by Evelyn Sola
“What the hell do we need strippers for?” Chris says as he sips his drink.
“Sandy did this striptease for me the night before we left. To this song.” Jake points at the ceiling. Chris, who is married to Sandy’s sister, sticks fingers in both ears and starts to shake his head. I look at Luke, who bursts out laughing.
“I’m going to need therapy before this weekend is over,” Chris declares. Chris has been married to Tash, Sandy’s sister for years and sees Sandy as his little sister. Any discussion involving Sandy and sex automatically traumatizes him.
“Liquid therapy,” Troy yells.
Two hours and three clubs later, we stumble out, drunk and sweaty. I don’t know how, but someone managed to call an Uber to take us back to the house.
“Fuck,” I say, looking around the messy room, irritated by the sound of my roommate’s loud phone alarm. “What the hell? Shut that shit off!” I grab one of the pillows and hurl it across the room. It lands on Jake’s head, who doesn’t so much as flinch as the phone continues to beep and vibrate across the lamp table.
Irritated, I yank off the covers and stomp across the room.
“Asshole!” I reach down and shake his shoulders. “Turn that shit off before I break it.”
He groans and rolls over, covering his face with a pillow. He reaches over, still dressed in the clothes he wore to the clubs last night and grabs his phone, finally silencing it.
“Sorry, man.” He groans. “Sandy likes to get up early on Sundays so we can work out before breakfast.”
I grunt at him and crawl back into my bed. “Why the hell are you in my room? We gave you the master suite.”
He mumbles something unintelligible, rolls over and falls asleep almost instantly. I try to follow his lead, but I’ve always lacked his ability to fall asleep quickly. It was like this throughout college where we either shared a room or shared the townhouse his parents own close to campus. He’s been my best friend, my brother since we were eighteen-year-old college freshmen.
Frustrated and unable to fall asleep, I grab my own phone and check my messages to find one text message from my no longer estranged sister.
Mellie: All packed and about to hit the road. New adventure awaits in MA. It’s gonna be great.
This is followed by a picture of her packed Honda Civic and an endless string of thumbs-ups.
Me: Drive safe. Don’t make me regret this.
I soften it up with a smiley face.
She doesn’t respond, which means she’s probably driving from New Jersey to her new home in Boston. Her new home with me, a brother she wanted nothing to do with for the past ten years.
They say tragedy sometimes brings positive changes. When Melanie was arrested for assaulting her boss, it was the lawyer I paid for that got the charges dropped. Afterward, she confessed she was always jealous of me, the smart sibling who had the perfect grades, where she struggled in school. She admitted that, after I left for college, all our parents did other than argue with each other was compare her to me. At one time, they told her they didn’t know how they could have a smart son like me, and an idiot like her. She let that fester, and instead of being angry at our parents, she turned that anger and resentment toward me.
“How was I going to be mad at them? I still lived with Mom in a house Dad was paying for. It took me six years to graduate college. I was a screwup.”
It was during that admission that I asked her to come and live with me. I’d charge her minimal rent and she would be able to save up for her own place. After convincing her I was serious, she agreed but said she had to get a job first. Luckily for her, I was able to help her do that at one of the offices in the hospital where I work.
When I hear Jake let out a loud snore, I roll over and after several minutes, I fall asleep.
“I’m ready to get home, Dee. I miss you like crazy.” I roll my eyes at my friend, who is now sitting up in bed as he FaceTimes his fiancée.
Jake’s fiancée, Sandy, goes on about how much she misses him too.
Just as I’m about to grab the phone from his hand and mess with his call, Luke walks into the room. “Breakfast, bitches!” he yells. “We should still have some time to go for a swim before heading out to the airport.” To make his point, he runs and crashes into his brother and they start a shoving contest.
“Luke, stop attacking my fiancé,” Sandy says. “Travis is watching you two.”
