by Max Hudson
She turned and looked at me seriously. “Do you want me to call him? Maybe see if I can talk some sense into him?”
“I don’t know.” I set my tea down so that I could be properly upset. “I honestly don’t know how to handle this situation. Blanche,” I blinked and a few tears rolled down my cheeks, “I think I’m in love with him.”
“I know you are, dear. And honestly,” she paused, thinking about everything, “I think he loves you. With everything that happened at Pride, he just let anger and frustration get in the way. But I know you’re special to him. I feel it.”
“Do you think there’s any hope for us?”
She turned and took my face in her hands, pursing my lips together with the pressure. “Do you remember what I wrote to you in my book? About my vision of the two of you with glasses of champagne?”
“Mm-hmm.”
“I’ve had it again. Several times. You two are not over. Not by a long shot.” She let me go and said, “You know, it’s been a long time since I’ve seen Aris. Maybe I’ll go and have a chat with him today.”
“If you want. But Blanche,” I said, touching her arm, “don’t push it if he doesn’t want to see me. Just let him know that I would like to talk to him in person, okay?”
She patted my hand in compliance. “I promise to keep it as light and airy as possible.” She stood and grabbed her favorite shawl and threw it dramatically around her shoulders, then donned her shades. “Are you in for the night?”
“I’m off to the gym. Best of luck at Aris’ place.”
“Say hi to the lovely men in the weight room for me.” She breezed out and I went to my room to change into my gym clothes before I could change my mind about a workout. In a few minutes, I was walking to my little downtown gym with a duffle bag packed with essentials, ready to sweat it out.
By the time Blanche made it back, I’d already eaten dinner and washed all the dishes. She walked in the door and took her time stepping out of her shoes and unwinding her shawl. She lifted her shades and looked at me with tired eyes.
“Hey,” I dried off the dish in my hands, “how did it go?”
She frowned. “Honestly, I got mixed reviews. He seemed happy to see me and upset about it at the same time. I guess he’s just very conflicted.”
“Why would he be upset with you?”
She walked to the kitchen and hopped up on the counter like a teenager. “Because,” she said, “Simon told me about the acid attack months before he went through with it. He said he was a destroyer, the anti-artist. And at the time,” she cringed a bit here, “I laughed at him. I genuinely thought it was just more of his big, dramatic talk. I had no idea he was serious. But, I should have let Aris know.” She shrugged her shoulders up to her ears and pressed her lips together. “Maybe we could have stopped him.”
“Don’t do that to yourself.” I walked over to her and hugged her. She slid down and stood on the kitchen floor. I shifted my arms so that we were in a dancer’s stance and swayed her back and forth. “You know what? Forget Aris. Let’s you and me go to the party this weekend and drink and eat and just have fun. All right?”
She smiled and dipped her head down. “How could I say no to someone so charming?” I sent her out for a spin and then pulled her back in.
“Okay then. It’s settled. You and me. This Saturday. Get ready to forget all your troubles.”
She giggled and danced with me a bit more. I didn’t even ask if Aris might forgive me. At that point, I just wanted to make my friend happy.
Pinkerton’s backyard barbecue was so standard it almost broke my heart. His backyard was just a large rectangle of grass, no flowers or trees, and his barbecue was right by the house and full of burgers and hotdogs. He waved his spatula hello to me as I walked in and raised his eyebrows at Blanche as I introduced them.
“Pink, this is Blanche. She and I are roommates.”
“It’s almost as fun as college,” she said as actually had a great time. We drank some of the artisanal beer that a friend of Pink’s was making at a local microbrewery and then munched on burgers as we mingled and laughed with other guests. A lot of guys from work were there and I introduced them all to my friend, the poet. They were fascinated.
“So, you make a living writing poetry?”
“Do you write greeting cards?”
“Do you know any famous writers?”
