by Marie Sexton
Brian wasn’t home, but Lizzy was. And as I’d predicted, she wasn’t surprised to see me. She did, however, raise her eyebrows at Matt. He excused himself to find the bathroom, and she immediately turned on me.
“On a date?”
“It’s not a date.”
“It sure looks like one.”
“It isn’t.”
“He sure seems to be spending a lot of time with you.”
“He’s new in town. He doesn’t know anybody. That’s all.”
“Jarhead,” she said in exasperation, “if you think that man doesn’t have other options, even in this town, then you must be blind. He chose you.”
I knew she was right. Hadn’t I just seen him lie to Cherie so he could spend the evening with me? And she wasn’t the only single woman in town by any means. She might have been the only one who’d gone to the trouble of tracking him down at his house, but that only meant she was the most aggressive of the lot. But he was adamant about being straight, so where did that leave us? I blushed, thinking about it.
“What are you two talking about?” Matt asked as he strode back into the kitchen. “Looks like you’re embarrassing Jared.”
“Hair,” Lizzy said, without missing a beat. “Can you believe that mess he has on his head? I keep telling him to get it cut.”
Matt frowned at me and inspected the dirty mop on my head. I tried not to flinch under his scrutiny. I suddenly had great pity for the animals at the zoo.
Then he turned to Cherie, eyebrow up, a ghost of a grin on his face. “I like it.”
And that’s when I knew I was a complete fool, because my heart swelled up and threatened to burst through my chest, and I knew I was turning tomato red. Matt had already turned and vanished into the living room.
“I don’t know who he thinks he’s fooling,” Lizzy hissed at me, “but this is definitely a date!”
Chapter 7
HE DROPPED by the shop several times after that, always right at closing time, and we went out for dinner. It surprised me that he seemed to be seeking me out, but I was thrilled at the same time. He was easy to talk to.
Lizzy invited him to her house for a Memorial Day barbecue. He seemed happy to be included, but two days before it was supposed to take place, he came into the shop to cancel.
“Lizzy, you’re going to have to give me a rain check on dinner. My parents decided to drop in for a visit this week.”
“No problem,” she said, without even looking up from her inventory list. “Bring them along.”
He looked a little startled by that. “No, I couldn’t do that.”
Now she looked up. “Why not?”
“I couldn’t intrude like that.”
“Don’t be silly. The more the merrier.”
“Ummm….” He suddenly seemed terribly uncomfortable. “I appreciate that, Lizzy, but it’s really a bad idea. You’ll end up regretting it. Trust me.”
She laughed. “My goodness, are they that bad?”
But he didn’t seem to be joking at all when he answered her. “Yeah. They really are. You know that nasty uncle in all the movies who ruins every holiday? That’s my dad. No kidding.”
She studied him for a minute, tapping her finger on her lip, like she was trying to decide how serious he was. And then she got that determined look on her face, and I wanted to tell him he might as well give up now, because Lizzy would get what she wanted. “Matt, you’ve never met my parents. They’re insane. I’m talking certifiable wackadoo. Jared, tell Matt. My parents are totally fucking loony.”
“Well—”
She didn’t wait for me to finish. “Seriously, Matt, your parents can’t possibly be worse than mine.”
“I don’t know—”
“Great! Then we’ll see you at five thirty.” She returned to her inventory list as if the topic was closed.
Matt blinked, baffled, like he wasn’t quite sure what had just happened. “Oh. Okay. Well, thanks, Lizzy.” He cocked his eyebrow at her, although she was still looking down, so only I saw it. “Don’t say I didn’t warn you.” He started to leave, but then stopped before going out the door. “Lizzy, my dad drinks a lot.” It sounded like a warning.
“No problem.”
THEY ARRIVED right on time. Matt’s mom, Lucy, was about five-four, big-boned, but skinny, with hair that was somewhere in the transition from brown to gray. Her green eyes looked sad and nervous, and her fingers never held still. She fidgeted with her necklace, her earrings, and her hair constantly.
