Black Magic

Bill Weathers grew up north of Dallas, in Plano. He was the second child of Walter and Rhonda Weathers, born in 1995. The Weathers family had moved from Dallas to Plano in 1994, ahead of his birth. Walter worked in Dallas, so his commute then was about 25 miles.

Bill attended Prince of Peace in Carrollton his entire childhood along with his older sister, Claire, who had graduated from high school in 2010. The family was Lutheran, and their church was right next door. Bill was getting ready to graduate in 2013 and was heading of to NYU. His sister had stayed closer to home, attending the University of Texas in Austin.

The parents and the children in the Weathers family got along pretty well, but Bill always felt that his parents were a bit racist. Plano was actually pretty well mixed racially, but the Weathers had no Black friends. The school they attended had a few Blacks, but it had predominantly white students and teachers. Bill remembered when he was six how Michael Irvin of the Dallas Cowboys moved to Plano and how upset his father became. He was bummed because his father loved the Cowboys but couldn't tolerate one living near him if he wasn't white.

Bill Goes to College

When he was a junior, Bill started looking into colleges. He had visited Claire at UT, and he did not want to go there. She enjoyed it, but he felt like he could use a big change of scenery. He had looked into schools in the northeast primarily, including Columbia and NYU in NYC, Princeton and Cornell. He also applied to the University of Wisconsin and to Indiana University. His father had gone to Rice University, and his mother had gone to University of Texas. His parents were not too keen on Bill going to college in New York City, but he wanted to go there and got into both colleges. He opted for NYU, choosing the location to be superior and the education good enough.

Bill few into NYC's LaGuardia on Southwest Airlines in late August, a week ahead of classes starting the day after Labor Day on September 3rd, landing at 2 P.M. He had received his room information in July, and he was assigned to a room in Founders Hall at 120 East 12 Street. It was the newest building and pretty big at 26 floors. He was assigned a roommate, George Moran, from Chicago, and they had spoken on the phone ahead of his departure for NYC.

When his bags were off the plane and the baggage claim, he took them, grabbed a cab and went to Founders Hall, arriving at about 3 o'clock.. George wasn't there yet, so he grabbed one of the two beds and started to unpack and put his stuff away. George walked in at 4:30, and Bill enjoyed meeting him. They went to the dorm's cafeteria to eat dinner together that night and met some other residents of the dorm that evening.

When applying to college, Bill was interested in getting a business degree, and he had applied to the Stern School. He was going to minor in psychology to go with his major in business. His first-semester schedule included an intro psychology class, two classes in business, a literature class, a science class and a math class.

Bill Meets Samantha

In high school, Bill had not been that athletic. He wasn't involved with any team sports, though he did like going for runs in his neighborhood after school. It was a great activity for a loner like him! In his new city, he spent a lot of time just going on walks starting that first week. He also jumped on the subway, going to some of the neighborhoods in Manhattan, often taking the train there and walking back. Bill was getting to know NYC better with his walks and liking it a lot.

Wednesday's were his big day to walk, as his two classes that day were over at 1 o'clock. On November 13th, he took the subway to the Upper West Side at 3:30, getting off at 96th and Broadway at 4:00. He was planning to walk down Broadway primarily, but he wanted to check out the Hudson River area (West End Avenue and Riverside Drive). The whole walk would total just under 5 miles, meaning that if he were to walk it straight, he would get back around 6:00. The cafeteria closed at 9:00, so dinner was not going to be an issue.

He spent about an hour walking around the two streets near the Hudson River. When he got to 72nd Street, he started to walk down Broadway. He got to Lincoln Center in 10 minutes and saw a Whole Foods Market and went in. His family really enjoyed the store in Plano, and he wanted to check this one out. He felt it was a cool store in a cool location. While he was still planning to grab a bite at the cafeteria when he got back to the dorm, he was hungry and bought a sandwich and a drink.

When he went to pay for it, the cashier caught his eye. He looked at her nametag, and, after he paid, he said, "thanks, Samantha." He must have caught her eye, too, as she smiled and said, "you are welcome." I haven't seen you before. Do you live in this neighborhood?" He replied, "No, I attend NYU and live in the East Village." Surprised, Samantha responded, "I live in the East Village." Bill asked her for her number, saying that perhaps they could get together in the future, and she gave it to him.

Bill left and headed back to NYU. It was about 5:30, and he walked down Broadway, through Times Square, Herald Square, and Chelsea, hitting Union Square. Along the way, he gave a lot of thought to Samantha, who looked very attractive to him. He did not know how old she is or where she grew up, but he felt like he would like to get to know her better.

Bill Reconnects with Samantha

When he got to his dorm, it was right at 6:30, and he went to the cafeteria and ate, joining some people he knew. After eating, he went to his room, and George was there studying. Bill, realizing that George was very experienced with the women, told him that he had met an attractive woman on his walk. He said him, "She gave me her number, so I think she is interested in me, but I am not sure when I should contact her. I would like to go out with her. When do you think is the right time to text her or to call her?" George asked several questions and then said, "Dude, you need to text her very soon. Don't let the spark fizzle out."