I let her get pulled into a conversation with a few guys who clearly wanted to flirt with her. She graciously complied and I looked around for another drink. My phone buzzed as I stood by the beers and took it out.
“Hey. You busy today?”
I froze. It was from Aris. I quickly wrote back that I was at a party and sent him the address. He didn’t answer. Walking fast, I worked my way back to Blanche and shook her arm to get her attention.
“What is it, Mark?”
“Him. It’s him, Aris. He just texted. I think he might be on his way.”
She gasped and grabbed my arm. “Really, do you think so?”
“He just texted out of nowhere. Blanche, we might still have a chance!”
She smiled and pulled me in for a hug. The two guys she had been talking to watched us in bewilderment.
“What on earth is going on? I can’t follow a word of this,” one of them said to us.
“Don’t mind us,” Blanche said over her shoulder. “We’re just celebrating for a moment.”
The two stood awkwardly and waited as we finished our hug, then I let go. “I have to calm down. I’m going to go get a glass of water.”
“All right. If I see him first, I’ll yell.”
“Great.” I walked off and wandered into the kitchen where I filled up a glass at the sink. I stood drinking it and looked out the window at the guests. Pinkerton’s wife, Marla, walked past me with a big bottle of champagne.
“Mark, come join us outside. We have a big announcement.” I nodded, still gulping water, my eyes trained on the champagne bottle.
Nervously, I stepped outside. I stayed by the door so that I could have a view of the full backyard. I didn’t see him anywhere, but I stayed vigilant.
“Everyone! Please, come join me for a glass.” Marla waved everyone over and started putting out little champagne flutes. “Can someone open the bottle?”
No one volunteered and Marla looked over at me. “Mark, come put those muscles of yours to good use. I can’t get it open.”
With one last check, I nodded and walked over. She set the bottle on the table in front of me and I started twisting the cork to loosen it. Everyone jostled around, anxious for a glass, and with a final twist I got it out with a loud pop. The crowd cheered and I found myself serving everyone.
“Did you all get one? Yes? Anyone I missed?”
“I’ll take one,” said a familiar voice.
I turned around to see Aris standing behind me. I gulped and then carefully poured him a glass. His face was even more beautiful than I remembered. His hand reached for the flute and brushed my fingers, making my heart stop for just a moment.
“Hi.”
“Hi.” I set the bottle down. “I’m so glad you’re here.”
“Me too.” He blushed and smiled his shy smile. “I, um, I really missed you. I feel like a total jerk for blaming you for what happened. It wasn’t your fault.”
I shrugged. “I missed you, too. So much.” We went in for a kiss and a few people around us oohed and aahed.
“Hey! Knock it off you two.” We stopped and saw Marla standing with Pink to address the crowd. “I’m trying to tell everyone some big news.”
“Marla’s pregnant!” Pink raised his glass and everyone cheered, but I barely heard them. All I could focus on was my pounding heart and the feel of Aris beside me.
“Big news,” he whispered as he touched his forehead to mine.
“Yeah. I’m happy for them,” I whispered back. We kissed again as everyone around us celebrated. I knew it wasn’t for us and I didn’t care.
I w
as in his arms again and that was all I could ask for.
Epilogue
The next twelve months flew by. Before we knew it, we were chatting about the captain’s upcoming wedding. “I have our outfits all planned,” Aris informed me. “All you have to do is nod and tell me you love it.”
We started with bow tie shopping, something that I had never even considered before. The shop we went into was a softly lit tailor’s workspace. The man who owned it was in his fifties and meticulously measuring a young guy for his first bespoke suit.
“That’s Wesley,” Aris whispered in my ear. “Whatever you do, don’t interrupt him.” I nodded, informed Aris that I loved the whole situation, then we waited. Wesley turned to us only after he’d carefully written down each and every piece of data he’d collected from his measuring tape.
“How can I help you gentlemen?”
We talked, he picked out the perfect bow ties for us and I found I was very fond of my little blue bow. After that, we found matching socks, got our shoes polished and Aris took a look at me in my suit.
