Page 29 of Anatomy of a Meet Cute
Grant snorted. “Your thighs? Pretty sure I’m gonna have a bruise from where you charged me.”
“No call, no foul.” Sam shook her head, smiling despite her misgivings. “It’s getting cold, and I need a shower. I’ll send you all of the funder details tomorrow. Sound good?”
“Can’t wait.”
“You say that, but the funder wants to meet with us in person.”
“I’ll clear my schedule.” Grant lifted one shoulder, then dropped it as if he didn’t care, like he hadn’t just made a big speech about how precious his time was. “Seriously, thank you for thinking of me. I have a feeling you are going to do something great with this program.”
“I sure hope so ...,” Sam said, suddenly unsure of what direction to take the conversation. “I guess—”
“It looks—”
She and Grant started to speak at the same time, then laughed. Sam felt as awkward as Grant looked.
“Sorry,” he said.
“I was just going to say we should probably head out.”
“Yeah, Duke is looking mighty bored on his phone.” Grant nodded toward the car and waved. Sam turned just in time to see Duke wave back, the glow of his cell phone confirming that he was texting Jehan every word of her and Grant’s conversation, complete with GIFs.
“See you tomorrow.”
“Looking forward to it.” Grant began walking slowly backward across the parking lot. “Night.”
“Night,” Sam called, making sure to tone down her smile before opening the passenger-side door.
“Took you long enough,” Duke said as soon as she settled into the somewhat warm car. “So what did he have to say?”
Sam rubbed her hands in front of a heating vent and shot Duke a look. “Please. I know you were listening.”
“Yes, but the engine on this thing is too loud for me to get every word. You two seemed to be smiling a lot. You still not interested in him?”
Sam’s face flushed, and she was grateful for the darkness. “You know what. Mind your own and drive.”
Duke cackled. “Okay. You don’t have to tell me everything. As long as we have our program adviser, I’m happy. It’s just ... Jehan is gonna wanna know.”
“Right. I’m sure that’s who wants to know.” Sam rolled her eyes. “It’s too bad she is also gonna have to mind her own business because I want to deep condition my hair, and I need a glass of wine.”
Chapter Eight
“Thank you,” Sam said to the driver as she pushed her way out of the rideshare to stand in front of a large, boxy-looking three-story office building in the Fillmore District. Literally every spare moment of the last four days had been spent trying to find a doula to help start this program. Indeed, it felt like she had called every birthing professional on the internet in between seeing patients, ordering diagnostics, and poring over medical histories. Part of the problem was that what Sam wanted to do was big. Most of the people she talked to had no desire to run a full-on birthing center in addition to the private practices they maintained. When Monica had mentioned the name Kaiya Owens, Sam hadn’t thought much about it. However, after speaking to what felt like every birth worker west of the Mississippi, she kept hearing the same thing: the only doula that anyone knew with the audacity to take on something like this was Kaiya. Who, unsurprisingly, every doula and their mother made out to be an unreachable legend.
Based on everyone’s glowing recommendations, Sam spent two evenings falling down the internet rabbit hole researching the renowned doula. Early in her career, Kaiya had refused to ever bifurcate her identity as a trans woman and a birth worker, and she brought a level of energy and advocacy to her practice that had Sam nodding and yesing while watching talks Kaiya had given at random doula conferences on YouTube. The more Sam read and watched, the more she was convincedthat Kaiya was the sort of woman Sam wanted to be when she grew up. Plus, the internet said she was an expert quilter. Some of her pieces had even been displayed in the Oakland Museum of California.
After nearly selling her soul for Kaiya’s direct contact information, Sam was shocked when the legend agreed to meet with her. Feeling starstruck, she checked her blouse to make sure she hadn’t spilled any mustard on it, then pulled her shoulders back and walked toward the building’s door with all the confidence she could dredge up.
Finding the correct office door, Sam knocked. For a moment there was silence and then a loud crash before someone on the other side of the door yelled, “Just one minute.”
If Sam hadn’t read the plaque on the door, she would have been shocked that this was Kaiya’s office. The voice on the other side of the door let out a string of curses that managed to be as blasphemous as it was creative, and Sam started to laugh. The words were so incongruous with the statuesque woman she had seen on the internet. She was just starting to feel like maybe she didn’t need to be intimidated when the door swung open and silenced all the courage her laughter had summoned.
“May I help you?” Kaiya asked. Even if Sam hadn’t googled her, she’d know this woman was Kaiya. As promised, everything about her screamed gravitas even as she clutched a rag soaked in coffee. She was a few inches taller than Sam, with her immaculately kept long beaded braids piled half-up in an intricate knot and a sweater set that was likely marketed to CPAs but looked better on her than it would have on any accountant. Giving Sam a once-over, Kaiya adopted an I’ll-wait expression while Sam pulled herself together.
“Hi. I’m Dr.Sam Holbrook, fellow and researcher at SF Central. Nice to meet you.” She stuck out her hand as she delivered the same opening spiel she gave to a new patient, then kicked herself as confusion washed over Kaiya’s face. How had she managed to practice her pitch but not plan a cool way to introduce herself? Instead, she must looklike a silly nervous wreck. It took everything in her not to say,So what brings you in here today?
For a moment, Kaiya just stared at her, and then something clicked and she took Sam’s hand. “Oh, am I meeting with you today? I completely forgot.” Giving her hand a shake, she said, “Nice to meet you, Sam. I’m Kaiya Owens, founder of this practice.”
“Nice to meet you, Kaiya. I have to say, everyone I spoke to about you said you were the absolute best in the business.” Sam was grinning so hard she hoped she didn’t come off as a total fangirl.
