It was just fall and the weather was cool and easy. I had a delightful, light, buzz on from the party I had just returned from. I didn’t realize it was Mary on my porch steps until I got up really close. This was back before cell phones. Back when a surprise was just that – a surprise.
“Hey, what are you doing here? Where’s Perry?” I asked.
“He couldn’t make it,” she said.
“Wanna come in?”
“Well, yeah. Duh,” she smiled.
Mary always did that. She half-smiled and then laughed. She did it when she was saying hello, goodbye, and everything in-between. We went inside.
“I don’t know where my roommates are,” I said.
Mary said nothing.
We took a seat on the couch and just talked. There wasn’t much light on in the apartment. Just the street lamps streaming in from outside. I can’t remember exactly how it happened, but at one point Mary kissed me.
I pulled back and stared at her.
“Get out,” I said with nothing, but my eyes. It wasn’t a “get out” like you’re thinking though. It wasn’t a “get outta here.” It was a “get out of town. no way. did that just happen?!” I laughed. She laughed.
I leaned in and we kissed again.
The kiss was perfect. Soft and sweet, but hungry and not with all the tonsil-bashing I had been used to from young guys. We kept kissing, but then I could tell Mary wanted more.
My “get outta town” turned into a real, “You gotta go.”
She did leave, but it was too late. I was hooked. That was it. Mary, Mary, Mary. It was all I could think about. Where is she? Where was she going? What was she doing? I needed to be there. If Mary was there, I was going to be there.
Sid was starting to catch on and I could tell she didn’t like it one bit. Mary’s spiky-haired, lesbo girlfriend fell out of the picture, somewhere, making her the smartest one of us all. I remained attached to Mary’s side. Sid seemed to be everywhere just staring at us with her hands on her hips, her eyebrows raised, and a taut frown on her lips. I ignored it. I pretended I couldn’t see a thing. Hell, if you want something – you’ve got to take it. So…
“I’m outta here. It’s a shit-storm.”
I latched on to Mary harder. At one point, Mary even seemed to have a boyfriend, but I didn’t care because we had make-outs on the side. That had to mean something, right? So, I did the next best thing I could do…I dated Mary’s boyfriend’s friend.
We all hung out. Mary’s boyfriend, my supposed boyfriend, Mary, and me. The end two names were all that mattered to me.
I became obsessed.
On the night it all ended, it was New Year’s Eve. I was working and then planned to meet my dysfunctional group at a bar out by the beach.
I remember getting into my car. I remember blasting my music. I felt good. Why shouldn’t I? I was heading in to see Mary. I arrived and everyone greeted me warmly. My boyfriend, Mary’s boyfriend, and even Sid. Everyone was really festive, but -hey- it was New Year’s Eve.
I headed into the bathroom after the long car ride. Sid and Mary were already in the lady’s room coming out of a stall. That’s when Sid said, “Did you see it?”
“See what?” I asked.
“See IT,” she repeated while pulling Mary out of the bathroom.
Sid yanked Mary’s hand beneath my face and the ring sparkled. It took me a second to figure out what it was. It took a second (that felt like an eternity) for it to register in my brain in its simplicity. It was one of those rare moments in life where I knew that everything was spelled out for me. There was only one way I could react. I had to be happy for her. I had to be happy for Mary.
“Round of shots on me,” I grunted throwing my hand up into the air. And with that we headed back to the bar and drank. If there had been a contest, I can tell you, I drank the most.
All of us headed back to Mary’s place after that. My boyfriend slept on the couch. Sid headed into her room. And for the first time ever, Mary took her boyfriend into her bedroom instead of me. I died. Inside, a part of me completely came undone.
I called up a friend of mine – alone, drunk, sitting in their dining room. She wasn’t even that good of a friend, but I called her anyway. I had to do something. She gave me the best advice I could’ve been given. She said, “Get out of there. Get out of there and don’t look back.”
I never have…until today.
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And that, my friends, was my best shot at a Harlequin Romance Novel. Lol. Sweet Mother is updated daily-ish. Follow, by clicking and adding your email to the prompt at the top of the page.
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