His dad, Joseph, was big. He was as tall as Matt with the same dark hair and military cut. He’d obviously once had the same athletic physique as well, but now had a tiny bit of a beer belly and the red, bulbous nose of a hard-core drinker.
They brought a bottle of wine with them, all wrapped up in a pretty foil bag with a bow. As soon as Lucy handed it to Lizzy, Joseph said, “I’ll take a glass of that now, if you would.”
Matt and I followed Lizzy into the kitchen. Matt was definitely not himself. I’d never seen him act so nervous and unsure of himself. His parents were obviously a bomb, and he was just waiting for them to go off.
“We’ll definitely have enough to drink,” Lizzy said cheerfully as she opened the wine. “I bought three bottles of wine, two red, one white, and a case of beer. And there’s plenty of hard stuff in the cabinet too, if he wants something stronger.” She pointed to the liquor cabinet before taking the open wine and several glasses and heading back into the living room.
I started to follow her, but Matt grabbed my arm. I was surprised to see something like terror on his face. “Why did she buy all that alcohol?”
“You said your dad likes to drink.”
He covered his face with his hands. “Oh no.”
“What’s wrong?”
“I meant that she shouldn’t have alcohol. It was supposed to be a warning. Oh my God, I’m such an idiot. I should have been more specific. Shit! This is bad, Jared. He’s a jerk when he’s sober. He’s an angry, belligerent, antagonistic asshole when he’s not.”
“That bad?” I would have laughed if he hadn’t looked so terrified.
“Yes.” He rubbed his hands hard over his face and then went over to the liquor cabinet and rummaged around, emerging with a bottle of Jack Daniel’s. He took two glasses out of the cabinet and poured two extra-large shots. “Here.” He handed one to me and downed his in one swallow.
“I hate this stuff.”
“Trust me,” he said as he poured another one for himself. “It won’t be quite so painful if you’re half-drunk too.”
He was wrong. It was still painful.
We had dinner on the patio. The sun was still up but low in the sky, casting long shadows across the lawn. It was a beautiful night, contrasting strangely with the tension at the table as we stumbled through small talk. Of course, with my family, the conversation eventually turned to football.
“Are you a Chiefs fan too?” Brian asked Joseph.
“Hell no. I’m a Cowboys fan. I think Matt picked another team just to be rebellious. At least he didn’t pick the damn Redskins.”
“I was pretty sure you would have thrown me out of the house for that one,” Matt said dryly.
“Damn right.” I couldn’t tell if he was joking or not.
“Lucy,” Mom jumped in, “do you work outside the home?”
Lucy looked a little startled, as if she hadn’t realized she might have to speak during dinner. “No, not anymore. I was a nurse for twenty-five years, but I’m retired now.”
“At a hospital, or in a medical office?”
“In a hospital. I worked in several departments over the years, but what I loved the most was the maternity ward. I was there for the last ten years. All those babies.” For the first time, her hands were still, held together in front of her like she was praying. She smiled nostalgically and turned to Lizzy. “When are you due?”
“Halloween.”
Lucy turned to Mom. Her smile didn’t leave her face,
but it fell into something that spoke of heartache and broken dreams. “I envy you. I keep hoping for a grandchild.” She glanced at Matt and then back at the table in front of her. Suddenly her smile was gone, and she started fidgeting again. She looked like she regretted having said that. I realized why when Joseph opened his mouth.
“Doesn’t look to me like you’re ever going to get one, so you might as well quit hoping. As far as I can tell, Matt isn’t ever going to do his duty in that department.”
Matt stared at his plate. “You might have noticed that I’m not physically capable of producing a child on my own.” There was not a hint of humor in his voice. I had a feeling this was an argument they’d had many times before.
“Don’t be a smartass with me. It’s past time for you to marry and settle down. You’re not getting any younger.”
“We’re planning a vacation,” Lucy said in an obvious ploy to change the subject.
Lizzy jumped in with her. “That’s great. Where are you going?”
