An American Love Story

by C. S. Moore

  "There was a bird outside my window that wouldn't be quiet. I couldn't get to sleep," I explained. I didn't need to worry about lying to protect her; she wasn't like Dad who saw through them.

  "Oh, I'm sorry about that," she said looking upset.

  "Don't worry about it; you want to have a cup with me before you go off to work?" I asked holding up my mug.

  "That sounds amazing; I'm in love with your hair by the way. Now, we're both blondes again; you haven't been a towhead since you were three." She chattered on as we made our way to the kitchen.

  The kitchen was painted a robin's egg blue and was accented in deep browns and silvers I loved how warm my Mother's kitchen was. It was nice to have someone pretend like everything was fine, no sideways glances, or helpful advice.

  "You still like your coffee sweeter than sugar?" I asked, grabbing the coffee pot. My Dad stepped into the kitchen wiping the sleep from his eyes.

  "Yep, I like my coffee like I like my men," she said, pulling him into a hug.

  "I'm not sweet. I'm a gruff detective. Don't go ruining my reputation now," he said smiling down at her with sparkling eyes.

  My Dad seemed to light up around my Mom, and she shone when she was with him as well. After my experiences in the trenches I might have sworn that true love didn't exist, but I couldn't deny it. My parents were head-over-heels for each other, always had been, and always would be. It might be real, but it was way too rare to waste my time searching for. Out of the hundreds of married couples I had known in my lifetime, my parents were the only ones that had a magical spark that stayed with them forever.

  "Do you two have anything planned for today?" my Mom asked as I handed her a mug full of sweet Joe.

  I looked at my Dad. I hadn't planned anything yet.

  "Well, I have to go to the gym this morning to maintain this amazing physique," he said flexing his arms.

  My mother giggled.

  "After that, I'm up for anything," he said.

  "One of my patient's sons is single… and we were thinking that while you're here—"

  "No! No setting me up while I'm home. I'm here to visit my wonderful family, not go on an awkward date that will just end terribly." I looked between my parents. "Okay?"

  "All right," she said without missing a beat. "I heard Rent's Due was a really funny one; why don't you go catch a movie?"

  "What do you think, Tessa?" Dad asked.

  "Why not?"

  ****

  My dad headed to the gym, and my mom left for work, leaving me alone in the house to my thoughts. Free time was something I wasn't used to. I kept myself so busy. My grandmother had always said that if you couldn't stand your own company you had a big problem; apparently, I had a big problem because alone time only lasted ten minutes before I gave up and decided to go get some candy to sneak into the theater.

  There was only one grocery store in the whole town, and they were crazy overpriced. But the employees were great and knew every customer's name. I didn't mind paying a bit extra to support a local business even though there was a big box store on the way to the theater. There used to be a small theater in town, but it went out of business when the market crashed. It had been there since the fifties, and it was kind of hard to understand how something that had been there for so long could just up and close one day.

  I pulled into Reed's Market and slid my car into one of the dozen or so parking spaces. The Fourth of July had arrived, and a little plywood trailer had set up shop at the corner of the lot to sell fireworks. They had ones just like it all over town; groups of kids would be lined in front of them once school was out. The excitement of the little shop's fountains and sparklers had faded for me a long time ago, but a big fireworks show still enthralled me the same as when I was a kid. Too bad this town was a bit too small to put on a really amazing display.

  The inside of the store had been the same since my childhood, so I made my way to the candy isle with ease. Picking out movie snacks didn't kill near enough time. I frowned looking at my watch. My Dad wouldn't be home for a while. Making a fancy dinner for my parents seemed like a good idea, but just when I decided what to make, I remembered that they already had a barbeque planned for tonight, so I decided to get some corn on the cob.

