One of the Guys

by Jessica Strassner

  Lucy held up her hands. “That’s the thing. I didn’t go shopping.”

  “What?”

  “Hang on. I’ll be right back.” Lucy disappeared into the bathroom with a grin, closing the doors behind her.

  Kate sat, fiddling with her wine glass, wondering what Lucy was going to come out with. She had her answer a minute later, when the bathroom doors were flung open, and Lucy emerged, wearing a long, pale pink, satin sheath. Kate stared at the dress. It looked vaguely familiar, with delicate rhinestone straps and a loose gathering of material at the bust.

  “Is that your prom dress?” Kate asked, getting to her feet.

  Lucy did a little twirl, and when Kate saw the low back and the little train, she realized that it was, indeed, the dress Lucy had worn to their senior prom. “I found it when I was at my parents’ house getting the last of my stuff. Can you believe it still fits?”

  Kate cocked her head to the side and grinned. “I actually think it looks better on you now than it did back then.”

  Lucy beamed. “Good. Because this is what I’m marrying Jackson in.”

  Kate shook her head. “Wait a minute. You’re going to get married in your… prom dress? In your… pink prom dress?”

  “It’s pale pink,” Lucy said, smoothing it down over her hips and turning to look at herself in the bathroom mirrors. “And I figure, why not? I loved this dress. It’s a great dress. And I only got to wear it once.”

  “What did your mom say?”

  “She wasn’t thrilled. But I told her that she could hang on to the money she was saving to buy my dress and put it towards some other part of the wedding. The flowers or the food or something. She actually seemed to like that idea.”

  Kate shrugged. “It’s your wedding. You have to do what you want.”

  Lucy threw her arms around Kate and gave her a big hug. “I’m so excited!”

  After Lucy changed back into her clothes and the dress was once again hanging carefully in her closet, she and Kate made their way back downstairs. They sat at the dining room table with wedding magazines spread out around them, looking through them for ideas and inspiration.

  “I don’t want a wedding like my sister’s,” Lucy said, repeating what she’d said several times already. “I just want it to be small. I don’t want a huge bridal party – just you, my sister, and Bridget. And the guys.”

  Kate looked up from the hairstyle article she had been skimming. “The guys?”

  “Well, yeah. I have three girls, and he needs three guys. He wanted Chris to be in the wedding, but he’s going to be taking the pictures, so the groomsmen will be Max, Kevin, and Jackson’s friend James, from New York.”

  “Please don’t make me walk down the aisle with Max,” Kate said.

  Lucy rolled her eyes. “You can walk down with whoever you want,” she said. “Did I tell you that my parents’ friend is going to do the ceremony for us? And I think we decided on a location!”

  “I didn’t even know you’d decided on a date yet. That should come first, so we can see what places are available.”

  “Sometime in June, after school gets out,” Lucy said. “And I think we’re just going to have the wedding here.”

  Kate looked around the dining room. “Here?”

  “Outside on the beach.”

  “I thought you said you didn’t want your wedding to be like your sister’s,” Kate said, puzzled. Last year, Lucy’s sister, Maggie, had gotten married on the beach.

  “Well, yeah, but that was at the Davenport, and it was this big fancy reception. I want to get married right outside the house. Do you realize, that when we were kids, it was somewhere on the beach out there, that Jackson first told me that he loved me and wanted to marry me someday?” Lucy said, her eyes shining.

  Kate swallowed. There was no denying the fact that Lucy’s mind was made up. “Okay, so you’ll get married outside. What about the reception?”

  “Here at the house,” Lucy said matter-of-factly. “We’ve got this big, beautiful house; we might as well use it.”

  Kate closed her magazine and started ticking things off on her fingers. “Dress – check. Location – check. Officiant – check. Photographer – check. All we need to figure out is food, cake, flowers, music, and what the bridal party is wearing.”

  Lucy nodded excitedly. “I told you, I don’t want to go overboard with this. I want it to be as easy and simple as possible.”

  “Well, you’re definitely making my job easy!” Kate said, grinning.