I walk around to stand behind Jake and Luke and wave at ten-month-old Travis, Jake and Luke’s youngest nephew. He’s smiling and bounces as he watches us. He places both hands on top of Sandy’s boobs and starts to shriek.
“Whoa there, buddy,” Jake says. “Those are mine.” Sandy smirks, and Travis continues to smile.
“Ugh! No part of my cousin’s body belongs to you.” Now it’s our turn to roll our eyes as Sandy’s younger cousin Vivienne comes into view. She’s a gorgeous girl that even the scowl on her face can’t mask.
“What the hell are you doing at my brother’s house?” Luke asks, so angry at the sight of Vivienne that he stands up. “You’re the worst.”
“I might be,” Vivienne says, taking the phone from Sandy. “But I’m still better than you, you spoiled rich boy. And I’m here because my cousin asked me. I can be wherever the hell I want.”
“Well, go ahead and take care of the kids. That’s all women are good for.”
I shake my head at the idiot. I laugh out loud as Jake tries to slap him upside the head. They do this so often, Luke was able to dodge the hit without dropping the phone. When Vivienne goes off on a diatribe about the patriarchy, the smug look on Luke’s face says this is exactly what he wanted.
Sandy interrupts the argument. “We’re all headed to your parents’ house for brunch and to swim. I’ll wait for you there. Hurry up and get home. Love you.”
“Love you more. Are you sure everything is okay?” Jake asks.
“Everything’s great. I just miss you.”
Vivienne lets out a very unladylike snort.
“Jesus! He’s only been gone three days. You can’t possibly miss him that much. As women, we must remember not to lose ourselves in our relationships, Sandy.” I don’t miss when Sandy gives her cousin the side eye or Jake’s exasperated sigh, but neither one of them gets a chance to respond. Luke takes complete control of the phone, stands up, and stomps across the room.
“Don’t worry about it. No man would ever be crazy or desperate enough to get into a relationship with you.” I’m not sure what Vivienne says back, but I hear her respond. Just before Luke slams the door behind him, I see her give him the middle finger.
“Did that idiot just hijack my phone call?” Jake asks.
“He does this whenever she’s around. They are so obvious.”
“I don’t have time to deal with their bullshit. Let’s go eat so we can get the hell home.” He looks around the room, picking up his discarded shirt from the floor.
“What’s the rush?” I ask. “Why are you so frazzled? I thought you’d be more relaxed for the only bachelor party you’re ever going to have.”
He takes a deep breath and sits back down on the bed.
“Best bachelor party ever, but I miss my girl. She’s been helping Tracy with the kids all weekend for fuck’s sake. What if she decides she can’t deal with this for the rest of her life?”
“Deal with what? All that shit is in the past. Leave it there. Sandy knows you love her, and she loves your crazy ass despite all the shit you did when you guys met. And she’s helping Tracy because that’s what you do in a family. Let that shit go.”
“I do two little minor things and you never let me forget it. I’m going to shower and then I’ll need to eat. I’m hungover and I feel like shit. Grab my phone from Luke whenever he’s done arguing with Vivienne about nothing,” he says as he walks out the door.
“Remember, whatever happened in Miami, stays in Miami, boys,” Jake’s dad, Joshua Clark says. “I don’t want to have to write anyone out o
f the will,” he says, looking directly at Luke.
“I won’t tell Mom about all the alcohol you drank, the cigars you smoked, or all the red meat you ate,” Luke says.
The bachelor party was for Jake, but it was the perfect excuse for me to get out of town for a few days. The life of a medical resident is filled with long days, sleepless nights, and stress.
Add that to fighting parents, relocating a sister who wanted nothing to do with me for a decade into my house, and the final nail in the coffin of a relationship that ended years ago, this trip could not have come at a better time.
I knew Jacob Clark and I were going to get along fine the moment I walked into our dorm room, but I never would have guessed that his family would make me their surrogate son. From the moment I met his parents, his older brother Troy, and younger brother, Luke, they took me in. When they figured my parents had dropped me off on campus and promptly left, they insisted I join them for dinner.
