up my heart and spit it out as you so
eloquently put it."
"I'm
sorry. I didn't know. I was just guessing."
Another
silence fell between us. Curiosity was eating me up inside. I really wanted to
know what transformed this good-looking and hardworking man into a bitter jerk
who was extremely difficult to be around. Finally, I said, "What
happened?"
"You
ever see those romance movies where the hero runs in and breaks up the wedding
of his love and they run off together to live happily ever after?"
I
nodded.
"Ever
wonder what happens to the poor slub left standing at
the altar? He turns into a bitter old man hiding in a sexy body as you so
eloquently put it."
"Ouch,"
I said. I didn't really know how to react to that. I had seen those movies and
I often wondered what happened to the other guy. I had always felt bad for him.
I never thought I'd be sitting next to 'that guy' at work one day.
I
pretended to type at my computer for a while. I needed to write a few pithy and
engaging blog posts for my client. But my heart really wasn't in it. All I
wanted to do was find out more about Trent and April.
"So
another man actually interrupted your wedding?" I asked finally.
He
nodded. "And now they're off living happily ever after and I'm stuck
paying half the bill for a twenty thousand dollar wedding and honeymoon that
never took place. That's where most of the money in that jar goes. I'm almost
finished paying off that honeymoon in the south of France."
Okay,
I had to admit, he had a pretty good reason to be angry at love. I think if I
was in his situation I would want to curse everyone out all the time as well.
I
had no idea what to say. He'd probably heard it all before anyway. Carnece with her wild and slightly violent self would
probably spend the next few hours coming up with ways to get revenge on April.
She would come up with something creative like hiding a dead fish in her car
seats or perhaps using her phone number in an ad for feet fetishes. Marin on
the other hand would try to find the bright spot in the entire situation. I
tried to go that route.
"Well,
at least you're only paying half," I said trying to help. From the way he
glared at me, I could tell it didn't work.
"I
just broke up with my boyfriend of seven years." I don't know why I told
him this. Okay, yes I did. I was trying to make him feel better.
"Why?"
I
didn't really want to tell him why. It sounded kind of ridiculous. But since I
brought it up, I couldn't really just leave him hanging.
"After
seven years, he bought me a house,” I said.
"Instead of an engagement
ring?"
I
looked at him. He got it. He understood. "Yeah." I went back to typing a few almost unintelligible sentences. I couldn't work. I
needed a man's opinion on the subject. I really didn't have any other men in my
life to talk to. There was my dad and my brother, but that would be like
talking to a pair of brick walls. Well-dressed brick walls, but brick walls
nonetheless. To them, every single thing in the world could be figured out with
a simple pro and con list.
"Do
you think I was too harsh on him? I mean, he did buy me a house. Maybe he
didn't know I wanted to get married."
"He
knew," Trent said not taking his eyes off of his computer screen. "Trust me, a man knows when the woman he's been seeing wants
to get married. Women are not the most subtle of our species."
I
tried to ignore how he just insulted half the population and thought about what
he said. Of course Vinny knew I wanted to get married.
Any idiot would be able to figure that out. He just bought that house to
placate me. He would never marry me.
My
throat tightened and tears threatened.
"Oh no. No. No. No. No crying. I can't
deal with crying right now."
I
didn't look over at him but I could tell he probably had some stern, cold look
on his face.
"I'm
not crying," I lied as the first tears seeped out.
Trent
switched off his desktop, picked up his laptop case and stood up. "That's
it. Let's
eloquently put it."
"I'm
sorry. I didn't know. I was just guessing."
Another
silence fell between us. Curiosity was eating me up inside. I really wanted to
know what transformed this good-looking and hardworking man into a bitter jerk
who was extremely difficult to be around. Finally, I said, "What
happened?"
"You
ever see those romance movies where the hero runs in and breaks up the wedding
of his love and they run off together to live happily ever after?"
I
nodded.
"Ever
wonder what happens to the poor slub left standing at
the altar? He turns into a bitter old man hiding in a sexy body as you so
eloquently put it."
"Ouch,"
I said. I didn't really know how to react to that. I had seen those movies and
I often wondered what happened to the other guy. I had always felt bad for him.
I never thought I'd be sitting next to 'that guy' at work one day.
I
pretended to type at my computer for a while. I needed to write a few pithy and
engaging blog posts for my client. But my heart really wasn't in it. All I
wanted to do was find out more about Trent and April.
"So
another man actually interrupted your wedding?" I asked finally.
He
nodded. "And now they're off living happily ever after and I'm stuck
paying half the bill for a twenty thousand dollar wedding and honeymoon that
never took place. That's where most of the money in that jar goes. I'm almost
finished paying off that honeymoon in the south of France."
Okay,
I had to admit, he had a pretty good reason to be angry at love. I think if I
was in his situation I would want to curse everyone out all the time as well.
I
had no idea what to say. He'd probably heard it all before anyway. Carnece with her wild and slightly violent self would
probably spend the next few hours coming up with ways to get revenge on April.
She would come up with something creative like hiding a dead fish in her car
seats or perhaps using her phone number in an ad for feet fetishes. Marin on
the other hand would try to find the bright spot in the entire situation. I
tried to go that route.
"Well,
at least you're only paying half," I said trying to help. From the way he
glared at me, I could tell it didn't work.
"I
just broke up with my boyfriend of seven years." I don't know why I told
him this. Okay, yes I did. I was trying to make him feel better.
"Why?"
I
didn't really want to tell him why. It sounded kind of ridiculous. But since I
brought it up, I couldn't really just leave him hanging.
"After
seven years, he bought me a house,” I said.
"Instead of an engagement
ring?"
I
looked at him. He got it. He understood. "Yeah." I went back to typing a few almost unintelligible sentences. I couldn't work. I
needed a man's opinion on the subject. I really didn't have any other men in my
life to talk to. There was my dad and my brother, but that would be like
talking to a pair of brick walls. Well-dressed brick walls, but brick walls
nonetheless. To them, every single thing in the world could be figured out with
a simple pro and con list.
"Do
you think I was too harsh on him? I mean, he did buy me a house. Maybe he
didn't know I wanted to get married."
"He
knew," Trent said not taking his eyes off of his computer screen. "Trust me, a man knows when the woman he's been seeing wants
to get married. Women are not the most subtle of our species."
I
tried to ignore how he just insulted half the population and thought about what
he said. Of course Vinny knew I wanted to get married.
Any idiot would be able to figure that out. He just bought that house to
placate me. He would never marry me.
My
throat tightened and tears threatened.
"Oh no. No. No. No. No crying. I can't
deal with crying right now."
I
didn't look over at him but I could tell he probably had some stern, cold look
on his face.
"I'm
not crying," I lied as the first tears seeped out.
Trent
switched off his desktop, picked up his laptop case and stood up. "That's
it. Let's
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