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"And how have you been doing, Sue? You haven't really talked about how all of this has affected you."
Sue folded her arms and looked down at the carpet. "It's been hard. I've talked to my mum a little about it. I was so sure I had it all, the perfect man, the perfect life was unfolding, when all of a sudden it was all taken away from me. It was like a relationship tsunami appeared out of nowhere and took it all away. It was a huge shock.
"Apart from a few disastrous dates I've pretty well kept to myself of late. I just stay in most nights and watch TV with mum. I do feel lonely but that's only natural after what happened. And when I hear that Larry is having a ball it makes me angry, it's like he's having fun at my expense, and I'm miserable, I'm the one paying the price."
"I'm so sorry, Sue. And you two seemed so happy together. That's life, we just don't know what's going to happen next."
"You got it, And the worst part is that I'm so ready to be married. I've had it with dating random guys, I've even had it with the steady boyfriend thing. I'm ready for commitment, to build a life with someone great. I was so close and he had to ruin everything. Now look at me, I have nothing and it doesn't look like it's going to get better anytime soon." Sue sniffed and fought tears as she looked away.
"It'll all work out, Sue. Maybe it was for the best. You're a fun, smart, attractive woman. It'll all work out for you, you'll find your Prince. Larry obviously wasn't able to handle you, he was too much of a boy, that's why he's out there dating a different girl every night of the week. He's a long way off being as mature as you. You're better off without him, trust me."
"You're right, as usual, Carol. That's why I ignored the voicemail Larry left this week."
"What? He phoned you? What did he say?"
Sue wiped the tears from her eye. "He said he hoped I was ok. He noticed me out the other night and he was sorry we didn't get a chance to talk but I was gone before he knew it. He suggested we meet up some day."
"Well, I hope you don't plan to call him back!" Carol furrowed her brow.
Sue turned to look at Carol. "My first instinct was to phone him right back and I pressed dial but I canceled the call before it was too late. I really miss him but I'm not going to let him know that. I'll just have to grin and bear it, get on with my life and forget about him. I'm sure I won't hear from him again, he's just trying
to be nice, that's all. There's no point in talking to him. It'll only stir up all those old feelings I've been trying to block out. I don't need the aggravation. I really don't."
"Good for you. He can take a running jump. You're right, you don't need any more aggravation, certainly not from him. Good for you, Sue." Carol smiled as she reached for some more chocolate cake.
* * *
Larry was exhausted but happy, very happy, he lay in the thick grass of his brother's back garden and caught his breath. Jack, his 2 year old nephew was pulling on his arm, giggling and imploring him to play some more.
"That's enough for now, Jack, Uncle Larry needs a rest so he can play with you again later. Quick! Run inside and see what mum has for you," Joe smiled and watched his son totter off at high speed.
"It's good to see you smiling again, Larry," Joe smiled, "It's been a tough year for both us, what with dad dying suddenly like that, it's two months already, whew, I still find it hard to accept that he's gone."
Larry shook the grass off his shirt. "I know, it's been hard. I thought he'd be here forever, it was such a shock to lose him so suddenly, one heart attack and that was it. Shocking. I do feel like he left us with a gift, in a round about way. He's shown me how precious this life is, how important family is, how happiness must come first, it's not something to get around to later."
"Yes, you're right, it really does put it all in perspective. Family is everything. Jack is crazy about you by the way, he's always asking when you're visiting again. He's officially your number one fan," Joe beamed as he poked Larry in the stomach.
Larry playfully punched his brother's shoulder in response. "He's great. I love playing with him, he's such a good laugh, and so good natured. He's a great kid. Actually, I don't call around here to see you anymore, I only visit to play with your boy."
Joe looked Larry in the eye. "Do you think about having kids one day or are you having too much fun on the dance floor?"
"Good question, Joe. With all that's happened recently I do think about having kids. I'm ready and I'd love to, that is, when I meet the right girl. And no, I'm not having that much fun out there on the party scene. I'm 36 already, it's just the same old thing, I've been doing it too long. There's only so many consecutive weekends you want to stay up all night on Saturday and waste Sunday recovering. Yeah, it looks like fun from the outside but I can honestly tell you I've not been on one date, these last few months where I really connected with the girl. It's all very superficial."
Joe raised his eyebrows. "So, why are you out nearly every time I phone you?"
Larry took a deep breath and sighed. "Because I've no reason to be at home. There's nothing there for me. I work, go home to change and eat, and I go out. The house is just a crash pad."
"That explains why it's such a mess," Joe laughed.
"You got that right. And to be perfectly honest, Joe. I hate being on my own. I absolutely hate it."
"You've always been like that, even when we were kids. You always wanted to be in the thick of it, at the centre of the party. Remember when you tried to hijack my birthday party one year? You couldn't help yourself." Joe laughed and punched his brother in the shoulder.
"I think you must have me confused with someone else, I would never do something like that." Larry laughed. "Hey, I've got to get going. I'll say bye to Jack and be off. I've got a hot date this evening. You never know maybe she'll be the one."
* * *
Larry moved a pile of magazines and made space on his sofa, he sat down and stared blankly at the football game on TV. He couldn't believe it. Another date, another complete disaster. Dressed from head to toe in red, tonight's date had been a handful. She hadn't stopped complaining and she kept talking about her hair. Did he like it, should she try a different color, how about cutting it short? Dating in his 30's had turned out to be much harder than he'd expected.