Now, I should be at home helping Melanie get settled, but Josh Clark insisted I come over for dinner first. I hold back and watch as our entourage is accosted by their women.
Sandy is first as she jumps into Jake’s arms and wraps her legs around him. Feeling like a voyeur at the intimacy of their kiss, I look away only to find Lilian Clark hugging Josh.
Troy picks his wife up off the ground and spins her around before giving her a chaste kiss on the lips, and Chris throws Tash over his shoulder, spins her around and kisses her on the forehead.
I look at the other two single people in the group, Luke and Vivienne, who are trying to make it look like they are not looking at each other and sigh. I drop my backpack on the ground and grab a water from the cooler.
“These people act like they just got back from war and not a long weekend in Miami,” Luke says as he watches Vivienne, who is sticking her foot in the pool. He gets a crazed look in his eye, pulls his polo shirt over his head, tosses it on the grass, runs across the yard, and does a cannonball into the pool, drenching Vivienne in the process.
“Jerk!” Vivienne hisses as she walks away, water dripping off her body.
And that’s how the next couple of hours go. Lots of PDA from the couples, one-upmanship from Vivienne and Luke. At one point, I watch as she puts her entire hand in his food. Without missing a beat, he looks around to make sure his parents and brother aren’t looking, fills his spoon with pasta salad, and does something obscene with his tongue. When Vivienne stomps away, he laughs so hard, he cries.
“It’s time for me to go,” I say soon after, looking around the room at all the lovers.
I catch Luke’s eye and he says, “We’re the only ones smart enough to remain single.”
I don’t respond. I say my goodbyes and about half an hour later, walk into my new home. The place was bare when I left. Now there are a few boxes in the middle of the living room, but my sister is nowhere in sight.
“Mellie Smellie!” I yell, using the childhood nickname I know she hates. She comes running out of her room, like a burst of energy. She reaches me and I pull her into a hug, lifting her off the ground.
One look at her and you’d know we’re siblings. She has the same light-brown skin as I do, which is now tanned from the June heat. She even inherited the height from our mother’s side of the family, standing just shy of five feet ten inches.
She reaches up and pinches my cheeks, her retaliation for calling her by her dreaded childhood name.
“I still tower over you,” I remind her. “Don’t make me put you in a headlock or body slam you.”
She hooks her arm through mine and lays her head on my shoulder.
“It’s so weird not hating you anymore.” She laughs. “How was Miami? Oh!” she says before I can form a response. “I’m totally your plus one to your rich friend’s wedding. It’s not like you have a date. If you get one, too bad because I’m still going.”
“You can come,” I say as I plop myself on the sofa. “Miami was fucking fantastic. In the history of the world, no one has planned a better bachelor party than your brother.”
“Well, this Jacob Clark better be ready to return the favor when it’s your turn, or he’ll have to deal with me.”
“My turn? Fuck, no.” I shake my head.
“Yes, your turn. We agreed to new beginnings and that doesn’t just mean our bond. You’ve held back for twelve years because of Natalie. She made her choice, Jase. She could have come to Boston for college with you, but she chose to stay and take care of her sick father. We weren’t speaking when her father died, but I know you probably thought that freed her to be with you, but she still didn’t choose you. She’s with someone else now, so fuck her. You’re a good guy and you deserve happiness.”
Melanie is never one to mince words or hold back on her feelings. Fiercely loyal, you always know where she stands.
“I don’t want to talk about her. And since when do you think I’m a good guy? You hated me for a decade.”
“I was jealous of you because of our toxic parents. I never hated you. Come on, smarty-pants, come help me unpack. Can you lug my air mattress from my trunk? It will have to do until I can afford furniture.”
I lie down on the couch and cover my face with both hands. “I’m tired and still hungover.”
But Mellie doesn’t care. She grabs my hand and I let her exert herself by trying to pull me up. After several attempts, I get up and follow her to her room.
