Part 9 (2/2)

She looked as though she had just been punched in the stomach, unable to speak with no breath in her lungs. As she recovered, I decided to continue. ”You know, I actually had some reservations about ending things with you. Nicole could tell you about it if you ever felt like talking to her again.” I went on, ”I still loved you very much and hoped that you'd come around and realize how much you needed me too if I wasn't around for a little while. As it turns out you were probably better off without me, right?” No one in their right mind would ever respond to that question, even though everyone involved always knew the right answer. ”So how long have you been seeing him?”

Her gaze dropped from my eyes to the floor in shame. ”About 3 months.”

”He's why you said no, right? He's the reason that you didn't want to marry me.”

”Josh, I was just confused about everything.”

”And yet you're mad at me for meeting Nicole.” The moment I said it I knew I shouldn't have. Of course it was the truth, but she would never allow the fault to be pinned squarely on her. We transformed from a sad, broken couple into another bitter battle.

”Of course I'm f.u.c.king mad. She's one of my best friends and you were my boyfriend!” she screamed while Satan barked as her backup yes man.

”Even though you'd been cheating on me for the last 3 months? I fail to see how I'm the bad guy here. If you had just said yes to me, then none of this would have happened.” My voice was never raised. I aimed to be the calm, rational one.

”So you're blaming me?”

”Of course I'm blaming you. Who else's fault would it be?”

”You're unbelievable.”

”Thanks, I hear that a lot.”

It was getting dumb. Nothing can ever be resolved when people are angry. I decided to get straight to the point.

”Look. I didn't come here to fight. I wanted to hear from you that you were in fact with Sascha while we were together, to answer any questions that you may have had about my relations.h.i.+p with Nicole, and to get my ring back.”

”Your ring?”

”Yes, if you're not going to marry me I'd like it back.”

”You gave it to me.”

I looked at her puzzled for a moment. ”It's an engagement ring. You didn't agree to the terms of the arrangement and so I'd like it back please.”

”I really don't think I should have to give it back after all of this.”

”All of what? You said no to me, and what's more, you cheated on me for three months prior to me even buying the thingwhich I might add cost me a lot of money that I really need right now after losing my job.”

Her eyebrows squinched together and I realized that she had no idea that I had been let go from Starbucks.

”Yeah, I was fired. I really need it back so that I can return it and maybe eat some food and pay rent.”

”I don't think I can give it back to you.”

It was now my turn to be angry. ”What do you mean you can't give it back to me? I need that ring.”

”No.”

”What the f.u.c.k is wrong with you Allison? Why do you think you deserve it? You're not worth half of what that ring is worth!” As I punctuated that sentence I started to get up from the chair to head to her bedroom and take it back.

”What are you doing?” she screamed.

”I'm getting my G.o.dd.a.m.n ring back!”

”Josh, stop it, get out of here. Get out of my apartment!”

”Not without my ring.”

I threw things around in her room, pus.h.i.+ng objects off her dresser top, opening drawers of her desk and nightstand. I couldn't find it. This was stupid. Did she just think that she could keep it? What the h.e.l.l was wrong with her? The constant drone of Allison's screaming and the evil growl of the Devil dog was a backdrop of sound that would have suited a horror flick. Finally I spotted the small, fuzzy box that contained my unemployment check on her bathroom countertop. Right as I started storming through the bathroom door, the dog ran up behind me and bit my leg. Hard. I didn't quite fall down, but I screamed out in pain. I tried to shake him off, but his grip didn't loosen. I turned around and tried to kick Satan in defense, but the angle that he had my leg it, made it impossible to attack with my feet. I never thought I would have to punch anything in my life, let alone a dog, but I clenched my fist and as hard as I could I punched the beast in the side.

I must have struck some soft spot because he quickly recoiled. With my leg finally free, I reeled it back and kicked him again in the same spot. He teetered on his 3 good legs. ”Josh, you sick f.u.c.k. Get the f.u.c.k out of my house! Now!”

”Not without my ring.” I grabbed the little box while the dog was still stunned and nearly knocked Allison out on my way out of her bedroom, and rand out the front door. I kept running all the way back to my apartment, without a stop. I thought that bystanders were probably wondering if I had stolen something because I wasn't in running gear, but the apathetic nature of the general public meant that I'd at least make it home without interference. I wondered why robbers didn't wear black tear-away clothes with running outfits underneath. If you're running down the street in athletic gear, no one questions you, but if you're in civvies, then you're immediately suspected of something.

The whole way home, my heart tapped my ribs harder and harder as I ran further, begging me to stop. My leg throbbed with the amplitude and frequency of a Ramones song. I ran up into my room and collapsed onto my bed. I hadn't run in a long time and my lungs and heart weren't used to all this cardiovascular activity. I opened my hand with the treasure box that I had rightfully stolen and just looked at it for a moment as my body calmed down. I flashed back to the moment that I decided to ask Allison the big question. I remembered the exciting but terrifying feeling in my gut. I remembered Christopher, the salesman who helped me pick out this perfect ring. I remembered the feeling of accomplishment and dedication when I was finally buying it. I remembered planning the proposal, talking to Greg's dad and convincing him to keep the carnival open for one final night. Finally, I remembered the feeling when she didn't say yes.

