Midsummer's Eve (21 page)

“I saw the box.”

“It’
s some rock. One of those marquise styles.”

Oh
! I had often joked to
Adam
that when he finally proposed I expected at least a two-carat marquise diamond.

“My girlfriend Alicia says she sticks it in the face of practically everyone she comes in contact with at work and squeals and giggles.”

Well, wasn’
t I was just tickled pink and positively ecstatic for the dear girl!

“
I asked
Adam
when
the big day
was
and he said Chia wanted to marry him as soon as possib
le. To hear him describe it, it’
s going to be the social
event of the season with all
his
relatives flying in from Maine
.”

Like Twin Rivers boasted of a social season.

“Eve, can you believe he had the
nerve to ask me to be an usher?”

Could we please continue this conversation at another time? I just noticed a new mound of fire ants in
the back yard and I need to
welcome them to the neighborhood.

“
I told him
,
“H
ell no
,
I wouldn’t be an usher!
”
Anyway
,
Chia already has another man on the side, you know
.”

“Oh, really?”

“
Yeah, Chris at work. Every night when I go to the smoking booth he and Chia are whispering and getting
intimately
acquai
nted in a dark corner.”

“Evidently she isn’
t afraid of being caught by
Adam
.
”

“
Not at all. She knows
Adam
believes every word out of her mouth, especially when spoken in the bedroom.”

“And
Adam
will never receive accolades for his comprehension skills,
will he?”

“
Nope, if he’s too stupid to see what’s right under his nose, he deserves to look like the fool she’s making him out to be. If he had one iota of common sense he would still be with you.”

“
Thank you, Justin.” His words brought a slight smile to lips that had all but forgotten how to turn
upward. “That was nice to hear.”

“It’
s the truth. The men at work tell him how stupid he is on a daily basis for choosing her over you. His
excuse is that he can’
t help himself. Chia
is like a drug.”

“It sounds like he might benefit from a
28 day program at Ho Anonymous.”

“It sure does.
” He chuckled.
“
Anyway, I just thought you might
feel better if you knew that Chia
wasn’
t being faithful to him.

“Thanks for calli
ng, Justin. It really did help.”

He took a deep br
eath and exhaled slowly. “
There is something
else I guess I should tell you.”

I couldn’
t think of a single thing he could say to cause more pain than I was already feeling. “Just tell me, Justin.”

“
Adam
and Chia’s wedding is Sunday at the Catholic Church.”

Wedding?

Adam
and Chia?

No! It couldn’t be so! Breathe Eve! Just breathe! I gasped in an effort to force air into my lungs as a vision of Faith Hill singing the song flashed through my mind and I struggled to obey her. 
Adam
couldn’t be marrying…someone else. I had convinced myself that Chia was just a heart-
wrenching phase that would
pass and he would soon come to his senses and realize he loved me. “Thanks for c
alling, Justin.” I almost strangled
on the words
as they fell from numb lips. “I’ll talk to you later.”

“
Okay, Eve
, b
ye. A
nd don’
t be a stranger. Ca
ll me if you ever need to talk.”

“
I will, Justin.
”

I took a trembling breath, once again willing myself to carry on with this torment called life. Hanging up the phone, for the first time in many moons, I took a long hard look at what my life had become and falling back on the bed covered my flaming face with a pillow. A travesty! That’s what it was. My life was one humongous
travesty. I wasn’t living each and
every day to the fullest.
Hell
,
I wasn’t living at all. I was
merely existing, and struggling
from one
completely horrific
day to the next. And I was in serious d
anger of sinking. No! A
thousand times
,
no! 

For crying out loud!
Adam
was a flesh and blood man! Not some deity with the power to dictate my moods on a daily basis! I was so much better than this mewling, sniveling creature I had evolved into over the last few months!
Adam
didn’t have the power to control my emotio
ns.
He wasn’t doing anything to me! I was doing it! Forget the bastard! For God’s sake!
Get a
fucking
life!

I hung up with Justin and
immediately dialed Teri’s number. “
I’ll have my suitcase packed and ready to go.” I tried to sound cheery, though the catch in my throat was a good indicator that my wound was still gaping open and spilling blood, and even to me my voice
sounded an octave
above normal.

“
What brought on the s
udden change?”
I caught the sudden note
of alarm
in her voice.

“Nothing, I just decided to go. After all, it’
s my birthday and it’
s not everyday that one hits the marvelous mid century mark. Oprah swears life begins at 50.”

“You’re lying, Eve.”

The girl knew me to
o
well.

“Cut the bullshit and just tell me what happened.”

“
Sunday is
Adam
and Chia’
s wedding day! Okay!” The dam finally burst and I sobbed uncontrollably as those seven words lodged in my throat like a sideways fish bone.

