Summer Surprise

by Curtis A. Cooper

  “My roommate, Ron.”

  She wasn’t aware they were friends. “Oh, he came down for a visit?”

  “No... um... I’m still at college.”

  “You never went home?” He’d never told her that when they had talked. Her heart sank. He’d found someone new. She was sure of it.

  “No. I decided to spend the summer here. I—”

  “Why didn’t you tell me this before?”

  “Because I was trying to find a way to...”

  She waited for him to finish. She figured he was trying to put his thoughts together. She’d caught him in a vulnerable position, not being fully awake. When the line remained silent, she feared the worst. “You’re breaking up with me, aren’t you?” Tears started rolling down her face.

  “I’m sorry. I didn’t want it to end like this.”

  “Is she pretty?”

  “I don’t have another girlfriend. No other girl could match you, I promise.”

  “I—I don’t understand. Then why are you breaking up with me?”

  “Um... I don’t know how to say this, but Ron and I are, um...”

  “You’re leaving me for him?”

  “I’m sorry, baby. I didn’t know how to tell you. Please understand—”

  “I can’t.” She quickly hung up the phone and sat a moment to let it sink in. When it hit her, she broke down and sobbed.

  * * * *

  “Jeanine.” Jay was surprised when he opened the door and she was standing on his porch. He had only been home for twenty minutes. When he looked at her face, he saw dried teardrops and a flushed complexion. She needed a shoulder.

  He stepped out onto the porch. “Do you want to go somewhere?”

  “The park?”

  “Okay.” The park was close to his house, so they walked the five blocks in silence. Once they reached the partially secluded bench in the back, away from the road, he gestured for her to sit.

  “What happened?” he asked.

  “It’s over.” She couldn’t hold back her tears. She leaned into Jay’s arms and cried.

  He held her, rocking gently, letting her take the time she required to gain control. She was there for an extended length of time, but he didn’t care.

  When Jeanine was able to get her emotions in check, she let go of Jay and sat up straight, looking off in the distance.

  “I’m sorry,” he said. “I know you thought he was the one.”

  “I really know how to pick ’em.” She let out a nervous laugh.

  “You’ll find the right one, I promise. He’ll probably be right under your nose.”

  “Yeah, well, it will take a long time to get past this one.”

  “But you will. That’s what counts.”

  She turned toward him. “It would have been a little easier to take if he’d left me for another woman.”

  “Did he just want to be single, again... play the field a while, so to speak?”

  “No. He left me for another man. Can you believe it?”

  Jay’s brows rose in utter shock. “You’re kidding.”

  “I wish I was.”

  “He preferred a man over you? I can’t see how anyone man or woman could be better than you.”

  She smiled. “Thank you.”

  Jay sighed softly, turning away. He wasn’t sure what else he could say. “So,” he started, after a brief pause, “are you going back down there in the fall?”

  “I have to. I still have two more years to go.”

  “For what? A business degree? I thought you changed your major to be with him.”

  “I did.”

  “But you wanted to be a nurse as far back as I can remember. There’s a good nursing school right here.”

  “I need to go.”

  “Why?” He couldn’t understand how she could go back with the potential of facing him.

  “I have to win him back.”

  “He likes guys. Why would you want to?”

  “It’s hard to explain. Let’s just say I want him to remember what it’s like to have a woman in his arms.”

  “It doesn’t work that way, Jeanine. You can’t change him. I can understand why you’d want to try, I think. You deserve better, though. He’s not the one for you. To be honest, I never thought he was.”

  She stared him down. “You never thought any of my choices were right. Maybe you think I’m easy? I’d take any man who would want me?”

  “I never said that. I—”

  “No, you just let me know after the relationships were over that I was wrong all along.”

  “I didn’t believe I should tell you how I felt. I—I couldn’t.”

  “Not until after the fact. I thought you were my friend. Instead, you let me go and make an absolute fool of myself once more.”

  “I am your friend. I never believed—”

  “Save it. I don’t believe you anymore. If you can’t be honest with me, I don’t need you.”

  “Jeanine...”

  She stood and walked away in a hurry.

  Chapter Six

  “There goes your cellphone again,” said Jeanine’s mother.

  “I know,” Jeanine replied.

  “How long are you going to make Jay wait until you talk to him?”

  “Forever. It’s over. I’m moving on.”

  “But you’ve been friends since you were toddlers. Certainly, that must carry some weight.”

  “If he was a true friend, why wouldn’t he support a single one of my boyfriends?”

  “Isn’t that something he needs to answer?”

  “Exactly.”

  “Then ask him.”

  “Why should I? We talked every week, sometimes as often as daily. He had plenty of chances to tell me how he felt about them.”

  “Okay, honey. It’s your decision, and I know you’re hurt. But it’s been three weeks.”

  “Right. It’s been three weeks. I’m moving on. I’m not going back.”

  “So, you’ve decided not to try to get Aaron back?” Her mom dipped her eyebrows as she asked.