“I want Captain Diaz to gasp when she sees you,” he explained.
“She’s supposed to be the bride, not me.” I checked my reflection in the mirror and nodded in approval of what I saw from the back. “Hmmm… our new workout routine is paying off.”
“And you laughed at me when I suggested an aqua-fit class. Look at you now!”
I laughed all over again at the name. It evoked images of grumpy old women twisting in the water. “Oh, have you got that invitation from Blanche? The one to her housewarming party?”
Aris studied his hair in the mirror. “It’s on the fridge. She must be beside herself to have her own place.”
“Our little Blanche. Out in the world, writing checks, working in an office. Who knew she’d make such a killer editor?”
Aris shook his head. “Not me. She was so determined not to work in the whole corporate environment. Of course, I don’t know how corporate a feminist magazine office can really get though.”
We didn’t say anything but we both knew a big part of Blanche’s happiness was coming from Minerva’s failure. The film she’d shot with her millions was a flop. We all tried to sit through it, but kept finding ourselves checking our phones. She came to stay for a little while and licked her wounds, but an artist cooperative in Columbia quickly called her up and invited her to do some sort of artistic printing press. Needless to say, she was at the airport almost immediately.
I stood with Blanche and watched her leave. My friend tilted her head and rested it against my shoulder and I gave her other side a squeeze.
“You okay?”
“Yes,” she sighed. Then she turned to me with a smile. “I think this is a great time for me to buy you some lunch. As a thank-you.”
We turned to walk out. “A thank-you for what?”
“Well,” she said, taking my hand, “it was so generous of you to offer me a place to stay. You even helped me with my resume and my interview skills. I’ve really conned you out of your guest bedroom and your free time. But now,” she said, opening the car door, “I can pay you back. I’m gainfully employed at a job I actually like, I’m seeing someone who isn’t a small-time terrorist and,” she paused, a big smile on her face, “I’ve found my own place.”
“Blanche! That’s wonderful. Let’s drive by it right now.”
She explained where her place was—the ugly side of town, but that’s not important—and we drove up into her parking space.
“It’s mine Mark, all mine. I can move in this weekend.” She leaned back and smiled up at her little window that faced out into the parking lot. “You know this is the first truly independent thing I’ve ever done? Renting this place is like my own little coming-of-age ceremony.” She patted my leg. “What do you think?”
“Well the parking lot is glorious.”
“Ha! It is, isn’t it”
“Seriously though,” I turned to look more closely at her, “I’m so proud of you. I know Minerva has her fame and her cooperatives and her grants, but you’re in the grind. You’ve found a way to follow your passion and work in the mainstream. It’s great.”
She considered that last statement and then nodded slowly. “It is great. In fact, I think I’m pretty great. I’m glad we cleared that up.”
So, she threw a big party and packed us all into her little one-bedroom place. I was worried about the neighbors complaining, but she assured me most of the building was empty and the two occupied spots both had invitations.
We all ate ruffled chips and store-bought dips and tapenades as we sipped cheap wine and beer, but we had a blast. Blanche had a smile as big as her whole apartment and her cheery disposition spread from person to person.
At the end of the night we had a big cheer to independence and freedom. Then we were all commanded to kiss the person we loved and she watched as Aris and I gave each other a big, warm smack on the lips.
“I’m so happy you two got together. I mean,” she added quickly, “I knew you would. It’s just nice to witness all this romance in person.”
The day of Captain Diaz’s wedding wasn’t quite the success that Blanche’s party had been. To my surprise, she sent me a text to please meet her in her suite.
“Sorry,” I explained to Aris, “I don’t want to do this but if the captain is asking for help, I’m positive it must be serious. I’ll be back as fast as I can.”
“Yes you will,” he whispered to me. “I don’t know a single person here.”
