by Molly Bryant
Remembering that her grandparents are in town for a surprise and staying with her mom, I asked, “Does your mom know you are stopping by?” In case I needed to intervene.
Vanessa furrowed her brows. “Yeah,”
“Well, okay then. Have a good time and if I don't see you when I get back, I will see you at the rehearsal dinner tomorrow,” I went to walk out the door.
“Maria!” she said as I went to close the door.
“Yeah?”
“No fast food,” she winked. “The dress you are wearing for the wedding won't allow an extra half inch,”
I laughed, “Got it,” then shut the door behind me.
I grabbed my purse from under my desk and just as we were about to leave, to my dismay, Ben came around the corner looking gayishly chipper in his black suit and gray tie.
“Where might you be running off to so early?” he looked between Marc and me skeptically. He stared Marc down as though he just slapped his grandma.
“Take it easy killer,” I patted his chest. “Lunch with a friend,”
Ben smiled. “Well, then have fun,” he held his pinky up in Marc's face, earning a very confused look.
I laughed, grabbing his pinky and putting his hand down. “No, Benjamin. He's not Pencil Dick,”
“You're lucky,” he pointed a finger at him. “I almost felt bad for you,”
“What?” Marc looked at me then back to Ben.
“Just ignore him,” I shoved Ben towards Vanessa's office. “Go,” I pushed him to the door with a heave. “Bye, Ben,” I turned to Marc after Ben closed the door behind him. Marc was still undoubtedly confused. “He is suffering from P.M.S.”
Marc laughed aloud. “P.M.S huh?”
“Yeah, Pre-Marital Stress,” I laughed with him.
~
I paced my hotel room waiting another fifteen minutes before I was supposed to meet Marc downstairs. He was picking me up to take me to the rehearsal dinner. I was extremely nervous, my brain erratically racing a trillion miles per second. I was anxious to see Ethan. Would he be there by himself? Would he have a date? I jumped at the sound of a knock at the door.
I opened it expecting it to be Marc a few minutes early but to my surprise it was a delivery guy with a yellow manilla envelope.
“Miss. Anderson?” he asked.
I nodded, then held my hand out for the package. “For me?”
“Yes, if you would please sign here,” he handed me an electronic pad and I signed for the package.
“Thank you, have a nice evening,” he handed me the heavy package with my name and address on it, there was no return information on it.
“Thank you,” I shut the door walking towards the bed to sit down only to stop when I got a text.
I'm here. Marc
“Damn it,” He was early. I quickly shoved the envelope in my purse then headed downstairs.
“Wow,” Marc smiled, gazing from my legs then back to my eyes. I could say the same about him in his black suit and tie, his brown hair was done perfectly.
“Do I look alright?” I asked nervously, spinning in a circle showing off my black strapless dress that went to the tops of my knees. It hugged my frame perfectly allowing a little cleavage. I flat ironed my hair for the first time in years and was surprised as it has grown to my nearly my waist and finished my make up with smoky eyes. I was hoping not to look way over the top.
“You look absolutely gorgeous, Maria,” he placed a kiss on my cheek and held his arm out for mine, his green eyes glowed interest. Exactly the reaction I was going for.
“Thank you,” I weaved my arm through his and let him lead the way out to his car.
We were nearly to Vanessa and Ethan's parents house when I started a full blown panic attack. My heart was racing, and I was sweating profusely. I felt as though I was going to throw up, and my legs felt weak.
“Just breathe,” Marc rubbed my back soothingly as I was trying to breath deep in the passenger seat, waving my hands in front of me then frantically pushed the buttons rolling the windows down. If I didn't care about my hair, I would stick my head out the window as though I were a dog along for the ride.
“Do you get like this every time you know that you are going to see him?” he laughed with a hand still on my back.
“No,” I said breathless. “Well, yes... just without hyperventilating,” I smirked.
“I can't say that I blame your panic attack,”
“Why do you say that?” I asked, taking a deep breath and suddenly calming down.
“I saw the-”
My phone cut off his words. I dug it out from my purse, behind the manilla envelope and answered it.
“Vanessa, I'm almost there,” I answered.
“Thank God,” she sighed. “I am going crazy without you here,”
“Is everything okay?” I asked as I was barely hanging on myself.
“Yeah, well...” she paused. “Ethan has been drinking all afternoon,”
“Who is that?” I heard Ethan slur in the background. “Is it Maria, Nessy?”
“Is he asking for me?” I think I heard him right.
“No, Ethan,” she lied to him. I heard her heels clicking across the floor and then a door shutting behind her. “Yes, he has been asking for you for the last hour, and I don't think I have ever seen him this upset,” she said quietly.
I looked over at Marc. “Um, Vanessa?”
“What?” she sounded discouraged at my tone.
“Marc is with me,” I clenched my teeth.
“Oh, no...” she gasped. “No, no, no, Maria,” she sighed.
