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“Being stubborn is cute, but being so stubborn you refuse my help is annoying as hell,” he said, kissing me.
The next morning, Darren called me from work and asked me to meet him at Fancy’s Restaurant for lunch. I’d gotten a ride with a friend of mine and met Darren at 1. We had lunch, and then he said he had a birthday surprise for me. I frowned as he pulled me across the street and over to the spot where the car I’d been eyeing sat. Only when I saw it, my heart sank. It had been wrapped with a large red bow.
“Oh gosh. It looks like they have sold it,” I said to Darren as he grabbed the handle of the driver’s side door. “Probably shouldn’t touch it.”
“You’re right,” he said, turning and handing me a card.
I took it from his hand and looked down at the envelope. My name was scrawled across the back of it and underneath it read Happy Birthday. I looked at the envelope and then the car and then at Darren. “Tell me you didn’t,” I cried, not sure if I were happy or upset.
“I did,” he said, smiling.
I burst into tears at what he’d just presented to me as he wrapped his arms around me. I wasn’t sure if the tears were happy ones or not. Not that I wasn’t grateful for the gift he’d just given me. I was. It was more the principal; it was something I’d wanted and promised to do on my own.
“Happy Birthday, my dearest. I hope you enjoy your new wheels.”
“God, I hate you.” I half laughed, half cried. “Thank you so much.”
“Here, we need to get a picture.”
As if on cue, my girlfriend, who’d dropped me off and had lunch with us, snapped a picture of us.
I looked down at the picture in the book. Darren stood behind me, his arms wrapped around me. We looked happy as hell, but I could remember that inside I was boiling over with anger.
That anger somehow was still present inside of me today when Ethan was trying to get me to replace the car that Darren had given me. Most people would have looked at that car as the thing that took Darren from me, but I looked at it as the last thing he’d given me.
I closed my eyes as the memory of our argument from that night flooded my mind. If my girlfriend hadn’t left, perhaps the fight would have happened at home instead of in the parking lot. Memories of the words I’d screamed at him flooded my mind. I closed the album and shoved it back under the table where it belonged. Leaving my tea, I shut the light off and crawled into bed, praying that tomorrow would be a better day.
ETHAN
I rolled over and stared at the clock on the small night table. It was only a little after four in the morning. I’d barely slept again. The conversation between Peggy and I had played over in my mind every time I’d closed my eyes. It had been that way for a few days. I didn’t have a clue what had set her off on Sunday, but somehow, I knew I’d missed something. A sign from her. But no matter how many times I played it over in my mind, I couldn’t figure it out. The only thing I figured was that it had something to do with her car.
I rolled onto my back and kicked the covers off, slipping out of bed. If I couldn’t sleep, there was no point in lying there torturing myself. I made my way into the bathroom and turned the shower on. Once the water heated, I slipped inside and allowed the hot water to run over me.
Once showered, I got dressed and quietly slipped from my room and down the main stairway, careful not to make too much noise, and slipped out the front door. I walked over and sat down on one of the Adirondack chairs that faced the pond.
Daylight had just broken. This was my favourite time of day. I was always up in the early mornings, and I’d grown used to watching the sun rise. It was quiet and a good way to de-stress and spend time with my own thoughts without a lot of outside noise creeping in.
However, this morning was different. There was a lot of noise in my mind, and nothing seemed to quiet it. I’d sat on the porch for over an hour, looking out over the water, and then picked up my book, trying to read a few chapters. When I grew frustrated, I closed it, only to have my mind begin racing again. I could barely sit still any longer and decided to make my way over to my new truck and hop in. I wanted to talk with Peggy, yet I doubted she wanted to speak with me. Besides, she probably wasn’t even up yet. I’d left her alone the last couple of days. Even I needed time to process what had happened. But today was her day off.
I wanted to go talk with her, but I also wasn’t good with feelings. It appeared now that she wasn’t either, and for the two of us to explain things to one another, it would probably only lead to another fight. I’d grown used to not having to explain things to anyone but myself. This was completely unfamiliar territory for me. Instead, I decided I’d go see Melinda. Perhaps she could help me with my problem.
I parked the truck in front of The Crispy Biscuit and made my way inside. It was quiet. Only one other table was full, so I took a seat at one table by the window and waited while Melinda made her way over.
“Hey, Dad,” she greeted me as she flipped my cup right-side up and poured me a mug of coffee. “Is Bessy not feeding you enough?”
“Morning,” I bit out, not answering her question.
“Uh-oh,” Melinda said under her breath as she studied me.
“Uh-oh what?” I questioned. “I’m hungry.”
“No, you’re not. Something is wrong. I can tell that this calls for a cinnamon bun and some daughter time,” she said, flipping over another mug and pouring some coffee into it. “I’ll be right back.”
I frowned as I watched Melinda cross the floor of the small diner. She whispered something to Cici, who was busy filling up the display cases, and made her way around the counter, where she pulled out two large cinnamon buns. Then she disappeared into the kitchen.
I took a sip of coffee and sat back against the seat, watching out the front window. I was lost in my own thoughts when a plate with a cinnamon bun was set down in front of me and my daughter sat down across from me.
“It was the underwear, wasn’t it?” she questioned, running her fingers through her hair.