  “Jay was right about that. He’s not worth my time. I’m only going back to show him he didn’t hurt me.”

  “Not to continue your degree?”

  “You know what I mean, Mom.”

  “I’m afraid this is the first time I don’t know what you mean.”

  Jeanine rolled her eyes. “My mind’s made up.” She walked out of the kitchen and went to her room.

  * * * *

  “Jeanine, please give me a chance to talk to you. I can explain, but I need to do it in person.” Jay hung up after leaving the fifth message in three weeks. He’d called more often than the messages he sent. In fact, he was probably close to two dozen, though the number of attempts had dwindled. Each time he called, he got the same result—five rings and then that generic voicemail greeting.

  He walked back into the house he was building and up to the second floor. Reaching down, he picked up his tool belt and fastened it around his waist.

  “She really got to you, didn’t she?” asked his coworker, Marvin, in a matter-of-fact tone.

  Jay knew his expression was depressed, but he didn’t care. He wasn’t interested in explaining, however. “It’s not like that.”

  “Maybe not. You’ve never had an issue with the female persuasion. In fact, I can’t remember ever seeing you go out with anyone.”

  Jay picked up the two-by-four he’d cut a few minutes earlier, placing it across the end of four others and butted up against another, capping off the frame he was constructing. He fastened it to each end. He looked up at Marvin and was about to ask his assistance in lifting the frame up for the north wall when he noticed his coworker was still waiting for an explanation.

  “If you must know, she and I grew up together. She had recently returned from college, and we got into an argument. I’m just trying to smooth things over.”

  “Okay. I wa
sn’t prying. I only made a comment.” He went over to the frame and took hold of the other end. Together, they lifted it in place and set about nailing the base securely.

  Jay felt obligated to explain. “We’ve argued in the past, but we never even considered holding any grudge. This time, it’s different.”

  “How so?”

  “I sort of told her that her last boyfriend wasn’t right for her after they broke up. She took it as I thought she didn’t know how to pick her friends.”

  “That’s not what you meant.”

  “Not even close.”

  “What was wrong with him, if you don’t mind my asking?”

  Jay wasn’t ready for that question. He fumbled around in his head for a good answer, settling on the reason they had broken up. “For one thing, he left her for another guy.” Jay saw the surprise in Marvin’s face.

  “That’s definitely different. Good thing she found out early.”

  “Actually, they’d been together going on three years. I didn’t think he was right for her long before I found that out.”

  “Then there was something else.”

  “Yeah. He wasn’t...”

  After waiting for the end of the sentence that appeared not to be coming, Marvin asked, “Wasn’t what?”

  Jay looked down. “Me.” That was the first time he admitted that to someone other than himself. Even Jeanine didn’t know.

  “That’s why you haven’t been dating.”

  “Stupid, huh?”

  “Only if you never told her how you felt.”

  “That I was in love with her? I couldn’t tell her that. I didn’t want to lose her.” He saw the smirk on Marvin’s face.

  “The way I see it, you don’t have her, now.”

  “Good point.” Jay left it at that and concentrated on the wall. He was happy his coworker didn’t press any further.

  * * * *

  Jeanine glanced at her phone. There was another message from Jay. She deleted it without listening like she had with all the others. She got dressed a little more presentable for the outside world and went back downstairs.

  “Mom, I’m going out to the mall. Anything you need?”

  “Nothing I can think of. Are you going to be home in time for dinner?”

  “Yes. I don’t expect to be long.”

  She drove her mother’s car over and parked outside the main entrance. Her favorite store was near it. She walked into the department store and made a direct line for the makeup section. Looking to enhance her desirability, she chose a top-of-the-line perfume. Then she picked out an amber eye shadow and black eyeliner. Finishing off with a closely matching nail polish, she paid for the items and left the store through the exit into the mall.

  She walked along the hallway until she reached a beauty salon. Standing outside, she looked through the window at the pictures on the wall. She studied the photos of the different current hairstyles. Picking one she liked, she thought, I’ll come here a couple days before I return to college. Aaron won’t know what to say.

  She retraced her steps, leaving through the main entrance next to the department store she’d just left. She sat in her car and contemplated the surprise Aaron was in for. The first day of college was still three weeks away, but she had to be sure that she considered every possible angle. She wanted the wow factor to be unforgettable.

  What if this doesn’t work? She flashed upon the distinct possibility that Aaron really did prefer men over her. I can’t let him see my disappointment if that happens. Will I be able to hide my feelings? She worked herself into tears over the chance that what she was doing to win him back wouldn’t work.

  Wiping her eyes with her fingers, she sat up straight and focused on starting the car. I’ll make it work, she thought as she drove home. She left it at that. She hated lying to her mother, but she couldn’t stand by and let a relationship that had lasted as long as that one die without a fight.

  Chapter Seven

  Jay hung up yet again. He’d continued trying over the last two weeks, but his attempts had decreased to every other day, and he hadn’t left a single message. They had all gone unanswered. He figured they were being ignored as well.