Bill headed to the library to study, and, at 10:30 he sent Samantha a text saying hello. He knew that the store closed at 10:00, though he wasn't sure if she worked until then. She quickly texted him back, "Thanks for following up, Bill!" He figured he should keep it short and on target, and he texted back, "Let's go out to dinner after Thanksgiving. I get back on the 25th and can go out whenever you are available." She said that she has off on Tuesday's, and that the 27th worked.

Bill had a lot of questions for her, but he decided to wait. He didn't even want to figure out right then where they would go. He texted, "Fantastic! I will reach back out after Thanksgiving to pick a place and a time."

Bill and Samantha Go Out

Bill had a nice time over the Thanksgiving break, going back to Dallas. His sister asked him about the girls in New York, and Bill told her and his parents that he was laying low and trying to focus on his classes and homework. He left on Sunday and headed back to NYU for his finals. He would be returning for three weeks in mid-December.

When he landed at LaGuardia, he took public transportation and got back to his dorm room at 9:30. He followed up his promise to Samantha about setting the place and the time with a call. She answered her cellphone, "Hello, Bill." He said, "I hope you had a nice Thanksgiving, Samantha. I am back." She said, "Thanks for calling me. I am still good for Tuesday night." He responded, "Let's aim for 8:00 and somewhere close." Samantha said, "That time works great. I am not sure exactly where you live, but I live on 4th Street between Avenue B and Avenue C." Bill responded, I can come by and pick you up, and, if you are okay with this idea, we can have Puerto Rican food at a place on Avenue C, Casa Adela." She said, "That works for me! I will see you at about 8:00 on Tuesday.

When he got to her place, he rang the buzzer, and she came down. It was cold, but they walked to the restaurant. Neither had ever been there before, but the restaurant opened in 1976. It was right near Samantha's house on Avenue C, which is referred to as Loisaida Avenue. They were able to find a table, and they ordered. Samantha chose to have an octopus salad, and Bill ordered some chicken. They both ordered some chicken soup too and they shared some papas fritas.

While they were waiting for the food to arrive, Bill asked her where she grew up, and Samantha told him in Queens. Bill discussed his growing up in Texas, and Samantha was impressed that he had come to New York City. He told her about his family of four, and she described her family, saying, "my mother and father were divorced after my youngest sister was born. My mother had four children with him, and I was the third." Bill asked if they were still friendly, and Samantha said that they were. Her father currently lives in the Bronx, where he works, and her mother lives in Corona with her new husband.

"DId you go to college?" asked Bill. "No," said Samantha. "The good news is that I didn't really want to go. The bad news was that my family could not afford it." Bill followed up with a question about her age, and she revealed that she is 21. "That's awesome, as I like older women," responded Bill. Samantha said, "Well, that's good, because I am a cougar."

The rest of the conversation shifted to NYU and how Bill likes it and to Whole Foods and how Samantha likes it. Then, they started talking about New York City versus Dallas. Samantha is a big fan of New York City, but she has never left the area at all. "Hey, that is kind of cool that Bill de Blasio was elected Mayor of New York City," said Samantha. "I am not really into politics and don't know that much about him, but I like that he has a Black wife." Bill agreed, shaking his head.

After dinner, they walked up to St. Marks Street (8th Street changes names between Astor Place at 3rd Avenue and Tompkins Square Park at Avenue A). Samantha wanted Bill to see it at night, and he had not yet done so. They walked the entire street and went into the Holiday Cocktail Lounge and ordered drinks. Samantha told Bill that she was a big fan of marijuana and was excited about Colorado about to launch adult-use sales on 1/1. Bill told her that he has nothing against it, but had never tried it.

On the way back to Samantha's apartment, Bill told her that he was going to be busy with finals for the next few weeks but wanted to go out with her again before he left for Dallas. Samantha asked him when he was flying back, and he told her December 21st, a couple of days after his last final exam. She said that they could get together on that Thursday after his last final, depending upon if she was going to work or not. Just ahead of Christmas, when expected to be working until the store closed at 10:00. "That time works for me," said Bill. Samantha told him she would try to switch her day off so that she would be available earlier.

When they go to her apartment, Bill felt nervous. He had only a little experience with dating in Dallas and none in New York. He really liked Samantha and didn't want to disappoint her. Samantha looked like she was going to invite him in, but, she said, "Thanks so much, Bill. The food was great, but what was even better was getting to know you better." Relieved that the date was over without him having to draw any lines or watch his behavior, Bill said, "Samantha, I enjoyed our time together too, and I am looking forward to seeing you on 12/19."