“Florida, I think, although I don’t know if we should go to—”
“Are you dating anyone?” Joseph didn’t seem to realize the topic of conversation had changed.
“No, Dad. I’ve been busy. It’s not that easy to meet people.”
That surprised me, since I knew there were several single women in town who would have killed for a date with him.
“Bullshit! What about Jared here?” I just about jumped out of my chair. For half a second, I thought he was suggesting that Matt date me. But then he went on. “I’m sure he can introduce you to someone. Jared, you have a girlfriend, right?”
“Uh,” I felt terribly off-balance, considering what a simple question it was. “No, sir.”
“Why the hell not?”
“Well.” Matt turned toward me with sheer horror in his eyes, trying to warn me, but it was too late. The words were already out of my mouth. “I’m gay.”
Matt’s head went down, elbows on the table and fingers laced behind his head like somebody had just yelled “duck and cover.” Lucy’s mouth formed an O of surprise, and her fidgety fingers went into overdrive.
“You’re gay?” Joseph’s voice was loud and slightly slurred. “You mean you’re a fag?”
“Well….” I glanced around the table for help, but there didn’t seem to be any forthcoming. They were all frozen in states of dreadful anticipation. Our dinner had turned into some kind of movie of the week, and no matter how poorly acted it was, nobody seemed to be changing the channel.
“So you like to fuck other men up the ass?”
That woke them all up. Everybody at the table jumped a little when he said that, but Lizzy recovered quickest. She turned back to Lucy and said loudly, “I’m sorry, Lucy. I missed what you said. Where in Florida are you going?”
Lucy’s hands shook as she fidgeted with her necklace. “Well, I was thinking of Fort Lauderdale, but I’m not sure if only kids go there. Maybe Orlando? Have you been there?”
“I haven’t, but my brother—”
Lizzy didn’t get to tell us any more about her brother.
Joseph jumped to his feet, knocking his chair over behind him in the process. Matt looked up, startled, as Joseph pointed a finger at me. “Are you fucking my son? Is that what’s going on here?”
“No!” Matt and I both said in unison, and Matt said, “Dad, enough!”
“Joseph.” Lucy’s voice was a quiet plea. “We are guests here. Sit down, please.”
He didn’t listen. “I knew a man like you in the Marines,” he said to me. “Married and everything, and one day his wife comes home and finds him fucking another man in her bed. Earned himself a dishonorable discharge.”
Matt’s hands were white-knuckled fists on the table in front of him. “You were friends with James for six years before that happened, Dad. Remember that? He was a good guy.”
“You don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“He was your friend. You should have stood by him.”
“You don’t know what it’s like in the Marines. You took the sucker’s way out. Don’t try to talk to me about what I should or shouldn’t have done. You don’t know a goddamn thing about it.” He picked up his wineglass and frowned at it blurrily when he saw it was empty. He picked up Lucy’s and drained it. Then he grabbed the open bottle off the table and went back into the house, leaving the rest of us in uncomfortable silence on the patio.
After a minute, Lucy stood up too. Her hands were still shaking, and I could tell she was close to tears. “Matt, I think you should take us back to the motel now. We’ve intruded on your friends enough for one evening.” She straightened her shirt and her skirt and smoothed her hair, putting herself back together before turning to Lizzy. “Thank you for inviting us to dinner. It was very nice meeting you all.” I think she would have said more, but her chin had started to quiver, and she quickly retreated to the house.
Nobody else moved. Brian seemed stunned. Mom was pissed. Lizzy looked like she was replaying the whole dinner in her mind, trying to figure out where things went wrong. Matt sat there, staring at his plate. Finally he raised his eyes to Lizzy. “Lizzy, I’m sorry.”
She gave him a sad smile. She held her hand out to him, palm up on the table. He obligingly put his over hers. She put her other hand on top and patted it. “You warned me. Next time you tell me something is a bad idea, I’ll listen.”
He relaxed a little at that and nodded. “Thanks, Lizzy.” He turned to me, opening his mouth to say something. But a quick glance around the table seemed to change his mind. Instead, he clapped me on the shoulder. “I’ll see you later.”