It was with that feeling that I opened up the box to see it. It took my brain a few seconds to realize what my eyes were reporting to it... . It wasn't there. No ring. I waged war on Satan and I didn't leave with anything to show for it. No signs of victory.

Chapter 13.

Irolled up my jeans, stained with a mix of dried blood and devil s...o...b..r, and kicked off my shoes. The b.a.s.t.a.r.d had gotten me just below my calf and dug in hard. I debated going back to the doctor, but decided against it at the thought of how much another set of hospital bills would set me back, especially without the G.o.dd.a.m.n ring to return. At least he didn't get my Achilles. I would have had to end up suing Allison for housing a terrorist and I neither had the time, money nor patience to deal with our judicial system. The bleeding had stopped and deciding that it wasn't worth a trip to the ER, I hobbled over to the bathroom. Now that the adrenaline had left my system, I began to feel the pain of the bite with each step, across the hardwood floor all the way to the tiled bathroom.

I found a nearly empty tube of Neosporin and a few small Band-Aids. Where was I when the rest of this tube of Neosporin was used up, I thought. I couldn't remember using any of it, let alone a whole tube of the stuff. Carefully I covered each tooth-sized gash with a band-aid. It took six small band-aids to do the deepest cuts. The rest of the teeth weren't long enough to break the skin, though they did certainly leave a mark. If they could identify a dog from its teeth like they do with humans, my leg could have been Exhibit A in my trial against the heinous dog.

Not wanting to stew in anger or pain, I quickly called Nicole and asked her if the offer still stood for me to go over that night. ”Of course,” she said wondering why I even asked. ”I'll be here, just come on over.” When she asked whether I was OK, I told her that I'd explain everything when I came over.

Even though I was broke and had no prospects of making money, I decided that I wouldn't be able to walk the mile or so over to Nicole's and decided that the five dollar cab ride would be well worth it. Being the tech geek that most in my generation are, I hailed a cab online and got a text message when it arrived two minutes later. Nicole's address came as easily out of my mind as my own would have. It's amazing how quickly we get used to new things, places, and people. It's also amazing how fast you can get places when you take a car. Nicole's apartment was right outside the car door within 3 minutes, after hitting all green lights with a driver that didn't believe in speed limits.

When I buzzed up, she a.s.sumed it was me and said, ”Well that was fast,” as a way of saying h.e.l.lo. ”Come on up.” Of course she didn't mean it the way I heard it, but to me it sounded like, ”Oh great... you're here already.” The stairs seemed like an obstacle course to me and I realized why I never considered joining the armed forces. I would have been the one at the back of the line that everyone cheered and teased from the finish line, all of them having completed the course. ”You can do it, maggot! Get your a.s.s over here with the rest of us or everyone has to do 500 pushups and clean the bathrooms with our toothbrushes!” No, thank you, to that.

When I finally knocked on the door, Nicole opened it with a ”What took you so long toOh my G.o.d! What happened?” She helped me the rest of the way into her apartment and over to her sofa where I plopped into the same spot as the night before. For a second I wondered which was worse, the feeling I had last night knowing that Allison had betrayed me long before I had made the mistake of asking her to marry me, or the dog bite still clenching my leg. Ultimately I decided that the feelings from last night weren't gone yet, and so today's pain won over all the negative emotions I had about her and life in general.

Nicole, being amazing, was finis.h.i.+ng preparations of dinner for the two of us. She made scallop risotto that smelled unbelievable. She had a bottle of wine ready and a few candles set up to be lit for a romantic mood. ”I hope I didn't ruin the evening you had planned,” I said, wanting her to know that I had noticed everything she had worked so hard on. ”Oh, Josh, I certainly know it's not your fault,” she said as I made my way to a chair at the table. Right as I sat down, she placed my plate in front of me. I rarely had scallops and I never imagined that the bubbly, slightly nerdy MIT girl that I met at Our House earlier in the week would be cooking them for me, trying to impress me.

Between each amazing bite, I recounted a small chunk of the ridiculous day I had. I told her everything. I told the story about the little ducks at the duck pond, which made her smile. I told her about how I couldn't find my ring and freaked out. I told her about how I called Allison out about Sascha.

”She hates me now, doesn't she?” Nicole asked.

”Well to be fair, she probably started hating you last night. Nothing I said today changed anything. She just still hates you. She actually tried to make me out to be the bad guy. Even after she admitted that she didn't want to marry me because she was unsure of her and me because of her and Sascha.”

”Yeah, well we do that. It's always your fault, you know. Whatever it is.”

Eventually I told her about my encounter with Allison and her evil dog.

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