  The doorbell rang and Lucy jumped to her feet. “The food’s here!” She grabbed some money off of the kitchen counter and hurried to the front door.

  Kate stacked up the magazines and Lucy started unpacking the bag of food. The guys came in from the living room and plates and takeout containers were passed around. Soon, everyone was talking, laughing, and eating. Max plopped down in the chair next to her and dug into his food. She kind of wanted to ask him why he’d spoken to Jackson and Chris about their arrangement, but it didn’t really matter anymore. Jackson had said things with the guys would either all blow over, or they’d be really awkward. Things actually seemed to be okay.

  *

  On Christmas morning, Kate woke up feeling like a kid again. Her parents had arrived two nights before. She’d spent a lot of time with her mom shopping, wrapping last-minute presents, and baking cookies. Lying in bed, she could smell piping hot cinnamon rolls in the kitchen and she could just barely make out the faint strains of Christmas carols playing on the radio. She stretched and then hopped out of bed, eager to celebrate with her parents.

  They were sitting at the counter, each with a cup of coffee and a gooey cinnamon roll in front of them. She hugged and kissed her mom and dad and wished them both a merry Christmas before helping herself to one of the enormous pastries. For as long as she could remember, her parents had always made her eat breakfast before opening any presents. As a child, it had been an agonizing wait; now it was just nice to have her parents back in the house with her.

  The three of them chatted over coffee before moving into the living room to exchange presents. Afterwards, Kate and her mother returned to the kitchen to begin their preparations for Christmas dinner that afternoon. Or, rather, Kate stood by and watched as her mother began preparations for Christmas dinner.

  “Will you guys stay for New Year’s Eve?” Kate asked. “Lucy and Jackson are having a big party at their house.”

  “I’d like to,” her mother said, chopping celery. “Unfortunately, your father is itching to get back home.”

  “Well, that’s too bad. Do you guys have plans?”

  “Up there?” she asked incredulously. “What kind of plans would we have up there? There’s nothing to do up there. Nothing.”

  Kate had to agree there, but she had assumed that her parents enjoyed the solitude of country living. It sounded like maybe her mom didn’t like it as much as she’d thought. “Maybe dad has something up his sleeve that you don’t know about.”

  Her mom paused, the knife hovering over the ribs of celery on the cutting board. “You’re joking, right? This is your father that we’re talking about.”

  Kate shrugged helplessly, unsure of what to say. It was rare to hear her mother voice any form of unhappiness. “Well, maybe…” she began.

  “How are plans for Lucy’s wedding coming along? Has she started making any plans?” her mother interrupted, changing the subject.

  Sensing that her mother wanted to change the subject, Kate launched into the details of Lucy’s wedding plans. They both had a chuckle over Lucy’s pink prom/wedding dress, and they agreed that no matter what, Lucy would always do things her way.

  After awhile, when the turkey was stuffed and in the oven and the kitchen was straightened up, Kate and her mom sat out on the back porch with cups of coffee. “And what about you?”

  Kate groaned inwardly. “What about me?”

  “Are you dating anyone now? I haven’t heard you talk about anybody.”


  Kate shook her head. “Things with Chris didn’t really go anywhere,” she said. “Someone will come along eventually, that’s what everybody says.”

  Her mother nodded. “I just want you to be happy.”

  “I don’t necessarily need to date anyone to be happy, do I?”

  “No, but I’m sure it must be hard. Watching Lucy and Jackson get together…”

  Leave it to my mom to hit the nail right on the head. “I’m really happy for them, though. Really.”

  “Of course you are.”

  *

  The office doorbell jingled. “What are you doing here?” Julia asked, sticking her head in Kate’s office.

  Kate was just shutting down her computer. “I wanted to finish my paperwork so that I wouldn’t have to worry about it tomorrow or New Year’s Day. I’m all done,” she said, holding out a stack of file folders. “What are you doing here?”

  Julia accepted the files and tucked them under her arm. “I didn’t want to call you and bother you, what with your parents being in town… but I wanted to get away for a little bit.”