  The produce section of the store had changed in the last nine months; a large floral section took up a corner where the dried fruit used to be. There had always been a small fridge with a glass door that held three or four bouquets at most, but nothing like this. There was a stand holding fresh flowers and a huge fridge with a dozen arrangements. I was a sucker for flowers; to me, there wasn't anything more beautiful in nature aside from a starry sky.

  "Tessa?" a familiar voice said from behind me.

  I straightened up and turned away from the flowers. Phillip's mother was standing a few feet away, in a Reed's Market uniform, looking beyond shocked to see me.

  "Hi, Grace," I said, trying to ignore the air rushing out of my lungs. We hadn't seen each other since I had broken up with her son. Awkward didn't quite cover what I was feeling.

  "Phil told me you moved out of state," she said.

  "I did. I'm just here visiting my parents." Everything in me screamed to hang my head and look at my feet, but I had nothing to be ashamed of. "How have you been? Are you working here now?" When I left, she was working at the local flower shop. She was quite an amazing florist.

  She smiled at me weakly. "Everything's fine, I'm doing the flowers here now," she said gesturing to the new section I had just been admiring.

  It had always made me mad that Phillip never took the time to get me flowers when we were together. I mean, when your Mom's a florist, it's not even inconvenient.

  "I sure miss seeing you around… you know, we don't blame you for what happened. I couldn't have picked a better girlfriend for my Phillip," she said, pulling me out of my thoughts.

  I didn't know what to say. I loved Grace to death. She was amazingly sweet and genuine. The last thing in the world I'd want to do was hurt her. "Thanks, I'm sorry I didn't say goodbye… I just had to leave."

  Her sweet round face tilted to the side. "I understand. I told him if he didn't treat you better, he'd lose you. He took you for granted… You know, he still hasn't gone on a single date?" The inflection in her voice made me think this was something that was supposed to interest me.

  I froze in place and tried to choose my words carefully. "Really, well you should tell him to get out there and find someone," I said, almost choking on the words.

  "I think he knows now, what he had in you—"

  "I don't want to hurt your feelings, but I'm really not interested in…" I shook my head, attempting to silence the stupid part of me that sang at the news.

  "So you meant it?" she asked, biting her lip.

  "Meant what?"

  She looked unsure for a moment, and then spoke. "Phil told me you had asked him to stop calling, give you some space so you could cut him out of your heart… and you really meant it." This time it wasn't a question.

  I had asked that of him, and he had eventually listened. "I usually mean what I say; why else would I tell him that?" I asked, wondering if she thought I had said it just to be cruel. After six years, I thought she knew me better than that.

  "I guess I thought you were just lighting a fire under the boy, you know…" She lifted her hand and wiggled her ring finger.

  Was she serious? "No, no… no, no—"

  "That's a lot of no's," she observed.

  "Listen, I want him to be happy. So tell him to go out and date. We aren't going to be together. He needs to understand that I am not coming back."

  She nodded her head. "I'll tell him… I want you to be happy. Are you happy?"

  "Not yet, but I'm working on it," I said, looking at my watch.

  "Oh, I'm holding you up. It was nice to see you, and remember, no hard feelings at all. You were a huge part of our family, and I'll always love you." She gave me an unexpected hug, and I squeezed her back ti
ghtly.

  "Goodbye," I said making my way to the produce.

  Grace went about her business rearranging the flowers.

  I decided corn wasn't that important after all and hurried to check out, so I could leave this place and the reminder of my past.

  ****

  By the time I got into the parking lot, I was in tears. Seeing her was so much harder than I could have imagined. When a long relationship ended, you didn't just lose the person in the relationship with you… you lost people that had grown to be like family as well.

  My shaking hands dropped the car keys as I struggled to unlock my door. Bending down to pick up the keys, I leaned my forehead against the car door. Was I lying to myself when thought I was getting better? Anything had to be better than the last nine months; was being with him that bad? Maybe I should just ignore the hopeless romantic in me that wanted a white knight to look at me like I was more vital to him than air. Almost everyone else in the world settled, should I?

