by Sky Corgan
When I was alone, I never worried about Jeff. Any retaliation he may have had, I was convinced I would be able to handle. Besides, it was easier for the contractors to come in and out as they needed to, easier for the both of us. Constantly having to get up to answer the door was distracting and frustrating for me.
“So, what do you want to talk about?” I asked, quickly getting the impression that this wasn't a friendly visit.
“I don't want you marrying my sister,” she replied bluntly.
“Wow. Wasn't expecting that. I thought things had gone well when you two talked it out.”
“Kim is stubborn. I could have talked to her for twelve hours straight, and she never would have listened to a word I said. She's blinded by love, but I don't think it's the lasting kind.”
I shifted uncomfortably. “What makes you say that?”
“She's young, Dominick. And she's never been in love with anyone before you.”
“What does that have to do with her love not being lasting?” I quirked an eyebrow.
“You know how it is. No one ever ends up with their first love in the end.”
Anger rolled through me, and I had to swallow it down. The only reason I hadn't ended up with my first love was because she didn't love me back. It didn't matter if the person was your first love or fifteenth. The placement in the line didn't determine how long you stayed with a person. This wasn't Tammy's real issue with us. She was just looked for excuses as to why we shouldn't be together, desperately grasping at straws.
“You're upset because I'm older than her, or because I loved you in the past, or because of some other thing. This crap you're saying now has nothing to do with it.” I furrowed my brows at her.
“I'm just telling you what I think.” She recoiled slightly, noticing my change of tone.
“Trust me, there's nothing you haven't thought of that I haven't thought myself. In truth, I've tried to break up with Kim before, not because I didn't love her, but because I had the same fears that you do. I'm older than her. That's obvious, but it doesn't matter. Kim doesn't want someone her own age. She likes the relationship we have, and so do I.
“You might also be thinking that I went after her because you turned me down. Let me tell you now that it's not true. When I invited Kim here, it was because I wanted to help her, to help both of you. I had no romantic interest in her, even after she arrived. It wasn't until she practically threw herself at me that I realized she wanted more, and then I started thinking about what I wanted.
“We didn't fall in love right away. At least, I didn't. I was wary about the relationship, not just because of the age difference, but because she is your sister. In the end though, I did fall in love, and that can't be helped. We love each other. There's nothing that can be done about it. And we're going to get married with or without your blessing.”
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
KIM
My stomach felt like a pit of angry eels. Maybe that three-day-old tuna salad sandwich I had for lunch hadn't been the best idea. I thought that tuna salad held for longer than that. I usually put pickle juice in mine. Wasn't that supposed to preserve it for longer? Perhaps it was the eggs going bad. The eggs I used had been about to expire. Whatever the case, I was catching hell for eating that sandwich, and I wasn't sure how much longer it would be before it made a reappearance.
Thinking I should flush it out of me before power vomiting took over, I sneaked out of the classroom and headed to the bathroom. Even after offering my stomach contents to the porcelain Goddess, I didn't feel much better. Not to mention that wasn't the only end it was coming out of. Son of a bitch, I gave myself food poisoning. This was not going to get better anytime soon.
With a groan, I submitted defeat, scooping up my backpack and heading out to my car. Hopefully, I could make it home before another round of nausea or the squirts hit me. I was all caught up in my last class, so missing it wouldn't kill me.
My foot pushed the pedal to the metal as I tried to get home as quickly as possible. It was only a short distance from the college to the condo, but I didn't trust my body to last even five minutes without the tuna craps hitting me again.
When I pulled into the condo parking lot, I noticed that a red Mazda Miata was sitting outside along with a bunch of work trucks. It wasn't until I got close enough to see the stickers on the bumper that I realized it was Tammy's. My mind couldn't figure out why she would be visiting Dominick when she knew I wasn't there. Maybe she had planned to surprise me?
I made a mad dash to the front door, only to be stopped outside by the sound of raised voices within. Tammy was practically yelling at Dominick, telling him that we weren't right together. He growled back to her that it wasn't for her to decide. Oh, no, this was bad.
I shoved my key into the keyhole before figuring out that the door wasn't locked. Then I stepped inside, ignoring my churning bowels to throw myself between the man I loved and the woman who was my sister.
“Kim,” they both said at the same time, obviously shocked to see me.
“Stop fighting.” I furrowed my brows at them as if I was talking down to two children. They were both sitting on the edge of the loveseats, their bodies rigid.
“We're not fighting,” Dominick said, trying to look calm.
“I can't bless this marriage.” Tammy shook her head, emotionally frazzled.
“Why not?” I asked, my heart sinking, a new sickness taking over me.
“You two aren't right for each other. You're just too stupid and blind to see it,” she insisted.
“Tammy,” I sighed. “I told you already, you don't have to like it, you just have to accept it.”
“I can't accept it. No, I won't accept it,” she told me with a huff, standing, her arms wrapped protectively around herself. “I'm sorry, Kim, but if you're going to marry him, then I won't be at the wedding. It would be a waste of my time.” Tammy stomped past me.