“As you can see, it’s just a few stops on the red line. And I’m going to pat myself on the back for buying a house within walking distance of the train. Thanks to gentrification, my property value has already increased,” I say to Mellie as we take the walk from the Charles/MGH stop to the hospital. She’s in awe as she holds onto my arm. We cross the street at the stoplight, and I point.
“That’s Bean Town Cafe. Amazing breakfast and lunch. The owner’s pretty nice, too.” I take a glance through the window and stop short when I see a woman sitting inside. I can’t see her face completely, but from her side profile, her skin appears to be flawless. Her lips are a pale pink as she stares across the room. I can’t see who or what she’s looking at, but her gaze is focused. She purses her lips as if she’s deciding on what to do. It’s as if she’s stopped breathing. After a while, she exhales, wipes her lips with her napkin, and stands up. She walks to the back of the restaurant toward the bathroom and out of my sight.
When I turn back to Mellie, she’s looking at me with her eyebrows arched. “She’s cute,” she says.
“You think so? Then you should go talk to her,” I tell her. She hooks her arm through mine again and we continue our walk to the hospital.
“She doesn’t have the right equipment to keep me satisfied.”
I step inside the elevator after walking Mellie to her new office, and just as the doors are about to close, I remember Mel’s wallet is in my bag. I stick my hand through the closing doors and step out at the same time I’m trying to pull the heavy wallet out of my backpack.
I take two steps out of the elevator when I collide with another body. The wallet goes flying out of my hand and the other person drops down to pick up a fallen bouquet of flowers at the same time that I bend down to do the same thing.
We’re at eye level, and I’m lost into the clearest pair of gray eyes I’ve ever seen. When I hand her the flowers, our hands touch and the unexpected sensation of her hand against mine almost causes me to lose my balance and fall over.
I know who she is immediately. It’s the girl from the restaurant. Her dark curly hair with the light highlights gives her away.
She smiles at me, revealing deep dimples on each cheek, perfect white teeth, and soft pink lips that blend with her fair skin.
“Are you okay?” she asks, her voice soft but concerned. She stands up and offers me her hand. When I put my much bigger hand in hers, my body awakens, and I’m jolted back to reality. I stand up more clumsily than I normally would.
She smiles at me again, shyly, prettily, her cheeks tur
ning a slight shade of pink.
With my hand still holding onto hers, I take her in. She’s of average height and build. She has on a long skirt with flowers and a blouse tucked into the skirt. The giant belt around her waist gives her a tapered look. She smiles again and pulls her hand out of mine, leaving me feeling empty.
“Are you okay?” she repeats, slower this time.
I nod and point at her in an attempt to ask her if she’s okay.
“I’m not the one who fell on my ass,” she sasses. She walks around, takes a few steps then opens the door to an office, leaving me standing there like an idiot. After a few seconds, I snap out of my trance, pick up Mel’s wallet, and follow her inside.
I find Mel in the middle of the room talking with another female. I watch as she’s introduced to the woman I just met. The woman from the hallway turns and catches my eye and gives me that same smile that reached me all the way into my soul.
I stop breathing as she breaks away from the group and walks over to me. It’s as if all the air has left the room. The only sound is my heartbeat and the pounding of the blood between my ears as she walks over.
My eyes roam her body, but they end up on her ample breasts, which are securely contained in her buttoned-down shirt.
“Are you lost?” she asks as she approaches.
I know what I want to say, but the words won’t come out of my mouth. I open my mouth to speak but promptly close it. Like an idiot, I hold up the wallet and wave it in the air.
“Can I help you find someplace?” She talks slowly, enunciating each word. She offers me a soothing smile, almost as if she’s trying to reassure me that I can trust her. “Do you want me to call someone for you?” she asks, dropping her voice to a soothing whisper.
I catch Mellie’s eye as she stands with another woman with a nose ring. Mellie crosses her arms over her chest, arches an eyebrow at me, and waits for me to speak. She has a smug look on her face as she watches the scene before her.