I apologized again and kissed him on the cheek, then ducked down into a hallway. I followed the vague directions Captain Diaz had sent until I found a door marked “Bride.”
“Diaz? Captain, it’s Detective Upton.”
“Oh! Please come in, Mark.”
I opened the door and found her sitting at her makeup table. I usually saw the captain looking nice but not overly done up or fancy. It was a bit of a shock to see her elaborate hair full of baby’s breath and pearls and her professionally applied makeup. I had to stop a moment and take it all in.
“Hey,” I said, pulling up a chair. “What’s going on? Why are you sitting in here all by yourself?”
“I don’t know,” she breathed. “I mean, I love Diego, I do. But now, I don’t know, two years of dating just doesn’t feel like anything. And he wants kids right away and his parents are stopping me every five seconds to ask if I’m ovulating and it’s just... It’s just...” She started to well up so I grabbed a tissue.
“Okay. Look. First of all, don’t cry. This whole makeover looks expensive.”
“It was three hundred dollars,” she hiccupped.
“Okay, wow. Way too much, first of all. Second of all, you helped me when I was burned out, so now I want to return the favor.”
I grabbed her arms and looked into her eyes. “The only response to the question, ‘Are you ovulating?’ is ‘that’s completely inappropriate’. Then, you tell your husband that you’ll be the one getting pregnant, not him, so he needs to back off a little bit and help you feel like you’ve got a bit more control in this situation.”
I glanced around and found a bottle of water. “Here,” I handed it over, “have a sip and collect yourself. It’s the first day of your married life. I understand that you have the jitters, but it’s in response to all these other factors. Do you love him?”
She nodded.
“Do you want to spend as much time with him as possible?”
Another yes.
“Okay then. Start there.” I checked my watch. “Captain, I know I just got here but the clock’s ticking. Can I tell your crew that you’re ready?”
“Sure,” she said, smiling. “But first you have to give me a hug.” She held out her arms and pulled me in for a strong embrace. “I knew there was a reason I was always so nice to you.”
We both laughed and I patted her back a little. “You’re a beautiful bride,” I whispered to her.
“Thanks. It’s nice to get p
ampered and to feel a little pretty for a change.”
Diaz was far more than a little pretty. By the time she made it down the aisle, she’d added a shoulder-length veil to her ensemble and the effect made her look ethereal. She floated down past the seats and each row she passed let out a little gasping sigh at how great she looked.
“That’s your captain?” Aris asked me.
“She is. Isn’t she gorgeous?”
He turned to me with big round eyes. “Absolutely.” As we sat back down, we leaned against one another to take in the ceremony. It was short and sweet, but still full of really romantic moments. They wrote their own vows and Diego, the tall, handsome groom, had a line in his about their future children.
“We’ll discuss that later,” she interrupted and the whole crowd let out a little laugh as the groom blushed.
“Okay then,” he continued, “whenever we have them and no matter how many we have,” he paused as he pressed his lips together to hold in his emotions, “I hope they all turn out just like you. You are the bravest, kindest woman in the world. And I feel lucky just to know you.”
At the end, they kissed, we cheered, and they led us all to the reception as a group. We moved into the big reception hall for drinks and dancing and Aris seemed to be determined to make me dance to every single song.
“Oh, this is a classic!”
“All right, on my way.”
We shuffled around the dance floor and I did my best not to step on his toes. Or anyone else’s for that matter.
Finally, we took a break for some sinful chocolate cake and watched the rest of the crowd.
“Look at how beautiful all of this is,” Aris said to me as he gazed out over the room. “There’s so much love in this one little space.”
I nodded. “It’s almost a little miracle.”
He turned to me and laughed. “You know,” he said, taking my hand, “I really hope the same thing happens at our wedding.”
The fork fell out of my hand as I gaped at him. “Did you just—”
“Not exactly,” he laughed. “But be on your toes,” he said softly as he stroked my ring finger, “because there is no way I’m letting you go.”