my place, at least until I saw her face contort in grief. Something was wrong.
Something big. She rarely cried. She didn’t like to risk runny mascara.
I stood from my chair. “What’s wrong, Alicia?”
“Men suck!” she shrieked.
I looked from her to Brett. He looked from me to Alicia. Alicia looked from me to
Brett.
“Sorry,” Alicia told Brett, choking out her words. “I didn’t realize you were here.”
“Some kids were tossing a football in the street earlier,” he said. “I parked down
the block.”
Tears began to stream down Alicia’s cheeks, leaving the dreaded dark, mascara-tinted
rivulets on her skin.
Tears. The cue for any man in the vicinity to hightail it to safer territory.
Brett slowly rose from the couch. “Um … I think I’ll go, give you two some time alone.”
“Thanks, Brett.” Alicia flopped onto the couch as soon as he vacated it.
I walked him to the door and he gave me a quick kiss on the forehead.
“We’ll talk soon,” he said.
I forced a smile I didn’t feel. “Sure.” He’d told me earlier that he’d be tied up
the rest of the week. I wouldn’t be able to see him in person again until Friday evening,
but I wasn’t about to put things on hold with him by phone. That would be disrespectful
and wimpy. Unfortunately, this delay meant I’d have to put off telling Nick that I
was available.
Damn. Damn, damn, damn!
chapter six
A Friend in Need
As soon as I’d shut the door on Brett, Alicia broke out into an all-out wail. “Three
years!” she sobbed. “Three years I’ve been dating Daniel! And for what? He’s never
going to marry me!”
She began blubbering so profusely I couldn’t understand most of what she was saying,
though I made out that Daniel was somehow both “a miserable son of a bitch” and the
man of her dreams who she hoped would “rot in hell” yet also “realize what a mistake
he’d made and come crawling back.”
How long a crawl would it be from hell?
I went to the kitchen, poured Alicia a big glass of peach sangria, and grabbed some
napkins. I brought the drink and napkins to her, taking a seat beside her on the couch.
She slugged back the drink in ten seconds flat. Impressive. I hadn’t seen her do that
since back in our college days when we’d gone barhopping on Sixth Street in Austin.
“My mother was right!” she cried, setting the glass on the coffee table. “Why would
a man buy a cow when she’s giving away the milk for free?” She bent over, sobbing
into the wad of napkins clutched in her hands.
“Come on.” I put a hand on her back. “You know that’s not true. Marriage isn’t just
about sex.” Heck, from what I could glean from my married coworkers, marriage was
hardly about sex at all. Seemed like once people said “I do” they didn’t actually do it anymore. “Daniel’s not like that. He loves you.”
“Oh, yeah?” she spat, glancing over at me. “Then why did he freak out when I told
him I was tired of shacking up and wanted to get married?”
“You told him that?” I knew Alicia wanted to marry Daniel someday, but I’d never felt
any sense of urgency on her part. She loved the yuppie lifestyle, having a professional
career, living in a downtown loft, spending her big paychecks on nice clothes at Neiman
Marcus and fancy meals at trendy restaurants.
“It just sort of slipped out,” she said. “Our neighbor’s sister was visiting with
her new baby and we saw them on the elevator and something came over me.” She dabbed
at her eyes. “I realized I’m ready for the next phase, Tara.” She dabbed again. “It’s
clear Daniel isn’t.”
“He’ll come around,” I said. “Just give him some time.”
She shrugged. “I don’t know. We’ve been together for years. How much more time does
he need?” She sighed and slumped back on the sofa, her tears dwindling to a mere trickle.
“I’m thinking about putting myself back on
Something big. She rarely cried. She didn’t like to risk runny mascara.
I stood from my chair. “What’s wrong, Alicia?”
“Men suck!” she shrieked.
I looked from her to Brett. He looked from me to Alicia. Alicia looked from me to
Brett.
“Sorry,” Alicia told Brett, choking out her words. “I didn’t realize you were here.”
“Some kids were tossing a football in the street earlier,” he said. “I parked down
the block.”
Tears began to stream down Alicia’s cheeks, leaving the dreaded dark, mascara-tinted
rivulets on her skin.
Tears. The cue for any man in the vicinity to hightail it to safer territory.
Brett slowly rose from the couch. “Um … I think I’ll go, give you two some time alone.”
“Thanks, Brett.” Alicia flopped onto the couch as soon as he vacated it.
I walked him to the door and he gave me a quick kiss on the forehead.
“We’ll talk soon,” he said.
I forced a smile I didn’t feel. “Sure.” He’d told me earlier that he’d be tied up
the rest of the week. I wouldn’t be able to see him in person again until Friday evening,
but I wasn’t about to put things on hold with him by phone. That would be disrespectful
and wimpy. Unfortunately, this delay meant I’d have to put off telling Nick that I
was available.
Damn. Damn, damn, damn!
chapter six
A Friend in Need
As soon as I’d shut the door on Brett, Alicia broke out into an all-out wail. “Three
years!” she sobbed. “Three years I’ve been dating Daniel! And for what? He’s never
going to marry me!”
She began blubbering so profusely I couldn’t understand most of what she was saying,
though I made out that Daniel was somehow both “a miserable son of a bitch” and the
man of her dreams who she hoped would “rot in hell” yet also “realize what a mistake
he’d made and come crawling back.”
How long a crawl would it be from hell?
I went to the kitchen, poured Alicia a big glass of peach sangria, and grabbed some
napkins. I brought the drink and napkins to her, taking a seat beside her on the couch.
She slugged back the drink in ten seconds flat. Impressive. I hadn’t seen her do that
since back in our college days when we’d gone barhopping on Sixth Street in Austin.
“My mother was right!” she cried, setting the glass on the coffee table. “Why would
a man buy a cow when she’s giving away the milk for free?” She bent over, sobbing
into the wad of napkins clutched in her hands.
“Come on.” I put a hand on her back. “You know that’s not true. Marriage isn’t just
about sex.” Heck, from what I could glean from my married coworkers, marriage was
hardly about sex at all. Seemed like once people said “I do” they didn’t actually do it anymore. “Daniel’s not like that. He loves you.”
“Oh, yeah?” she spat, glancing over at me. “Then why did he freak out when I told
him I was tired of shacking up and wanted to get married?”
“You told him that?” I knew Alicia wanted to marry Daniel someday, but I’d never felt
any sense of urgency on her part. She loved the yuppie lifestyle, having a professional
career, living in a downtown loft, spending her big paychecks on nice clothes at Neiman
Marcus and fancy meals at trendy restaurants.
“It just sort of slipped out,” she said. “Our neighbor’s sister was visiting with
her new baby and we saw them on the elevator and something came over me.” She dabbed
at her eyes. “I realized I’m ready for the next phase, Tara.” She dabbed again. “It’s
clear Daniel isn’t.”
“He’ll come around,” I said. “Just give him some time.”
She shrugged. “I don’t know. We’ve been together for years. How much more time does
he need?” She sighed and slumped back on the sofa, her tears dwindling to a mere trickle.
“I’m thinking about putting myself back on
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