  I stood up and tried to steady my breath. When I sat down in the driver's seat I put my head in my hands. No, my parents didn't settle. All of the heartbreak was worth it because I wanted more; I wanted so much more than an amicable relationship. I wanted to light up when I saw the object of my affection, and I wanted him to do the same. I wanted passion like the world had never known. Being alone was better than settling like an old house.

  Just as I put the key in the ignition my phone buzzed. I frowned; the number flashing across the screen wasn't one I recognized. After a few rings, I picked it up. "Hello?"

  "Hi, Tessa," a male voice said.

  The voice was as alien as the number. "Um, hi…"

  "Oh, this is Eric. I'm gym buddies with your Dad."

  The first thought that flashed across my mind was my Dad in a cupid costume. I growled. I'd asked him not to do this… then I remembered who Eric was. He was married with kids. I sighed. It wasn't a set up. "What's up, Eric?" I was a little more at ease, but still completely confused as to why he was calling me.

  "I just saw your Dad at the gym, and he told me you were in town," he said.

  "It's true, just for the weekend…" I didn't know what else I was supposed to say.

  "Well, my little brother, Garrett, is in town too. Do you want to go out with him today?" he asked.

  I wanted to smack my head against the steering wheel. It was a set up. "I'm sorry, Eric. I can't today. I already have plans," I said politely.

  "We're all going to the speedway for the races. They have the best fireworks show in a two hundred mile radius, you know."

  "Really? Have you been to them all, and this one's the best?" I asked sarcastically.

  "No, I'm just trying to convince you to come. So are you in?" he asked.

  "Sorry, I can't. Like I said, I have plans." I said, sprinkling finality into my tone.

  "You know it's the Fourth of July, right?"

  He was either not picking up on my resistance or ignoring it. Either way it was annoying. "Yes, I know it's the Fourth of July," I snapped. "Listen, I'm only in town for a few days and I don't want to—"

  "Well my little brother's in the Army," he interrupted without skipping a beat. "He just got back from Iraq, and he'll have to go back to Fort Lewis soon. I want to make sure that he has a good time while he's here. He hasn't been on a date with a beautiful woman in a year."

  I had to end this speech before he made me feel any guiltier for turning him down. "I'm sure your brother will have a great date… just find another girl for him to go on it with, okay?" Why wouldn't this guy just drop it?

  "If you won't go out with a soldier, one that just got back from war," he added. "On the Fourth of July… people might call you unpatriotic."

  I choked on my rebuttal. What could I say to that? "What time is he picking me up?" I asked in defeat.

  "Garrett will be there at three," he promised with a smile in his voice.

  "Fine, I'll talk to you later," I said, hanging up before he had said goodbye.

  Chapter Five

  When I got home, my father was sitting nervously in his armchair; before I could chew him out for my forced date, he started talking. "Tessa, I told Eric no. He asked me at the gym if he could set you two up, and I said no — I promise. He just didn't listen." He looked so worried, like I'd storm out and never return if I didn't believe him. This obviously wasn't his idea.

  "Yeah." I sighed. "He didn't listen to me either. Terrible listener, not really something I'm looking for in a man. Let's hope his brother isn't just as annoying."

  Dad laughed, relaxing a little.

  He still was wound too tightly. Probably because I couldn't force myself to completely relax the glare off of my brow — but I was mad. I didn't like being made to do something that I didn't want to do; it was a blessing in a way. Peer pressure had never worked growing up. But my tendency to hate all things someone forced me do was going to make this date more than unbearable.

  "What time's he supposed to be here?"

  "Three," I said, plopping onto the couch.

  He looked at the clock. "That's coming up pretty fast. Where's he taking you anyway?"

  "The speedway, I've never been, and that's not an accident, watching cars go around and around… riveting," I mumbled. How had my day gone from bad to worse? First, I'm tortured all night by suffocating dreams, then I run into my ex's Mom, and now I'm going on a date that I said no to three times!

