Pete and Alex

Pete drove alone most of the time.  Most of his life.  He wasn't used to constant company.  That is what made him most nervous about having a girlfriend.  The constant company.  He didn't think he'd be able to handle having to entertain someone for so long.  Alex made it clear pretty early that he didn't need to entertain her.  She could entertain herself.  Every detail of her day was given equal attention.  Pete eventually learned to tune out and tune back in when it was important.

Alex was younger than Pete.  She was still in high school.  A senior, but still in high school.  Pete never admitted it to her, but this made him incredibly uncomfortable.  High school girls.  There's a certain feel you get from telling someone you date a high school girl.  Feels like you'll find yourself on To Catch a Predator in a few years.  But Alex looked mature for her age and it was easy for Pete to forget that she was four years younger than him.

Alex loved the idea of dating a college student.  So much older and more mature.  She wanted to make her friends jealous that she would soon be having sex with a college graduate.  She could barely control herself when she thought about it.

It was the Tuesday before his graduation.  He was ahead of the game.  Tests and papers were turned in and filed away.  The next few days were reserved for relaxation.  Alex was still in the thick of classes, but had already gotten in to the college of her choice and was not too keen on turning in all of her assignments.  So she invited Pete over after school while her parents were still at work.

Pete picked Alex up and on the way back to her house she went on and on about different friends and acquaintances she had at school who did this or that.  Pete tuned out most of this, but knew when to jump back in to make an appropriate comment.  They hit this rhythm every car ride and Pete always breathed a sigh of relief when the destination was reached.

Pete had been over to Alex's house a number of times, and he could tell by the tone of the invite that he should walk straight up to her room.  Once Alex closed the door, they dispensed with the formalities.  Shirts came off.  Pants fell to the hard wood floor.  Their limbs tangled themselves and moans echoed down the hall.

Judy took the afternoon off.  On her way home she ran by the grocery store.  She recognized Pete's car across the street as she pulled into her driveway.  She walked in the house and called out to Alex.  "Honey, can you help me get these groceries."

Alex moved frantically.  "I'll be right down."  She quickly threw her clothes back on and made it out the door before Judy made it up the stairs.  Pete waited in the bed under the covers.  He remembered being a kid and pretending to be asleep whenever an adult entered the room.  When he heard footsteps approaching the door he played possum and hoped that it was just Alex.

The door swung open and Judy stood in the doorway.

"Peter."

Pete pretended to just wake up.  He tried to make the transition from asleep to embarrassed as natural looking as possible.

"Oh sorry.  I had such a busy day."

"Stand up."

"What?"

"Stand up."

Pete stayed under the covers.

"I should probably go."

"Stand up."

Pete didn't move.

"I don't understand."

"Stand up."

Pete gave up on reason.  He moved out from under the covers and stood up next to the bed, staring at his pants and briefs by the foot of the bed with a new kind of longing.

"Put them on."

Pete tentatively stepped forward.  He grabbed his clothes and stepped back, wanting to keep Judy at more than arms distance at all times.  He put his briefs and pants back on and stood there.

"Should I put my shirt on too?"

The front door swung open and slammed closed.  Judy silently closed the bedroom door and stepped into the bathroom before Alex made it up the stairs.

"Thanks honey.  I am just exhausted."

Alex didn't understand why Pete had put his pants back on.  He explained that he needed to get home and finish some paperwork before graduation.  Alex was looking forward to laughing with Pete about how close a call it had been.  How lucky they were that Judy didn't walk in on them.  When she didn't get to express this to Pete, she couldn't help but feel that something was being kept from her.

Pete broke up with Alex the day after his graduation and two weeks before her last day of high school.

John at the Bar

            John hated the way the smoke stayed on his clothes until he did a new load of laundry.  He hated the constantly shifting music.  He couldn’t hear himself think.  He ordered another beer and noticed a girl in a playful white dress dancing.

            John was used to seeing a certain type of dancing at the bar.  Too sexual to be sexy.  This girl was doing it right.  The focus wasn’t on her curves but he couldn’t stop noticing them.

            “She’s cute huh?”

            John hadn’t noticed the thin well-dressed man standing next to him.  John played dumb.

            “Which one?”

