It was her boyfriend’s pale hand protruding from his sleeve.
Not actual T-rex arms. He liked to pull his elbows up into his shirt with just his hands protruding and walk around saying, “I am T-rex. King of the dinosaurs!”
“I’m dating an idiot,” she said, unable to hold back a smile.
“Thanks for telling me. Do I know him?” Damon replied, pulling his arms out of his shirtsleeves.
“Look in the mirror,” Tessa shot back as she stepped out of the room.
Damon gave chase. “Hey, c’mon. I was just trying to be funny.”
She stomped out the back door and onto the patio, taking a seat in a beat-up old lawn chair. Damon sat beside her.
“I was just trying to be funny.”
She sighed. “I know. It’s what you do every time I try to talk to you about something serious. But it’s not funny anymore.”
He gave her a sweet smile. “What? T-rex arms not funny? In what universe?”
“You know what I mean.”
“No, honey, I don’t know what you mean.”
She rolled her eyes. “All of this.”
“All of what?”
“This,” she said, arms wide. “Living here, in this run-down rental with three other guys. Nothing in the fridge but beer and a three month old carton of milk. Hand-me-down furniture, stains on the carpet that you can’t even identify. Not to mention what happened the other night.”
He pointed at her, eyes wide. ‘That wasn’t my fault!”
“Your roommates gave me a round of applause when I came out of the bedroom after we had sex!”
He snickered. “Well, you do have to admit that your moans and shouts of ‘Oh God’ were on totally point that night.”
Crickets.
“Okay, I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have said that.”
Standing, she said, “Ya think? You’re going to be thirty in a few months. It’s time to grow up.”
“Okay, okay, you’re absolutely right. Tell you what. I’ll move out and we’ll get a place together. Just me and you. We’ll make it a home. We’ll go to Ikea and buy real furniture.”
“Really? With what? Your bank account is overdrawn, your credit cards are maxed out and your credit rating is shit.”
“We’ll figure it out. I’ll work overtime. I’ll get a second job. Whatever it takes.”
“Whatever it takes?”
“Yes. Absolutely.”
“Damon! C’mon, we’re playing poker tonight. We need a fourth. You said you’d play,” came from inside the house.
“Be there in a minute!” he shouted back. Tessa’s jaw dropped.
“Not thirty seconds ago, you were saying you were going to walk away from this hovel to be with me. Now you can’t give up a poker game? Fuck it. That’s it. I’m out.”
“What do you mean, you’re out?”
“I’m out. Out of this relationship. I’m breaking up with you, Damon.”
She started walking toward her car.
“Honey, stop. You can’t do this.”
“Watch me.”
He chased her again, but to no avail. She got into her car and rolled the window down.
“Damon, I’m serious here. I don’t want a million fucking texts from you telling me how sorry you are. It’s over. Period. Dot. End of story. Get it?”
He looked at the ground.
“I said, do you get it?” she repeated.
“Yes, I get it. You won’t be hearing from me. Just remember though…”
She started down the drive.
“Just remember that I love you and I always will!” he shouted after her.
He trudged back into the house. His roommates were seated around the kitchen table, beers and poker chips in front of them, a deck of cards laid out.
“Dude, what just happened out there?” one of them asked.
“Did not sound good, Bro,” another chimed in.
“I don’t think I’m going to play cards tonight,” Damon said as he continued past the table.
“Did that bitch break up with you? Dude, you’re better off. She was too smart. I told you, just get you a girl that’s young, dumb and likes to fuck.”
“I still say God screwed up when he didn’t put pussy on a tree. Then we wouldn’t have to deal with women at all.” That earned laughs and fist bumps from the other two.
Two weeks later, Damon moved out and into an apartment by himself. Over the next six months, he focused on his job and even got promoted. He caught up on his bills and rebuilt his credit rating. He bought Ikea furniture.
Nearly a year and a couple of first dates that didn’t work out later, he worked up the courage to call Tessa.
Ring after ring sounded. He was nearly crapping his drawers.
What if she doesn’t pick up? Do I leave a voicemail or not? Shit!
On the fourth ring, she picked up. “Hello, Damon!”
Oh my God, she sounds happy to hear my voice!
“So I was just, you know, wondering how you were doing. I’m so glad you picked up.”
He switched the phone to his other, less sweaty ear. “Good? You’re doing good. Alright. Nice to hear.”
The conversation lasted twenty minutes and it changed his life.
His tie felt too tight around his neck. He had to loosen it.
Goddamn, it’s hot in this church. Fuck, are you allowed to think those words in church? Calm down, Damon. It’s not your day, it’s her day.
A pipe organ chimed the bridal march and the guests stood. First, the groomsmen and bridesmaids came down the aisle. Then the rest of the procession, followed up by Tessa, escorted by her father.
The moment Damon got his first look at her in her dress, he nearly fainted. She was the most beautiful he’d ever seen her. A perfect bride.
As she passed by him in the pew, she glanced over and gave him a quick wink before moving on to the front of the church and her husband-to-be, Matthew.
Tears flowed freely from Damon. The wink said it all. She was okay with him. He had finally grown up.