  "I'm sorry, baby sister. Just try to have a good time. Eric said this guy is the cream of the crop… and I know you've been through a hard time, but so has he. Be nice to him; think of it as a service project to your country."

  He was right. No matter how mad I was about going, or how closed off to guys I was, I had to make sure Garrett had a good time. The guy had just got back from war. Whatever he'd been through the last year made my nine-month heartbreak look like a cake walk. "Well, I guess I better get dolled up for this soldier."

  "That's my girl," he said, picking his book up off of the table and settling into his chair.

  ****

  I didn't have much of a wardrobe to choose from, but studying myself in the mirror, I was happy with what I ended up with. Luckily I had brought my favorite skinny jeans and a red blouse that hugged me in all the right places. I slipped on my red peep-toe pumps and headed back to the living room.

  It was three.

  "Sorry I'm going to miss your barbeque, Dad," I said looking out the window. I really was bummed. My best friend, Skylar, was even going to be there.

  "Don't worry about it, your mother called everyone, and we're still on for a party. It will just be tomorrow," he said with a grin.

  "Really? Even Skylar?" I asked, abandoning the window. It didn't look like he was going to be on time.

  "Do you think she'd miss seeing you?"

  I smiled; she'd been bugging me to come back ever since I left. Of course she would be there. "Good, after the agony I'm going to be put through tonight, I'll need a party tomorrow…"

  "Is dating really that torturous?" he asked looking like he didn't think it was.

  "I just feel bad for the guys, I mean they have a nice time and think we're getting along great… and then they get their feelings hurt when I cringe away from their touch at the end of the night. These guys are just after a hug or a kiss, and I act like they want to throw acid at me or something," I said thinking back over the last few months of dating.

  Dad nodded his head. "You have a true heart. It runs in the family. We love deep and faithfully. It might take your heart a while to realize that it isn't in a relationship anymore, but you'll get there."

  I didn't know if that was likely. It was a hard line to walk, missing being touched, and feeling nauseous at the thought of someone touching me. "Yeah we'll see…this guy is late," I said, annoyed at him already. "You don't drag someone into a date kicking and screaming and then show up late."

  My dad looked at the clock. "Not by much, he doesn't know where we live, might take him
a while to find the place."

  "Dad, your house is on Main Street. It's not like we live on an obscure side road no one knows how to get to." With every minute that ticked by I was angrier. I felt my brow slide back into a glare. Soldier or no, a guy didn't just show up thirty minutes late. People could call me unpatriotic if they wanted, but there was no way I could fake my way through this date. I was just too mad.

  By the time it was three forty five some of my anger had washed into relief; maybe he wasn't coming after all. "Okay," I sighed, standing from the couch. "I think I've waited long enough. Let's go to the movies, you can tell Eric that we waited for his brother for an hour."

  Dad shrugged. "Sounds good to me; let me just go get changed into my nice duds."

  I smiled; the evening's prospects were getting better.

  Dad stood from his armchair, and little Dan followed behind him. Just as they reached his bedroom, there was a knock at the door.

  My hope for an escape was dashed, and the anger at this stranger returned. His guilt-tripping brother roped me into this whole thing, and then he shows up fifty minutes late.

  "Be nice," Dad cautioned me as I stomped to the front door. "Remember—"

  "Yeah, yeah soldier on the Fourth of July," I said before flinging the door open. My dad was still pleading me with his eyes to be nice. I nodded and turned to the doorway, and all of the breath came rushing out of my lungs.

  Standing in the entryway, taking up most of the space, was the most handsome man I had ever seen. He was tall and his broad shoulders tapered down into a trim waist. His hair was a rich dark brown and his eyes were of the same color. They brightened as they took me in and a dazzling smile crossed his face. He must have liked what he saw. I felt a blush reach my cheek and my answering smile wasn't one I had to force.