  “Hand me the tape gun, would ya?” asked Marvin.

  Jay picked up the tool and handed it to him. He returned to the bucket and started mixing a fresh batch of joint compound.

  “Still not answering?”

  “No. I guess it’s time for me to give up.”

  “Have you tried to tell her how you feel?”

  Jay said nothing, running the hand drill with the mixer attachment instead.

  “Go to her house. She can’t ignore you then.”

  “Yes, she can. She doesn’t have to answer the door. And even if she did, what would I say?” He stopped mixing and placed the drill down on a sheet of plastic.

  “Man, you’re hopeless.” Marvin grinned. “You crack everyone up with your jokes, you listen to anyone who needs an ear, but you’re so shy that you can’t let someone you grew up with know your true feelings. I’m telling you, you’re gonna regret it if you don’t tell her.”

  “I know.”

  “What are you afraid of? Do you really think she’ll slam the door in your face? Maybe you expect her to turn you down.”

  “Something like that.”

  “Well, the way I see it... that would be a step up from what you have now.”

  “You’re probably right.”

  Marvin shrugged his shoulders. “Do what you think is best.”

  They worked in silence for the rest of the afternoon. In his head, Jay weighed all the pros and cons to every conceivable action he could take. His conclusions became increasingly pessimistic.

  When it came time to quit for the day, he drove home and parked in the driveway. He got out of the car, but instead of going inside the house, he walked down the sidewalk to the park. He sat on the same bench he’d last been with Jeanine and stared off into the distance, focusing on nothing.

  Again, he took out his phone and dialed. It was the second attempt, that day. As he predicted, it rang five times and went to voicemail. He hung up without leaving a message.

  * * * *

  When is he going to get it through his head? Jeanine changed the setting on her cellphone.

  “I hope you know what you’re doing,” said Mrs. Marsh.

  “I’m going back to college in a week, Mom. I don’t need any distractions.”

  “That’s true. I like the new makeup you chose for your first day back.”

  “Makeup?”

  “The bottles you bought a couple weeks ago.”

  “Oh, those. Are you searching my room now?” She looked at her mother sternly.

  “You left them on top of your dresser. I noticed them when I brought up the laundry you forgot in the dryer.”

  Jeanine dropped her gaze. “Sorry.”

  “How many times have you called Aaron?”

  “Why do you want to know?”

  “You’re my daughter. Did you really think I believed you when you told me you moved on? I saw it in your face. He hurt you more than you ever thought possible, yet you still want him back.”

  Tears started rolling down Jeanine’s face. “He left me for a man. How would you feel?”

  “I understand, honey.”

  “No you don’t, Mom.”

  “Do you?”

  Jeanine was taken aback. “It happened to me. It makes me feel...” She stopped.

  “Makes you feel like you’re not good enough. That he would rather have a guy than someone like you?”

  Jeanine blinked to clear her vision, but she said nothing.

  “Honey, it’s not true. If he prefers a man, it’s who he is. It’s not you. It’s not something you can change, and you shouldn’t even try. All you’ll end up with is a lot of wasted time and energy.”

  “I have to try. I don’t want to end up an old maid. I can se
e all the other guys now. There goes that girl whose boyfriend preferred guys over her.”

  “Don’t you think that’s a little drastic?”

  “Maybe.”

  “You’re not even twenty-one yet. Stop trying so hard. Let love come to you. You know it just might sneak up and surprise you.”

  She rolled her eyes. “Now you’re sounding like Jay.”

  “Jay told you that?”

  “Not in those exact words, but it meant the same thing. He said something like... I might suddenly find it right in front of me.”

  “Oh?” Her mom smiled. “Let me ask you something. Why are you mad at him?”

  “I’m not mad at him. I just don’t want to be friends any longer.”

  “Why?”

  “Because he could never be honest with me. Every time I would break up with someone, he would tell me that I didn’t pick the right person.”

  “That doesn’t sound like Jay.”

  “It’s true. He flat out told me that he never thought Aaron was right for me.”

  “And he said that about all the others, too?”

  “Yes, but I was too blind to see it.”

  Her mom laughed.

  “I’m glad you think it’s funny.”

  “I’m sorry, honey.” She kept the smile on her face. “It’s just that what you said is true.”

  “What? That I was too blind to see it?”

  “Yes. Why would your best friend support your decision to go out with those guys and then tell you that all of them were wrong for you?”

  “I don’t know. He didn’t bother to tell me.”

  “Mmm Hmm?”

  She looked at her mother, whose grin was wider than ever. Her eyes rose. “No. You can’t mean... but we’re friends. He’s never acted that way toward me.”

  “What would you have done if he had?”

  “I don’t know. He’s always been my brother. At least that’s how I saw him.”

  “Well, you no longer want to see him, so I guess it doesn’t matter.”

  “Yeah... right.” Jeanine wondered if her mother was really able to see something she’d missed. “I need to get some air.”