“What do I do?” I closed my eyes. “He is with me as a friend. That is all we are is friends, Vanessa,”
“He isn't going to understand that,” she spat. “Especially in the state he is in!”
“Pull over,” I put my hand to the phone and gestured him to the side of the road. “None of this is my fault, Vanessa. He made his choice to not have me in his life anymore,”
“What?” I heard her heels clicking as I was sure she was walking farther away from the house. “What are you talking about?”
“I told him that you were right, and he needed to make a choice,” I took a deep breath trying to keep from crying. “He left me,”
“Did you get the package I sent to you this morning?” she sighed.
“It was you who sent it to me?” I smiled.
“Did you open it, Maria?” she asked intently.
“No, not yet and-” I was cut off by Ethan yelling in the background.
“Nessy!”
“Ethan, what are you doing outside?” she asked him with a heavy sigh. “Where's Ben?”
“He's messing with the neighbors dog,” he laughed aloud.
“Oh, God...” she groaned. “I have to go. Just hurry,”
“He has my air-soft gun,” I heard Ethan warn her as she hung up the phone.
I waved my hand. “Okay, go” I shook my head. I had a feeling this dinner was going to be nothing short of an insanity trip.
~
When we walked into Vanessa and Ethan's parents house, it was utter chaos. Obviously, Vanessa knew now that her grandparents were there as her mother and grandma were arguing about the unimportance of corns while her father and grandpa were arguing over who's Bass fish was bigger back in 1985. There were three children running around the house back and forth screaming with chocolate across their faces. I walked through the house with Marc at my heels to the back door to find Ethan a complete drunkard, laughing at Vanessa and Ethan as they argued over shooting the neighbors dog with Ethan's air-soft gun. I gave Marc an apologetic smile and stepped outside.
“It only stings for a second,” Ben shrugged.
“Benjamin, I don't care if it only stings for a point zero one second,” she shook her head, blonde hair flailing over her bare shoulders. “It's animal cruelty!” Ethan was looking back and forth between both of them.
“It's not going to kill it for shit sakes,” Ben laughed.
“This is an absurd argument,” she growled, stomping her heel into the grass.
They hadn't even noticed Marc and I were standing on the porch yet, I let my eyes wander to the shaded tree that Ethan and I sat under two years ago. I felt a pang in my heart as I closed my eyes and swallowed hard. I glanced towards the mini bar and laughed to myself as I took in a wide eyed Sancho drying glasses.
“Oh, no,” he fervidly shook his head as he backed up. “No, no, no,”
“Cool it, Sancho,” I took a seat, Marc sat next to me. “Double shot,” I smiled.
“Just a beer, please,” Marc piped, then nudged my arm with his elbow. “You okay?”
I nodded, staring at the three of them still over by the fence. “Yeah, I think so,” Sancho slid the glass to me and I downed it, closing my eyes and breathing a sigh of calmness as I felt the burn travel down my throat.
“It'll be fine,” he rubbed my back, then grabbed his beer bottle. “Just relax,”
“Sancho,” I snapped my fingers.
Chapter Ten
Ethan
I stood beside Ben and Vanessa as they argued. It was a petty argument, but could only wish that Maria and I could argue about senseless things such as shooting a dog in the butt with an air-soft gun all the while knowing at the end of the day, she would be next to me regardless.
Another day has gone by since the release of Glow's July issue where I confessed to the entire world that I am in love with her and have had no reaction from Maria whatsoever. I wasn't expecting her to come running into my arms screaming that she loved me too, but it sure as hell sounds nice. At least a text saying it was thoughtful and even a possible thank you would suffice leaving me with the satisfaction that she cared even somewhat. With the hopes of drowning my afflictions, I've been drinking since noon.
“Sancho,” I heard her voice form behind me, followed by the snap of her fingers. Only one person I have heard call Edgar 'Sancho' is Maria. I felt my heart falter at the sound of her voice. I turned around to have the smile wiped from my face as I watched who I assumed to be Marc sitting next to her. I felt an urge to grab her, kiss her lips with the force her absence has left me with. I tried to move, but the weight of two cement blocks that were once my Luis Vuitton Golden Gates wouldn't allow it.
“Ethan,” Vanessa grabbed my arm. “What's wrong?”
I nodded toward the direction of the mini bar. “Maria sitting with the same idiot that she was at dinner with the other night,”
Vanessa and Ben's eyes followed mine. “That's Marc,”
“I still think he's the pencil dick,” Ben added. I glared at him, the last thing I wanted to know was that she had slept with him.
“No,” Vanessa shook her head. “That's Keith,”
“Whatever,” Ben cocked the air-soft gun. “They all have pencil dicks,” he went to climb the side of the fence.
“No,” Vanessa moved quickly, grabbing the back of Ben's black dress shirt. “Get your ass down, Benjamin!” she hissed.