  “My parents left this morning,” Kate said. “My dad couldn’t wait to get back to the pigs and chickens,” she chuckled. “What’s up? Alex’s parents still in town?”

  Julia nodded. “They’re staying ‘til after New Year’s.”

  “Drinks?” Kate suggested.

  Julia’s face lit up and she nodded again. “I’ll just go put these down!”

  A few minutes later, they were tucked away in the back corner of a little bar just down the street. “I absolutely love Alex… but his family. Ugh!” Julia groaned. “There’s not really anything I can do about them. Family is family.”

  Kate nodded. She’d heard Julia complain about Alex’s family on other occasions. Julia didn’t seem to have anyone to vent to; she was so busy with work and taking care of her daughter that Kate couldn’t recall her ever talking about friends of hers. Kate wondered if she had any.

  *

  Kate peeked inside the coolers to make sure there were still plenty of drinks. Lucy and Jackson were busy in the kitchen, pulling treats out of the oven and piling them on trays while talking to the guests that lingered around the counter, waiting to get their hands on snacks. The New Year’s Eve party was in full swing. The night was mild and the doors to the back porch were wide open. People came and went and Kate realized that, along with old friends and the usual crowd, there were several people that she didn’t recognize. Most of these people seemed to be coupled up.

  She leaned against the door frame and surveyed the crowd on the back deck.

  Max was there with the blonde girl from the engagement party. Apparently, they’d been pretty hot and heavy. Kate had heard from Jackson that Max had been missing poker night a lot lately because he’d been going out with his new girlfriend. Kate had been missing poker night, too, but mostly just because she was working or didn’t feel like hanging around all the guys.

  Chris had also brought a date to the party, but neither Lucy nor Jackson seemed to know anything about her. She was short, with long black hair, and eyelashes so thick and dark that Kate wondered if they were false. She didn’t seem to talk to anybody but Chris, and he seemed hesitant to leave her side.

  Even Kevin was busy chatting up a girl at the table. Kate scanned the deck one last time and then turned her gaze inside. Then she glanced down at her watch. Forty-five minutes until midnight. She stifled a yawn.

  “Bored?” Jackson asked, coming up next to her and taking a swig from his bottle of beer.

  “No,” Kate said. “Sorry. I just don’t think I’m really in the mood to party.”

  “What? You? Not in the mood to party?”

  Kate smiled up at him. “You know, I’m actually kind of tired. I think I might head home. Beat all the traffic and crazy drunk drivers going home. Watch the ball drop in bed.”

  Jackson studied her face suspiciously. “You okay?”

  “I’m fine!” she cried. “Seriously. I think I’m just going to go.”

  “Are you okay to drive?” he asked.

  “Yes. Tell Lucy to call me tomorrow morning and I’ll come back to help you guys clean up.” Kate threw her arms around Jackson’s waist and gave him a squeeze. “Have fun!”

  “Happy New Year!” Jackson said.

  Kate hurried upstairs, grabbed her purse and keys out of Lucy and Jackson’s bedroom, and made her way out of the house without anyone noticing her departure. Twenty minutes later, as she turned down her street, all she could think about pulling on her pajamas and curling up in bed. Then she saw the car in the driveway and realized that there were lights on in the house.

  Kate pulled in next to the car - her mom’s - and rushed into the house. “Mom? Are you here? Mom?” she called.

  “Hi, dear,” Karen said, emerging from the hallway wearing a thick robe. She was toweling her hair dry. She looked exhausted.

  “What’s going on? Is dad here? Did you guys come back for New Year’s? Why didn’t you call me?”

  Karen shook her head and her lip trembled.

  “Mom, what’s wrong?”

  Kate stood, still clutching her purse and keys, and watched as her mom bent at the waist, wrapped her hair in the towel, and settled herself on the couch. She patted the cushion next to her, and Kate sat down stiffly, dropping her things on the floor at her feet. “I left your father,” she said simply. “I couldn’t stay in that house, in the middle of nowhere, any longer. I just couldn’t do it.”