            “The one you’re staring at.”  John smiled to himself and looked at the bar.  “Why don’t you make a move?”  John pointed to a ring on his finger.  The old ball and chain.  “There’s nothing wrong with dancin’.”

            John looked back at the girl and made an effort to pull himself away.

            “She’s too young for me.”

            “You think she’s too young?”

            “Look at her.”

            “You don’t learn to dance like that from being young.”

            John felt his ring getting heavy, but when he reached for it, he felt only skin.

            “Shit.”

            “What?”

            “I lost my wedding ring.”

            John quickly patted his pockets and found the ring hiding in his jeans.  He pulled it out and stared at it.

            “You don’t want to lose that.”

Ashley and Mark

Ashley and Mark lie next to each other in pink floral sheets.  Ashley wears a thin white shirt.  Mark is bare-chested.  Mark sits up.

“You ever end up talking to that guy...what's his name...”

“Tim?”

“Yeah yeah Tim.”

“No.  He's a...you know...one of those guys who talks to everyone...”

“He should want to talk to you.  You're pretty.”

“I wear glasses.”

“What are you?  A fifth grader.”

“You know what I mean.”

“You don't know what I mean.  The glasses make you look more attractive.  I'm not gonna bother defending this.  You know this.  You know you're pretty.”

“Yeah.”

“So.”

“So what?”

“So what...are you going to talk to him?”

“What am I supposed to do?  Just walk up and say, "We probably have nothing in common, but I think you're cute and I want you to ask me out.”

“Wouldn't hurt.”

“I'm not gonna beg.”

“That's not begging.”

“That's not me begging.  You've seen me beg.”

            Mark laughs.

“I'm not saying you should beg.  Get all sexy on him.”

“You sound like a douche.”

“He'll notice you.”

“Have you seen the girls that hang around him?”

“Yeah yeah they're very cute.  That's not what matters.”

“Yeah I should ignore him right.  If I ignore him he'll want to chase after me right?”

“You're making fun of me.”

“Yeah.”

“Luckily he already doesn't notice you.  So that shouldn't be an issue.”

“Funny.”

“It's about coordination.”

“What are you talking about?”

“You're at a party.  Everyone is dancing right?”

“I mean sometimes, but—“

“That doesn't matter.  You'll start dancing and—“

“No way.  I'm not gonna start it.”

“How do you get so embarrassed with that—“

“What are you getting at?”

“Posture.  If you sit right, guys will talk to you.”

“What?”

“Sit up.”  Ashley sits up.  Her bare hips clash with the artificial pink that surrounds them.

“Yeah, but do that arched back thing.”  Ashley arches her lower back, pulls back her shoulders, and gives Mark a sexy face.

“That's it.  I know you're making fun of me.  But that is all it takes.”  Ashley looks at him with a serious face, but keeps the posture.  “I'm serious.  Sit like that and he'll want to talk to you.”  Ashley sits back.  Mark pulls off the covers and gets out of bed wearing only his boxers.  He goes to the foot of the bed and picks up his pants.  Black dress pants.

“When’s mom getting home?”  Mark looks at his phone.

“Fifteen minutes.”

“What time is that gonna be?”

“6:30ish.”

Mark leaves the room.

Bill and Jill

Bill sits in a lazy boy.  A glass with heavy alcohol sits on the table next to him.  He takes a sip.  He turns on the TV and tries to watch it for a moment, but only finds commercials.  He turns it off, takes another sip, and finishes his drink.  He walks to the kitchen and refills his glass with whiskey from an unlabeled bottle.

Bill walks back into the living room and sits down back down in his lazy boy, pretending not to notice Jill directly across from him.

“Nothing on?”

“No.”

“So, you're just going to sit there?”

“What am I supposed to do?”

“You used to love reading.”

“I ran out of Hemingway.”  Jill laughs sweetly.

“Where is Tim?”

“I don't know.”

“Bill.”

Bill looks her in the eyes. 

He stands up and moves towards her.  His face smoothes.

“Do you want to come in?”

“I'd love to.”  Bill moves out of her way and looks around the room hopefully.  He’s been cleaning all day, but can only see the spots he missed.  Jill looks around.

“It's not much but it gets the job done.  It's got everything I really need.”

“I like it.”

“I'm doing good with my money.  I'm saving more than I'm spending.  So eventually I'll be able to get a nice place.”

