by Sky Corgan
“I know, right?” She set me down and then quickly straightened out her outfit. “Dominick is on his way over. I haven't told him yet. Act like you don't know anything. I want him to be surprised too.”
“Alright.”
I hadn't really thought about how Dominick would take the news. While he obviously hadn't been happy about Marcus and Tammy dating, he had accepted it. I figured he would accept this as well. What choice did he have?
I waited outside for him, thinking about what this new engagement meant for my life. I liked Marcus, but how comfortable would I be with him living with us. Would a lot of things change? Tammy and I usually watched movies together on Monday nights and spent as long as we could in our pajamas on Sundays. Were those traditions now limited to the time before Marcus moving in? There would definitely be an adjustment period.
Dominick pulled up in front of the house in his old Datsun. The thing was on its last leg. It looked about as bad as it sounded, with orange paint that was chipped in so many places that the thing looked spotted. He called it the Frankenstein car. Every time it died, he said he would do whatever it took to bring it back to life. The car had been in the shop more times than the number of years I had been alive. My sister always joked that there was no floorboard, and that he moved the car with his feet like Fred Flinstone.
Dominick strode up the driveway with a smile on his face. He took the porch steps two at a time and then leaned over to muss up my hair.
“Hey kiddo,” he said in his husky comforting voice.
“Hi,” I replied shyly and then followed him inside.
Unlike she had been when I came home, Tammy had a straight face when she laid eyes on Dominick. They greeted each other with a hug, and then she offered to get him something to drink, and we went into the living room to sit down.
The conversation started casually enough. Dominick asked how we'd been and what we'd been up to. Tammy kept extending her hand and placing it on her knee, an obvious display of the ring, though Dominick missed it completely.
Finally, when she got sick of waiting for him to see it, she said, “Do you notice anything different about me?”
“You look more beautiful than the last time I saw you,” he replied without hesitation. While it was a sweet sentiment, it made my heart sink into my stomach. He loved her still. He would always love her, no matter what.
“No, but thanks for the compliment.” Tammy grinned, though I could sense she felt a bit uncomfortable from his comment.
“Then I'm out of guesses.” He reclined.
The elated smile crept back across Tammy's face as she disclosed the good news. “Marcus proposed.” She held out the ring.
I watched Dominick's face like a hawk then, my eyes seeking any change of expression.
He leaned forward and gave the ring an appreciative nod. “A diamond fit for a princess.”
If there was any negative emotion inside his heart, he hid it well. He took the news with the same regard as if they were talking about the weather. When he started asking her about the details of the wedding, I relaxed. Everything was going to be okay.
With one less thing to worry about, I decided to go outside for some air. Since Tammy and I lived together, she could fill me in on the details later. I was sure the wedding would be all I would hear about up until it happened. It wasn't imperative that I subjected myself to it now. Besides, Dominick and Tammy so rarely got to be alone, I thought it was politer to leave them to themselves.
When I went on the front porch, my mind returned to thoughts of how the marriage would affect my life. In a way, it was kind of like living with a single parent who was about to remarry. Tammy wasn't just going to abandon me. She had been playing the part of Mom since our parents died. Would Marcus step in and try to be my dad or would our relationship be something else?
The door opened, and Dominick stepped outside. I thought about saying something to him, but I didn't. I don't know why at the time. Nothing seemed to be wrong. I had even heard him and my sister laughing as she walked him to the door. While the walls of our house weren't thin, sound still carried through, especially where I was sitting beside the dining-room window.
Dominick simply stood there for a moment, staring out into our yard. Then I saw the light glistening in his eyes. When the first tear cascaded down his cheek, my heart completely shattered. The broken pieces clung to the walls of my stomach, afraid that he would see me.
It had all been an act, the way he had seemed so cool and composed in front of my sister when she had told him the news. He had been sitting there dying inside, but he had done it with a smile on his face, never allowing us to see his true feelings. If he knew I was watching him cry, it would only add to the injury, so I did my best to stay as quiet as a mouse, to blend into the wooden swing I was sitting on.
By some miracle, he didn't turn my way. He inhaled deeply and walked off of our porch. His long strides made it seem like he wanted to run. When he got into his car, that's when he really broke down. He wrapped his arms around the steering wheel and sobbed into them. As I watched his back heave, I couldn't contain my own sorrow. I wept with him, trying to be quiet as so not to draw my sister outside. I wasn't crying for myself or because of worries over the future. I was crying for him.