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“Really good, man,” I responded honestly.
“Yeah?” Cal asked as he came to stand next to us.
“Yeah,” I promised, looking him in the eyes so he could see the truth in mine.
Cal nodded and asked, “Want a beer?”
“I’d love one,” I admitted as I walked over and grabbed a chair. “So, Craig, have you?” I asked again, referring to my earlier question about scholarships. Craig was a talented baseball player, and we were all confident that he’d have colleges tripping over themselves to get him to play for their teams.
“I’ve had a couple offers,” Craig admitted a bit sheepishly. “But, I’m holding out for SC.”
“You’ll hear from them,” I replied, confident that my words were true. “You been to the campus?”
“Not yet,” Craig replied as he began to shuffle the deck. “Gwen and I were actually talking about heading over there in a couple weeks.”
“Gaby’s sister, Gwen?” I asked, then muttered, “Thanks” to Cal when he handed me a beer.
“Yeah, she’s looking at their theater program.”
Everyone took a seat and Craig began to deal the cards.
I took a deep breath and looked at my friends, the best friends I had in this world, my brothers, and said, “I know I kind of checked out after your intervention. I wasn’t avoiding you, I just needed time to clear my head. That being said, when I left here that day, I drove straight to Victoria’s and broke it off. We’re no longer getting married … or seeing each other. It’s over.”
I could tell the guys were trying to hold onto their smiles of happiness, just in case I wasn’t in a good place, so I said, “It’s okay. I know you all hated her.”
Once permission was granted, TJ let out a whoop of joy and Cal started laughing, his smile so big I though his face might split in two. I couldn’t help but smile along with them.
“That’s awesome, Scott,” TJ said as he took a pull of his beer. “Nothing against Victoria, but I know you’ll be a lot happier without her in your life. She just wasn’t the one for you.”
I nodded, knowing that his words were true and wishing I’d gone with my gut the first time I’d tried to break it off with her.
“Truth,” Cal said, agreeing with TJ. “It’s better that you broke it off now, rather than living in a bad marriage. I know it wasn’t an easy decision, Scott. I know you really liked Victoria, and you didn’t want to hurt her, but it’s really the best thing for both of you.”
“Yeah, it’s for the best,” I agreed. “Now let’s play some cards and talk about something else.”
We played a couple hands, then I went into the kitchen to grab another round and Cal followed behind to get the chips and queso.
“The girls having a night out?” I asked as I popped the tops on the beers.
“Yeah,” Cal said as he opened the bag of chips. “They’re at Gaby’s, having a wine night or some shit. They’re all sleeping over there, so the others can drink and sleep it off. Shelly’s been feeling pretty tired, so I didn’t want her driving at night either.”
“Everything good with the baby?” I asked, still unable to believe that Cal and Shelly were going to be parents.
Joy took over Cal’s face at the mention of the baby, and I envied him that pure happiness.
“Yeah, perfect. We got to hear the heartbeat the other day,” Cal said, damn near glowing. “It was the most amazing thing I’ve ever hear in my life. I still can’t believe it. I’m so fucking lucky.”
“That’s the truth, brother,” I agreed, clapping him on the back. “But, shit, you deserve it.”
“Hey, ladies,” TJ called from the other room. “Beer and poker … Let’s do this.”
I chuckled when Craig’s full-bodied laugh filtered into the kitchen. Craig looked up to TJ and thought he was hilarious. Although TJ didn’t always seem to take life seriou
sly, he had a good head on his shoulders and worked hard to become the man he was today. Craig couldn’t find a better role model, in my opinion.
“Sorry, we were talking babies,” I said as I handed TJ his beer.
“What the hell is this world coming to?” TJ asked, his face crestfallen. “This is poker night, and we’re talking about marriage and babies. We may need to throw on some Metallica and raise the testosterone levels a bit.”
