Page 36 of Big Pucking Deal
“Just hush. You’ll like it. I’ve read really good reviews and it seems like it’s not too crowded, so it’s perfect.”
We park and walk inside and Jordan and Brooke join us just minutes later. We’re escorted to our table and start browsing the menu.
“Oh my gosh. I need a Cherry’s Pie of Jubilee,” Brooke swoons, licking her lips with wide eyes.
“Are you serious with the names of these dishes?” Jordan’s eyes scan the pages rapidly.
“I think they’re fun. And does it really matter what it’s called so long as it’s good?” I ask him.
“She’s got you there, Jo. I mean, I’ll eat someone’s cream pie all day if it’s good enough,” Joaquín jokes and we all laugh.
Our waitress steps up to the table and greets us. “Hello. I’m Karina and I’ll be–Joaquín! Oh my gosh. How are you?”
The waitresses' eyes look like sparklers on the fourth of July. Meanwhile, Joaquín looks pale and like he might be sick.
“Hey,” he says.
“I have been meaning to call you. I’m sorry I was busy the last time you called. Work and school have been nuts. But I’m free tonight after my shift if you’re not busy. Is Jaime free? Maybe he can meet us.”
She rattles on not even worrying about the rest of us as we sit there, listening to her talk with barely any breath in between.
I watch Joaquín turn from pale to yellow the longer she talks. “Karina. This is my girlfriend. Jolie.” He reaches over and takes my hand. “I don’t want this to sound rude, but is it possible to get a different server?”
Her big smile starts to shrink and her eyes turn vacant as she looks at me, then our hands, and up to Joaquín.
“Oh. Okay. Sure. I’ll get someone for you right away. Enjoy your evening.” She gives us all a tight smile and stomps away, weaving in and out of the tables.
I truly try not to let these run-ins bother me, and normally I can laugh at them. But this girl acted as if they talked days ago. I know that isn’t so, but still…that one kind of hurt.
“I need to use the restroom. Will you order me a sparkling water?”
“Babe. I’m–”
“It’s okay,” I tell him, leaning over and kissing his cheek. “I’ll be right back.”
“I’ll come with you,” Brooke says, jumping up from her seat. “I’d like a sparkling water, too. Thanks Jordan.”
I look at my brother and his face looks like it has a mild sunburn. Red, but not to the point of boiling.
Brooke hooks her arm in the crook of my elbow and leans her head against my shoulder. “You okay, Jo?”
I look at her, those big blue eyes staring up at me, and tell her, “Yeah. I trust him. It’s just a little hard to hear some of that. You know?”
She gives me a sad smile and nods. The rest of the evening is a little tense as we eat in partial silence and when we drive home, Joaquín holds my hand but doesn’t say a word.
In fact, he doesn’t say many words over the next few days.
I HATEthe thought of leaving the house anymore. It seems like no matter where I go, what city I’m in, I run into another woman that I thought had forgotten about me. While I thought I only had the occasional hook-up here or there, I’m seeing now that it was more like several hook-ups a month. And not always with the same woman.
I’ve been confronted by women when I’ve been in each city we’ve visited. Sometimes I’m alone, a few times Jolie has flown out to meet me. Each and every time that happens, she puts on a smile, gives the woman a snarky response to let her know I’m taken, and moves along like nothing happened. But I know it happened, and I don’t know how much longer I can continue to watch a dagger crack her beautiful heart.
“I hate this, man. I feel like maybe I should just break-up with her. She’d be better without me.” I sit in the locker room after our game that I played like shit in, and hang my head as I talk to Viktor, my teammate.
“Don’t say that. You already said that she understands you have a past and is looking the other way. Just don’t fuck up or slip up and you have nothing to worry about. You’ve got yourself a great girl. Make sure she knows that,” he tells me, but the words just go in one ear and out the other.
I throw off all my gear and go stand under the hot spray of the shower, letting all of the encounters plague me like a disease. It’s eating me alive and I don’t know what to do about it other than let Jolie go. That will be like cutting out half of my heart and putting it in a blender, but if it saves her from any more of this, I’ll do it.
I trudge out of the shower, back to the locker room to get my clothes and gather my personal items, and let my feet drag me out into the hall where Jolie waits with a smiling face.
