better than me.”
    She laughed again. It felt good to be happy.
    “All right. I’ll see you later, Candace,” he said. “We’ve got Economics tomorrow.”
    “I’ll be there,” she promised.
    “I really look forward to seeing you,” he said and turned to go.
    Candace got into her car, smiling big. She was still cheesing when she made it to her apartment complex.
    * * *
     
    LaTrisha Turner was a twenty-four-year-old mother of three