After he left, we all sat there in silence. I felt miserable. If I hadn’t been such an idiot, none of it would have happened. Why did I have to open my big mouth? “Lizzy, I’m so sorry. I shouldn’t have—”
“No!” Her eyes were fierce. “Don’t apologize! Don’t you dare apologize for that bigoted asshole.” She got up, came around the table, and hugged me from behind. “He’s a jerk, and you have nothing to be sorry about.”
Chapter 8
“JARED!” RINGO crashed through the door of the shop at top speed, not even stopping when he knocked over a display of pine tree–shaped air fresheners. “Jared, I passed! I got a ninety-seven on the test!” He flew at me and threw his skinny arms around my neck.
“That’s great!” I patted him awkwardly on the back, and he seemed to realize what he was doing and stepped back. His face glowed with triumph, and he was grinning ear to ear.
“You’re a genius,” he told me.
I couldn’t help catching a little of his good mood. “You did the work, not me. Come on. I’ll take you out for a beer to celebrate.”
“I’m not twenty-one.”
“I didn’t say the beer would be for you. Let’s go.”
I took him to our local pizza joint, Tony’s. We ordered our pizza and drinks. The waitress had just dropped off my beer and a root beer for Ringo when Matt appeared at our table.
“Hey, Jared.” He looked genuinely pleased to see me but a little wary. “How’ve you been?”
“Can’t complain. Ringo here just aced his algebra final, and we’re celebrating.” Ringo still hadn’t stopped smiling.
“That’s great,” Matt told him but then turned back to me. “Mind if I sit down for a minute?”
“Of course I don’t mind.”
He slid into the booth next to me. “Jared, I owe you an apology for what happened at dinner.”
“Don’t worry about it.”
“My dad—”
“I don’t really care what your dad thinks of me, Matt. You were right. He’s an angry, belligerent, antagonistic asshole.”
“Eventually you’ll learn that I’m usually right.” His eyes crinkled, like he was almost laughing, so I knew that was a joke. “No hard feelings, then?”
“None at all.”
“Thanks, Jared.” He sounded enormously relieved and clapped me on the back hard en
ough to knock the wind out of me. “You know, we’ve got a table over there. Why don’t you boys join us?”
He pointed at a table across the dining room. Two cops and three women. In other words, complete hell. One look at Ringo’s face told me he wasn’t any more excited about the idea than I was.
“I don’t think that’s a good idea.”
“Why not? Come on. Save me, please. I’m not sure how I got suckered into this dinner. I thought I was having drinks with the guys, and now I find out I’m on a blind date.”
“Jesus. Then I’m really not going over there!”
“Can I stay here, then?” He gave me the look I was starting to think of as the pseudo-smile: one eyebrow cocked, the corner of his mouth twitching up.
“You’re joking, right?”
He rubbed a hand over his close-cropped dark hair. “Only partially.”
“Is she that bad?” I looked over at the table. One of the women was definitely keeping her eye on him. She was decent-looking, with red hair that was obviously dyed.
“I’m sure she’s very nice,” he said quietly, “but we have absolutely nothing to say to one another. I’ve just sat through the most awkward forty minutes of small talk ever. I’ll have more fun if you’re there. Just come over, and we can talk football until they get bored and leave.”
“Matt, there’s no way those guys are going to accept me sitting with them.”
“Sure they will.” But he didn’t sound sure.
“They won’t. Are you going to tell me that they haven’t already given you a hard time for hanging out with me?”
The flush in his cheeks told me I was right, but he didn’t give up. “That’s part of the point, Jared. Maybe if you spent some time with them, they’d realize—”
“Trust me. It’s a bad idea. Anyway, I owe Ringo here a celebration pizza.”
He glanced over at Ringo in surprise, as if he’d forgotten he was there. “Fine,” he conceded with a dramatic sigh. “Send me to my doom. They won’t leave me alone until I’m engaged. I’ll send you an invitation to the wedding.”