Page 64 of Rules

"Hey, don't suddenly move so quickly. I about gave you a bald patch." Dianna nicely but with force puts my head back where it was.

"Brenda, your appointment is here." The receptionist walks over and announces.

"See you later, cutie. You call me and I'll bring the studs, me being one of them." Brenda turns and heads to the salon entrance.

Dianna leans in and whispers, "Trust me, she would bring them girls in a heartbeat if it meant defending a woman. She is all about women being treated fairly. Plus, she thinks you're awesome."

I smile into the mirror. The idea of having a secret band of people willing to go to bat for me makes me smile. I would never use such a group, but it's somehow comforting knowing they are a phone call away.

We spend the rest of the appointment talking about other ways that men have been jerks in our lives and throughout history. I love our appointments.

All the while, I'm silently thanking whatever higher power exists that Dianna doesn't know it was her father-in-law who broke my heart. God, I can't even imagine the family drama that would cause. The mental image of Dianna confronting Tobias at a family dinner makes me both cringe and secretly delight in the potential chaos.

After all our appointments, my auntie and I head to lunch at her favorite coffee shop.

"Thank you for this morning. I feel," I pull my coffee cup close and examine it, "like I'm worth something again."

"Ruth!" My auntie's voice snaps at me, causing me to jump and spill my coffee. "You have always been worth something. Don't you ever forget that. No one has the power to make you feel you aren't important or that your opinion doesn't matter. They can only suggest and push their agendas on you. How you react and how much power you give them is one hundred percent up to you."

Looking at her, I know she is right. The situation still hurt, and the shock of it took me off my guard. I won't let that happen again. I won't ever let Tobias make me feel like he did and over time the feelings will fade and I'll be alright.

By the time she drops me off at my place, I'm over talking about what happened, why he did what he did. I'm even over man-bashing. I say my thanks again while getting out of her car. The sun warms my face as I walk up to my house. Hearing Joey's bark, I know exactly where he is and what he's up to. Changingmy direction, I head to the backyard entrance. Thinking Joey would probably like a play date at the dog park.

Opening the gate, I survey the situation and see everything is as it should be. One fat squirrel chattering and taunting an irritated shaggy little dog from the overhead wire.

"Joey, how long have you two been at it? I'm sure the neighbors love listening to this." I trudge across the lawn to pick him up because he will not leave the standoff, that would be admitting defeat. Finally, when I'm about five feet from him, he notices me and goes into wiggle mode. Not out of the excitement of it being me. I'm sure it's because he is hoping I will do something to the squirrel. Which doesn't happen. The squirrel is so used to my presence it doesn't move, just sits there, watches me pick up the dog and carry it out of the yard. The dog growls over my shoulder as we leave. I imagine the squirrel yelling "Victory!" while Joey is yelling "Interference!" Oh, the joys of owning a pet. I close the fence gate and watch the squirrel scamper down the wire to the nearby pole.

"Come on, little man, you can fight another day."

Chuckling, I carry him to my car. The dog park is a bust. No one is there. Joey just kind of stands there waiting. So, we leave and head home with a stop at the grocery store first. If I'm going to get over Tobias, it's going to require something other than junk food.

Chapter 23

Tobias

Waking up from a long nap, I feel much better. My head is still sore, but the marching band that's been pounding for days has been replaced with a dull drum thumping. Getting up and sitting on the side of the bed, I realize I'm hungry. Standing and stretching, I head to the kitchen.

The fridge is a perfect example of a bachelor's fridge. A lonely gallon of milk occupies the top shelf. Leftover Chinese containers seem to have made the second shelf their permanent home. The bottom shelf has an egg container and a loaf of bread. I know how to cook, even enjoy it but I don't take the time.

"Well, this is pathetic. I need to make some changes in my life. I can't live like I'm twenty anymore. Guess I'll start by headingto Lyle's grocery store." Closing the door, crossing the kitchen, grabbing my keys and wallet, I begin to make a mental shopping list.

Reaching the store, I have a good idea of what I'm going to get. Now, if I can keep it in my head long enough to get everything. Taking a cart, I start down the aisles, obligatorily greeting and nodding to people as I go. More people here than I thought there would be. I got stopped a couple of times and asked about the cases. The standard, "I've got the whole force working on it." Seems to work and no one pushes the issue, thank goodness.

Coming around the end of aisle five, I see someone I would actually like to talk to. About halfway down, standing in front of the pasta, is Dianna. I slowly pull my cart up next to her. She doesn't look over, just takes a step in the opposite direction. I slide the cart a little more. She side-eyes me when the cart touches her.

"Listen," she turns to face me. "Oh, Dad, glad it's you. I was about to shove your cart."

"How are you?"

"I'm good. I'm off tomorrow and couldn't remember if I had pasta or not." She looks me over from head to toe. "You look tired."

"I took a nap."

"Good. You've got a lot of stress on you." She crossed her arms over her chest. "Which you shouldn't be looking for whiskey to fix."

"Heard about that, did ya?" I look into my cart, then back up at her.

She steps close to me. "I did. Not sure I understood it all, but I heard about it. Dad, date, don't date, whatever you want to do, just don't get drunk, it doesn't help."

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