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“My brother apparently took my car, claiming that it sounded like something was wrong with the battery. He left me a note saying he has taken it to Al’s Mechanics to get it checked out,” she seethed, crossing her arms as her nostrils flared in a heated rage. “I’m so annoyed, the car is fine. If something were wrong with it, the battery light would’ve come on. I asked Mom if I could borrow her car, but she has to help a friend of hers move today. I could strangle him right now!”
She continued, closing her eyes this time with a calmer voice, “Sorry, I don’t mean to take it out on you. It’s just I was really looking forward to prom-dress shopping, and now it looks like we’re stuck here for the day.”
Adriana plonks herself at her desk and opened a Vogue magazine, roughly flicking the pages while cussing to herself.
“Oh, dang,” I answered, sarcastically.
I pulled the blanket over my head, smiling as I fell back asleep.
ALEX
Nine Years Ago
I opened my textbook in an attempt to drown out her incessant nagging.
This is what it had been like lately, always wanting more. She had changed, no longer the carefree college girl I fell in love with. Samantha Benson was the girl on campus every guy wanted, and she chose me. Not that loser, Brad, who had been pining for her since middle school. Fucking jerk.
Our life together in college was an awesome experience. Samantha was incredibly beautiful, knew how to give extremely good head, and was studying art. She wasn’t my usual type, but she was no airhead. My family loved her, her family loved me, and so it made sense to put a ring on that finger and one less worry in life.
I wasn’t into the whole wedding fiasco, staying out of the way while Samantha planned the entire thing. It was a nice day as far as weddings go, but here we were six months later, and the cracks were starting to show. It wasn’t enough that she wanted an expensive house with views of the Pacific Ocean and a Mercedes, both of which we couldn’t afford on my intern’s wage, and now she was nagging me to start a family. I wasn’t ready for this shit at twenty-five. I still had friends who woke up naked next to strange chicks and kegs every night.
I told her I’d think about it if we moved back to Carmel. I missed my family, hoping they would convince her we were too young to have kids, especially Dad. He wanted me to follow in his footsteps, and there was no way I could do that with a baby around. Studying and practicing medicine required all my focus on just that. I didn’t need any other distractions.
“Alex, are you listening to me?” she pleaded, irritation evident in her voice.
“Sammy, what do you want me to say? We just moved here. The house still has dust on it, our furniture hasn’t arrived, and I technically don’t have a paying job yet. Please explain how a baby will fit into this? We can barely support ourselves.”
I was fucking annoyed. Yeah, babies were cute and stuff, but there was still so much more I wanted to do in life—start my internship, travel to Europe—the list went on and on. This all began when her sister had a baby, and now that’s all she talked about. I’m so over her comparing our relationship to everyone else. Nothing I seemed to do pleased her.
“You said when we move to Carmel we could—”
Raising my hand, I cut her off. In typical Sam fashion, she’d twisted my words.
“I never said when we moved to Carmel, we could start trying. What I said, in case you ever want to listen to me properly, was let’s settle back in Carmel and talk about this once we have found a house and have proper paying jobs.”
“Well, Alex, we found a house, and I have a proper paying job. You, on the other hand, seem to be undecided on your career. It doesn’t help that you’re supposed to be the breadwinner, not me,” she shot back.
“Fuck you for bringing this up again!” I yelled, banging my fists on the table. “You’re so happy to tell everyone your husband is studying to bec
ome a doctor, yet behind closed doors, it’s not good enough because I’m not paying for your expensive lifestyle.”
I closed my textbook, grabbing my cell and keys off the countertop. I needed to cool down, so tired of the constant bickering, and the way she made me feel uncertain about decisions I made. I needed to relax and stop focusing on this negativity.
“I’m going to my parents’ house.”
I slammed the door and walked to the car. She quickly opened the door, standing there with her arms crossed beneath her chest, baring her teeth and angered because I was leaving mid-conversation. This wasn’t the first time, nor would it be the last.
“We’ll discuss this again when you decide where your home is, Alex.”
And blinded by rage, she slammed the door without a goodbye.
***
“Adriana,” I yelled, my voice echoing through the foyer.
My parents’ house is eight-thousand square feet, large enough to lose yourself without having to live on top of each other. My grandfather, a wealthy man in his own right, had given this house to my parents as a wedding gift.
Inside the foyer, I listen for the direction of her voice.