  “You left him? What do you mean, you left him? You’re going back, right?”

  Karen raised her shoulders in a half-shrug and shook her head slightly. “I can’t go back there. I hate it there.”

  “I thought you guys wanted to retire up there!” Kate gasped.

  “I wanted to retire. Not… get put out to pasture. There’s nothing to do up there. Nothing. I miss the beach. I miss our friends. I miss you.”

  Kate wrapped her arms around her mom and pulled her in for a hug. “I miss you, too, Mom. What are you going to do?”

  “Your father knows where to find me,” she said.

  “Are you guys… getting divorced?” Just saying the words made Kate cringe, and she felt as if she was ten years old.

  “That’s up to your father,” Karen said. “He can either stop pretending to be Old MacDonald on the farm and come back here with us, or…”

  “With us?”

  “Well, yes. Here.”

  “You mean you’re staying here? Living here?” Kate asked, leaning ever so slightly away from her mother.

  “It is my house. Our house.” Karen said. “That’s okay, isn’t it?”

  “Um…” Kate smiled. “It’ll have to be, right? It’s your house.”

  Kate got up and went into her bedroom. She closed the door and sank against it, wondering what the world was coming to. Her parents were separated? Her mom was moving back in with her? She looked around the room – the master bedroom. When her parents moved out, she had immediately taken over the large master bedroom. Would she have to surrender it to her mom? What about having guys sleep over? Not that she was really planning on having any guys come over again anytime soon, but how would that work, with her mom at home?

  She quickly shimmied out of her jeans and sweater and threw them in the closet. Then she tugged on a pair of pajama pants and a t-shirt that were lying on the floor. When she rejoined her mother in the living room, she couldn’t help but smile. Her mom had gotten Kate’s pint of Cherry Garcia out of the freezer and was sitting cross-legged on the couch, eagerly digging in.

  Kate curled up next to her mom and turned on the TV, quickly finding Ryan Seacrest and the New Year’s Eve festivities. “Are you okay?” she asked, taking the spoon from her mom and helping herself to a mouthful of ice cream.

  “I’m fine,” Karen smiled, taking the spoon back and scooping out a cherry. “I’m actually better now that I’m here.”

  Kate scratched her head, unsur
e of what to do in this situation. “Should I call Dad or anything, and tell him you’re okay?”

  “He knows I’m okay,” Karen said. “But you… Why are you home so early on New Year’s Eve?”

  Kate shrugged. “I was tired. It also looked like I might have been the only single person at Lucy and Jackson’s party. And I really wanted to come home and put my pajamas on.”

  “There’s nothing wrong with that.”

  *

  “So, how’s it going with your mom?” Lucy asked.

  “Actually, it’s not so bad,” Kate said, switching the phone to her other shoulder and flipping through the clothes in her closet. “I gave her the master bedroom, so I’m back in my old room. It took a couple weeks to get everything moved around and reorganized. We’ve been going out a lot. I have to keep telling her not to do my laundry. But she seems to be having fun.”

  “What about your dad?”

  “I’ve talked to him, and he seems kind of… undecided. I feel bad for him. I don’t think he had any idea how unhappy my mom was. He really wanted to do the whole Green Acres thing, but she didn’t. She just went along with it because that was his dream.”

  “That’s so sad.”

  Kate sighed. “They love each other; they just don’t know what to do. One wants to be there and the other wants to be here. And I think they might actually enjoy being away from each other for the first time in thirty-something years.”

  “Maybe that’ll be me and Jackson someday,” Lucy giggled.

  “Uh, no. I don’t see either one of you running off and trying to start a farm. What are you kids up to tonight, anyway?”

  “I think we’re going to see what’s on Netflix. Want to come over? You can bring your mom.”

  Kate pulled a sparkly, purple sweater off of a hanger and tossed it on the bed. “Thanks, but Mom and I are going out with Julia tonight.”

  “Really? Again?”

  “We’re going to karaoke. It’s something my mom has never done. She’s all about going out and doing different things. Says she’s tired of sitting at home and doing nothing.”