Second Date with Samantha

His first set of college finals in his life had scared him, but Bill studied hard and felt comfortable with how he had done. Samantha had gotten off work at Whole Foods on the 19th and had texted him in the morning. They decided to eat in Hell's Kitchen, taking the train together up to The Meatball Shop. Bill loved the name, and Samantha appreciated Italian food and that they used sustainable and natural ingredients.

Before going to Samantha's, Bill took a shower and got dressed. He was very nervous about the evening. Bill had never had intercourse while in high school, and his upcoming date was only his second date since he had come to NYC. He had fooled around with some girls in high school, and really enjoyed some of the hand-jobs he had received. He liked the blow-jobs, but they had not gone as well. Bill thought Samantha was very attractive, and he wouldn't have any problem having sex with her, but he thought about how it might ruin the relationship. He wanted more than just sex.

While he was hesitant about pushing for Samantha to interact sexually with him, he needed to be prepared. So, he grabbed a couple of condoms and put them in his wallet. As he thought more about it, he wondered how Samantha was thinking about it. She had described herself as a cougar, and, from what Bill had heard, this is a codeword for someone who likes to have sex with younger men. Well, Bill didn't feel like much of a younger man, but he was three years younger. He was a bit over 6', and she was 5'5". Maybe Samantha wanted more too, though, and perhaps she would fear scaring Bill off if she were too horny. It was very tough for Bill to predict what might happen tonight.

He rang Samantha's buzzer at 7:45, and they headed for the restaurant. They got to 9th Avenue and 53rd after taking the R train from 8th Street to 57th Street and walking over. They sat down, looked at the menu and ordered, with Samantha getting a bowl (pork with arrabiata sauce) and Bill ordering the Spaghetti in Meatballs, a signature dish. They also ordered some roasted broccoli to share.

While they were waiting for the food, Samantha asked Bill about what he was studying and what he planned to do, and he told her, "Getting a business degree is pretty open on its outcomes, but I am hoping that my focus on my minor, psychology, will help to make me attractive to any potential employers." Samantha liked what she heard, but mainly because she liked how confident he sounded. Samantha had never dated a white guy before, though she had plenty of friends. She was starting to think that she and Bill might have some sort of future together.

"So, where do you think you will live after college? Will you stay in New York or consider other cities? I know you probably aren't set yet, but I am wondering how you are thinking," said Samantha. Bill told her, "I like New York City a lot, but I am open. You and I are very young. We both have so much learning to do!" Samantha agreed, nodding her head. Bill had touched her only briefly on the way to the restaurant, holding her hand as they climbed the stairs in the subway, but he reached out and held her hand. He said to her, "We have so much to learn about each other too." Samantha wasn't exactly sure about how much learning and how quickly, but she liked that he was so positive. Before she could respond, the dinner was served.

What a delicious dinner it was, as both Bill and Samantha loved the food. They headed down afterwards towards Time Square to catch the subway, but Bill suggested that they grab some ice cream at the Ben & Jerry's on West 44th street. Samantha was game. To be funny, she ordered a vanilla cone. He decided to be funny and ordered a chocolate cone. Bill won the battle of being funny, though, as he started to lick his cone and said, "Mmm. Chocolate is so yummy!"

They walked back to 8th Avenue and caught the E train to West 4th Street. He knew he wasn't going to be invited up to Samantha's apartment, as she had too many roommates and they were home she had said, though he would not have minded meeting them. He thought about inviting Samantha to his room, but he worried that she would think he was prompting her for sex. When they got off the subway, it was already a little after 10 o'clock, and they walked to Washington Square Park, which was pretty empty due to the cold weather. It was in the 40s.

Bill told Samantha, "I will sure miss you while I am away. I appreciate your rearranging your schedule so that we could go out tonight." Samantha said, "I am so glad we were able to go out again. The food was delicious, and I enjoyed getting to know you better. I have to say, though, watching you lick your chocolate ice cream kind of turned me on." Bill, seeing his cougar all riled up, said, "Oh yeah? I kind of got turned on watching you lick your vanilla ice cream." He leaned in towards her and put both of his hands on her butt. He then looked her in the eyes and kissed her. It was a good kiss, and he could feel her nipples against his chest. She enjoyed the kiss too, and she could feel how excited he was. The kept kissing for a few minutes, and Samantha said that she was cold and ready to head home. Bill walked her there, where he kissed her again and said goodnight.

When he got home, he went up to his room and read the note from George telling him to have a good break and that he would see him in January. He headed to the shower and came back to his room, ready to go to sleep. He was very excited about Samantha. While he had wanted to get laid, he had thought it through properly and had managed his expectations well. He really liked her and hoped that their relationship would grow. He thought she really liked him and that she really enjoyed feeling him grow while they were kissing. Bill was so happy that he had met Samantha and was getting to know her. He had experienced a taste of black magic and was looking forward to so much more in 2014.