“It will be okay, honey
. We’ll have a blast at the beach and you know how men hang on you the minute you walk through the door at Studebakers. Remember that one man…
”

“Hush, Teri. Don’
t prattle on like you need to talk me out of puncturing an artery or something. Granted, I lost it for a few minutes. But, I’m okay now, really. I just needed a good cr
y. I decided to go to the beach
because I don’t care to be in tow
n for the celebration. I wouldn’
t want to accidentally ride by the church and see Chia in her wedding dress.” I had a heartrending vision of her in her bridal finery, posing on the steps of the church for her official bridal portrait. “She will be a stunning bride.”

“
Stunned is more like it. How long do you think it will be before
Adam
has his first affair?”

“
Not long.
”
I swiped at a tear as the thought almost caused me to smile for
the second time in a day.
I would be doing stand up comedy if the merriment continued.

Friday morning
we piled into the Jeep,
the only one of our vehicles with
enough trunk space to hold Teri’
s outrageous amount of luggage. She had one each for her designer wardrobe, designer shoes, and cos
metics and hair care products. “
Must you pack like you’re leaving for an ex
tended cruise around the world?”
I snapped, trying to squeeze my one suitcase in.

“I never know which outfit I’
ll want to wear, so of course I bring several to choose from.”

“Of course.”

“Then just imagine my distress if I arrived at
the hotel and found that I didn’
t bring a matching pair of Jimmy Choo’s for each outfit.”

“No!” I cried. “It’s
simply
too unfathomable to imagine!”

Then
she slammed the trunk and gave
me
a serious go to hell look.
“And drop the attitude, will you? This is suppose
d to be a fun weekend remember?”

“Oh, boy,”
My tone dripped with sarcasm as I sl
id beneath the wheel. “Let’s get this party started.”

She turned around, frowned at
Tammy
and
Mallory
in the back seat and asked, “Can’t you just feel the love?”

“She’
ll feel better when she’s on the floor tonight doing the
Electric Slide
,”
Mallory
quipped.

“
And when
thum gorgeoth
hunk
buyth
her a drink.”

“
No man is going to buy her a drink with that sour puss expression on her face.” Teri insisted. “Let alone ask her sully
old
ass
to dance.”

“
Bite me, Teri.
”
I
had to giggle.
“And who are you calling old!”

“That’
s better.”
She was digging in he
r latest Dooney and Burke bag. “
Here. I brought the
Sound Of Music
sound
track to sing along to.”

“
Oh! But no! Not hardly. Sorry, my dear, but you have bee
n out ranked. My car. My music.”
I pushed power on the stereo and Adele’s
I Set Fire To The Rain
filled the car. I must
admit Teri’
s look of abject misery thrilled me to the core.

“
I knew I should have driven my own car.
It’
s only fair that we each play our own mus
ic in thirty minute increments.”

“Okay,
Mallory
,” I mouthed to Teri.

“Hey!”
Mallory
complained loudly from the backseat, as neither of them particularly cared for the comparison. “I heard that and I do not whine!”

“
Let’
s vote on i
t then,”
I stated democratically
. “
Raise your hand to cast your vote to listen to
The Hills Are Alive
during our two and o
ne half hour trek to the beach.”
Not even a finger twitched.

“Okay, fine!”
Teri complained loudly, thro
wing the CD back in her purse. “
There is just no accountin
g for taste!”

I was feeling rather smug over my small victory until she started singing,
“
Happy birthday to you! How old are you
?”

“
Remember, Teri. I don’t get mad, I get even.
”
Then the strangest thing happened. I actually laughed out loud for the first time in months! It felt so good! I opened the window and sunroof and
Mallory
,
Tammy
and I joined Adele and sang
I set fiiiiiiiiiiire to the rain and watched it burn!

After we had driven for about an hour Teri, of the weak bladder, insisted that we stop for what she referred to as a twinkle break. “I need a Diet Pepsi and a bag of Fritos Corn Chips to snack on, anyone else want anything?”

“Yoo Hoo and
Thittles
.”

Teri glanced over at me with an irrita
ted frown, exhaled a long-suffering sigh
, and with that annoyed tone asked, “Okay. I kn
ow I am supposed to change the t to an s
. So what exactly are Shittles?”

“No, you have to change her th to s
.”

“Okay. So what in the hell are Sittles?”

“Go get the girl a Yoo Hoo and a bag of Skittles!”
Tammy
and
Mallory
were chortling
and rolling
in
the back seat.

“Nobody bothered to inform me there was a silent K in Skittles,” she mumbled, snatching up her
purse and exiting the car. Leaning
her head back in
the window she
said, “Now that you have all had your daily dose of hilarity at my expense, would you other two heathens care for anything?”