I turned to watch her leave, and when the door shut behind her, all I could do was run to the bathroom with tears streaming down my face. Dominick followed, but I slammed the door before he could get in, locking it behind myself, and pulling my pants and underwear down to sit on the toilet and cry. How embarrassing and miserable. I was depressed and sick.
“Kim, are you alright?” Dominick asked on the other side of the door.
The horrid sound my body made in reply told him otherwise.
“I'm sick. I'll be out in a second,” I called back to him.
I sighed as I heard his footsteps walking towards the living room, and my stomach gurgled in approval. This was going to take awhile. The suffering of my body and mind collided as I stayed in the bathroom, sobbing and thinking and shitting. What a combination. Tammy had sounded pissed, and I couldn't help but wonder what all they had talked about before I arrived. She had been sneaky. This obviously was planned. Come over to speak to Dominick while I wasn't home and try to convince him not to marry me. I was sure that was what she had in mind. What a bitch. Could my sister really be so selfish and petty as to go behind my back? I truly couldn't understand why she hated the idea of our relationship. Her fears were understandable, but this was going too far.
Finally, my body settled and I was able to emerge from the bathroom with a shameful look on my face. You'd think that after living with Dominick for a year, it wouldn't bother us to be sick around each other. Maybe it was the circumstances that made me feel so bad about it.
“You guys fought,” I said stupidly as I rounded the corner with my arms wrapped around myself as if I was trying to keep the sickness at bay.
“You lied to me about her approving,” he replied, his voice tense.
“I didn't lie to you. I thought she had approved of it, or at least accepted it.”
“That doesn't appear to be the case.”
I sat down gingerly across from him, not wanting to be too close in case the bubbles in my stomach decided to turn to gas. What I left in the bathroom required large amounts of Febreze to cover up.
The last thing I wanted to do was gas Dominick when he was already upset, not that he would have really cared. We farted around each other all the time. It was proof of our comfort together. Still, it didn't seem quite appropriate at the moment.
“What was she saying to you?” I asked.
“What wasn't she saying to me is a better question,” he sighed.
“Probably all the same things she said to me when I went over to her place.”
“Probably. It doesn't matter though. We're going to get married. That is, if you still want to marry me.” Dominick gave me a sad look, as if he half expected me to say no.
“Of course, I still want to marry you. We have a long engagement. A year. That should give her time to come around. She has to come around,” I sniffled.
“What if she doesn't?”
I shrugged. “She'll come around.”
Dominick pressed his lips together, not satisfied with my answer, but he didn't ask me any further questions. To my horror, he crossed the space between us and sat next to me, wrapping his arm around my shoulder to rub it affectionately.
“Sick,” I murmured.
“I don't care. Part of loving someone is taking care of them, and part of taking care of them is being close to them.”
I swooned slightly from his words, resting my head on his shoulder. He was right for me, whether Tammy liked it or not. No man would ever be better for me. I had to make her see that. I just had to.
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
Tammy didn't give me a chance to make her see that Dominick and I should be together. I suppose it was both of our faults. She didn't call me, and I didn't call her. It was the first time that we put such distance between us, and it hurt more than I could have ever imagined.
Dominick was supportive, telling me that I should be the bigger person and call her, that the longer we didn't speak to each other, the easier it would be not to speak to each other. He said it would cause a void that would eventually be hard to repair. Despite his sage advice, I was stubborn. I wanted her to realize that she was wrong and come to me first. It didn't happen though.
Weeks passed, and the pain didn't get better. Sometimes, I'd forget about it, but it was always there. Would Tammy really write me out of her life just because I was marrying her childhood best friend? It seemed awfully stupid, but that was the reality of the situation.
Part of me thought I would eventually get over it, but thinking of having anyone other than my sister as my maid of honor made me sad. The only other friends I had were back home, except for Carmen, and I definitely didn't want her as my maid of honor. Without Tammy, I felt completely alone. There was no one to help me plan the wedding. No one to go dress shopping with. No one.
My birthday rolled around, and I stared at my phone throughout the day, hoping for a text message from Tammy. She never did text me though. I tried to be happy when I came home and Dominick told me he was taking me to a surprise dinner. He didn't deserve to have me like this.
Dominick drove me downtown to Il Vinaio, a little Italian restaurant. As we walked through the parking lot, he gently put his arm around me, guiding me to the door.
“Look whose here,” he said to me as we approached the front of the restaurant, and when I looked up, I saw Tammy standing just inside, staring out at us with a smile, though I couldn't tell if it was fake or not.
Part of me was elated to see her, but another part of me was horrified. All I could do was smile in appreciation, my face feeling tense from the effort.
“Is this going to be okay?” I asked Dominick quietly before he held the door open for me.
“I invited her. Just try not to kill one another.” He gave me a smirk, though it wasn't the least bit reassuring.
“Kim!” Tammy said, holding her arms out to embrace me as I entered the restaurant.
When I hugged her, it felt like heaven. It's strange how much a person can take something as simple as a hug for granted.