I watched Marc rub circles on Maria's back as she talked and talked. He nodded with complete understanding as she spoke.
“Fuck this,” I ran my fingers through my hair. I didn't want to watch him paw her any longer.
Vanessa occupied with Ben, I walked toward the patio heading to go inside. Marc nodded in my direction letting her know that I was in close vicinity. What did he have to do... warn her? Maria turned her head, making eye contact with me. I didn't say a word as I stared into her beautiful brown eyes that I have missed so much.
“Ethan,” she called my name, I ignored her. “Where are you going?”
“The hell away from you,” I mumbled as I slid the back door open and stepped inside.
I didn't mean to be incredibly rude, but what could she possibly want to say to me after bringing some lame ass to my sisters rehearsal dinner? What did she expect from me? I could have shook the same hand that has been all over the one woman I have truly ever loved, introduced myself and started a conversation about the damn weather, or possibly even swapped stories about how good Maria is in bed. I slammed the door shut at the thought of his hands all over her. I highly doubt that I can make it through this dinner tonight. I was getting way ahead of myself here.
“Hey, kiddo,” my grandma wrapped her arm around my waist and squeezed.
“Hey, Maw Maw,” I mumbled, staring out the slider at Maria who now had her head in her hands as Marc still had his slimy hands on her.
“What are we looking at?” she asked leaning to get a look. “Ah, that must be the infamous Maria Anderson?”
I nodded with a smile. “You read my interview,”
“I did, and it's the way you look at her that told me it was indeed her,” she pinched my cheek. “I know my grandson,”
“She hasn't said a word,” I sipped my beer, still staring out the door.
“She hasn't read it yet,” she piped.
“What makes you so sure, Maw Maw?” I turned away from the door and looked at her round face that held a bright smile that increased the wrinkles around her blue eyes.
“Because if she had, she wouldn't be sitting there with him,” she chuckled. “I'm not too sure what you are seeing out there, but from my view I see a very sad and confused girl, kiddo.” she tapped my shoulder and walked away.
I watched her sullenly smile as Marc was running his mouth. For all I knew, he was possibly telling her the sob story of his cat running away or something stupid like that. I highly doubt that Maria was missing me the way I am missing her.
“Hello, Ethan,” I closed my eyes as the sound of this one voice made the hairs on the back of my neck and arms stand straight up in high alert. I slowly turned around.
“What the hell are you doing here, Jackie?” God must really hate me at this point.
“I'm in the wedding, remember?” she smiled, too sweetly as she strutted toward me in her tight blue dress and heels.
She became a little too close for comfort. I held my finger between us. “Do not touch me,”
“Not even a hug? I've missed you,” she went to run her hand down my chest, but stopped her by grabbing her wrist.
“Jackie, you cheated on me with our realtor,” I reminded her. “You had sex with him in our bed, then packed my shit and kicked me out,” I tossed her hand aside. “Do not touch me, do not talk to me, leave me the hell alone,”
I slide the back door open as I needed to breathe. She was right in my face and the smell of her perfume was making my gag reflex react.
“Vanessa!” I stormed out the back door with Jackie at my heels.
Vanessa pulled away from Ben's kiss which obviously they made up and had a smile on her face until she saw Jackie in tow.
She gaped. “Ethan I-”
“Why is she here?” I hissed through my teeth.
“So not good,” Ben groaned.
“She's in the wedding, you know that,” she said lightly.
“Oh, okay...” I growled, running my hand down my face out of anger and raging frustration.
“What did you expect me to do? Tell her she wasn't welcome?”
“Vanessa...” I took a step closer to her. “excuse me for thinking that possibly out of respect for your own brother that you would revoke the invite to the person I caught in my bed fucking my realtor!”
Vanessa gasped. “Don't f-bomb me!”
“Baby, I'm sorry!” Jackie placed her hand on my shoulder.
I shrugged my shoulder. “Get your damn hands off of me,” she let her hand linger a little too long. “I am serious, Jackie,” I warned.
“Ethan, I think you are taking this too seriously,” Vanessa had the nerve to say.
“You know what I am taking seriously, Nessy? The fact that every time I turn around I am being slapped in my damn face! I have done nothing wrong to deserve the shit that is being shoveled to me,” I went to walk away.
“Ethan, wait,” I could hear Jackie's heels in the grass drawing closer.
�
��Leave me the hell alone,” I looked over at Maria who looked like she was about to cry and Marc turned his head and stared down at his beer. Bastard. I stormed into the house and headed straight for the liquor cabinet.
“Honey, what's the matter?” my mom walked into the dining room with my three little cousins trailing behind her yelling and screaming while double fisting chocolate fudge cupcakes. Each of them had chocolate surrounding their mouths, and their hands. Trinity was six, Kyle was five, and the last time I saw Tyson, he was one who is now three.