“This isn't a nice place?”

“It's a nice place, but I want a place with some outside in it.  Some plant life.  Places for people to sit and talk.”

“That sounds nice.”  Bill smiles and walks toward Jill.  He kisses her. 

Their rings make an inaudible clink as their hands touch.  Bill looks around in amazement.

“I love it.”

“Isn't it beautiful.  I have so many memories here.  My parents used to take me every summer.  A girl lived across the street.  Matilda.  We became close friends.  We would walk out onto the beach and swim all day while my parents cooked and read and played cards.  Sometimes Matilda's family would come over and we would all eat dinner together.  I always had dreams here.  I would lie down and the waves would lull me to sleep.”  Bill kisses her again. 

As he pulls away, his eyes become wrinkled.

“Why do you do this?”

“You miss me.”

“Of course I miss you.”

“I'm still here.”

“No you're not.”

“Look at Tim.”

“Me and Tim never got along.”

“It's not too late.”

“Yes it is.  I fucked it up.  I fucked it all up.  I never loved him.  I tried so hard to love him.  I thought when I saw him I was supposed to love him.  That’s what they say.  A woman becomes a mother when she's pregnant, a man becomes a father when he sees his child.  I didn't.  I didn't love him until you...”  Bill looks away.

“Yes?”

“I'm so sorry.  I'm so sorry.”

“Don't.”

“It's so stupid.  It was my turn to take him.  I should have just gone.  But I wanted to—“

“Wanted to finish your movie.”

“Fucking Men in Black.  I've seen it a million fucking times.”

“It's ok.”

“No it's not.  You died.  I should have—“

Jill interrupts and turns his face to hers.

“It's ok.”

“You're pregnant?”  Jill smiles and nods.  “I'm gonna be a father?”  Jill nods again.  “Shit.”

“What's wrong?”

“Nothing.  I'm just nervous or shocked or—“

“Happy?”

“Yes.”  Bill reaches for Jill’s hand.  “I'm very happy…it just...”  Bill walks around the room.  “Jack knows a lot of construction people.  I could probably get a good deal on something.”

“For what?”

“I think we'll need another room.”  Jill smiles, walks up to Bill, and kisses him. 

Bill’s eyes wrinkle.  “I remember that so well.”

“Me too.”

“You were so excited for Tim to grow up on the beach.”  Jill starts to walk away.  “Jill.”

“Bill.”

“I always hated how our names rhymed.”

“Me too.  But at least we got to laugh at our wedding invitations.”

Jill kisses Bill and Bill stares forward at where she used to be.

Sophie

            Little Sophie played in the small pile of sand behind the thick wall of prickly green bushes.  This was her place.  Where she created figures and friends for no one but her.  She would watch them romp and roll in the sand and then dissolve into a new beings altogether.

            But this day was different.  Instead of playing in the sand, she sat in her mother’s lap and watched her friends play.  Daddy was there too.  Sophie’s arms began to hurt because of how hard her mother was holding her.  She tried to play, but Daddy would tell her to keep quiet.  We can’t play right now.

            Sophie wanted to ask why her Mother was crying, but never got the chance.  Sophie’s Daddy kissed her Mother and ran out into the unhidden backyard.

            Sophie’s Mother picked her up and ran away from Daddy as fast as she could.  Sophie didn’t know why they couldn’t run with Daddy or why she heard a crack of lightning even though it wasn’t raining.  But she liked it when her mother carried her, and was glad to not be sitting still for a while.

Sleeping

I watched her sleep.  Her breathing wasn’t audible.  I recall a struggle.  Pillows were squeezed and hands were scratched.  Her lip still held a speck of dried blood.

Smoke filled air gives every room the impression of movement.  It was this morning I watched her sleep.  And when I kissed her for the last time I tasted gasoline.

3

The Guy Who Can’t Relate to His Girlfriend’s Parent’s Problems

“Repave your driveway?  I’d rather make out with my sister.”

The Girl Who Wants to Talk About Movies Four Years After They Came Out

“Matthew McConaughey was so sexy in Fool’s Gold.”

The Father Who Can’t Figure Out How to Say Goodnight to His Son when His Son is Having a Sleepover

“Alright kids I think it’s time to get some sleep.  Goodnight.  Don’t let the bedbugs know you’re scared.”