As we released each other, I looked into Tammy's eyes and saw genuine warmth. It was the best present ever.
“You girls hungry?” Dominick asked, standing behind me awkwardly.
“I could eat,” I replied with an ear to ear grin.
“I left your gift in the car,” Tammy told me. “I'll give it to you after we're done eating.”
“Just having you here is gift enough for me.”
I was all smiles as we were seated in the middle of the dining room. The air between Tammy and Dominick was still a bit tense, but at least they were trying to occupy the same space, for my sake. It was definitely a special day, having my two favorite people together after so long.
“So, how has school been?” Tammy asked once we had placed our drink order.
“It's good. I can't wait until the semester is over. Dominick's going to take me to Fiji for vacation this summer.”
“Fiji. Nice.” She nodded stiffly.
“How are you and Marcus doing? How's the pregnancy thing coming along?”
“Still trying,” she sighed wearily, and I could tell it wasn't a subject that she was interested in discussing. They had been trying to have a baby for what felt like forever, it was starting to seem like it might never happen.
We made idle conversation until our food arrived. Tammy asked Dominick about business, though he didn't have much to say. Then she talked about everything that had been going on at her job. There always seemed to be an endless amount of drama to discuss from wherever Tammy worked. I wasn't sure if she just had shit luck getting stuck with unproductive employees or if part of having a day job was bitching about it. If I remembered correctly, our parents complained a lot about their jobs too.
We ate Italian food and shared good company, and for a while, I thought everything would be alright. The evening was going absolutely perfect. Strong pleasant emotions were swirling around inside of me. In fact, I was happier than I had been in a while.
“I missed you, sis,” I told Tammy while we were waiting for the bill.
“I missed you too.” She smiled warmly at me.
“Too bad Marcus couldn't come,” Dominick commented.
“I know. He had to work late though. Next time,” Tammy replied.
“So, do you want to help me plan for the wedding?” I asked, hopeful.
Her lips drooped into a frown, and all the tension that had been left at the door suddenly came rushing back in.
“I'd rather not be involved in the wedding,” she said stiffly.
“Why not?” I quirked an eyebrow, trying to hide the offense in my voice.
“I came here because I wanted to spend time with you on your birthday, but you both know how I feel about you getting married.”
“Oh,” I replied quietly. “I thought you'd gotten over it by now.”
Silence hung in the air like poisonous gas, choking me and threatening to make my eyes water. It felt like I had been brought up to the top floor of a building overlooking an amazing landscape and suddenly been dropped. The wind left my sails, and I was quickly becoming emotional. If I cried though, it would completely ruin the night—ruin everything.
The longer we sat there, the less I felt able to contain it. A tear streamed down my cheek, burning a trail in its path. Dominick moved to put his hand on my back, and I instantly recoiled. It was too much to handle. I couldn't be around them anymore.
Emotionally distraught, I stood up and made my way to the front of the restaurant. I needed to go outside for a minute, to recompose myself. Dominick moved to follow me though, and Tammy was right behind him. It was like a train of bad that I couldn't get away from. I just wanted to be left alone, to find somewhere private to cry. If I went into the bathroom, Tammy would follow, so I continued outside, blinded by tears. Their footsteps were right behind me, echoing in my ears. I had to escape. They didn't need to see how miserable I was, not after they had given me this amazing night, not after Dominick had gone out of his way to bring Tammy and I back together.
As soon as I was outside,
I put my head down and took off at a run. Dominick was calling behind me, his voice frantic. Tammy screamed just in time for me to feel a hard jolt to my back. Too many horrific sounds echoed in my ears at once: a car horn, screeching tires, and a sickening thud. I fell forward, and the ground came up to meet me, ripping the skin off my palms with near blinding pain.
People were shouting around me. A car door opened. And when I turned, I saw Dominick laying on his side several yards away. I blinked in disbelief, trying to piece together what had happened.
Tammy was standing at the edge of the parking lot with her hands up to her mouth, her eyes wide in shock. There was a truck parked in front of Dominick's body, its headlights shining down on him. The man who had gotten out of it came to Dominick's side, his expression a mixture of anger and panic.
“Hey, Mister, are you alright?” he called down to Dominick, but Dominick didn't respond.
It took me a few seconds to realize that the jolt to my back was Dominick pushing me out of the way of the oncoming vehicle. I must have run in front of it blindly. Dominick took the blow. How fast had the truck been going? Since I hadn't been watching, I couldn't tell, but it had obviously been going fast enough to knock Dominick unconscious . . . or worse.
Now the tears streaming down my face were for a different reason. I crawled towards Dominick's body, barely noticing the pain of my skinned palms as they moved across the asphalt. When I reached him, I saw that he was unconscious and there was a gash in his forehead where his head was touching the ground. Blood was flowing out steadily. I quickly cradled his head on my lap, shouting to whoever would listen to call an ambulance.
This couldn't be happening—wasn't happening. I had lost my parents to a car accident, though not in the same fashion. I couldn't lose Dominick too. I would die if I lost him, especially on my birthday.