“Yep, and I hope you’ll accept gracefully.”
I thought about it for a moment, and figured what the heck.
“Okay.”
She bounced up and down.
“Oh goody. Cindy knows what I want, so don’t fight her. I promise that you’ll look good. Can you go tomorrow night?”
“That’ll work. I need to get a haircut also.”
“Already taken care of. Just let Cindy pamper you, and don’t be afraid to get a few extras. Cindy has final say, but this is my way of saying ‘thank you.’”
“Jennie, please don’t think that you have to buy me stuff.”
She got serious.
“I really don’t, David, but this is something I can and want to do for you. Plus, if you’re going to be my date, you have to look the part, and it’s not fair to ask you to buy the clothes you need.”
Tami’s door opened and she saw me.
“Okay, Dawson, what are you up to?”
I acted as if I had been caught in the act. I gave a big sigh as if I were confessing.
“I was planning your Thanksgiving trip and asking Jennie for some suggestions when I go to Buddies.”
Buddies was a local porn shop that sold adult toys.
“Did you know there’s such a thing as edible panties?” I asked.
Tami and Jennie both went bright red. Tami looked at both of us.
“He won’t tell me what’s going on, but you will.”
She tackled Jennie on the bed and started tickling her. Jennie shrieked and tried to fight her off. I wish I had a bag of popcorn so I could enjoy this little catfight.
“I give!”
Tami let her up and they were both panting. I had suddenly gotten just a little aroused watching the two of them roll around on the bed.
“I asked him out on a date.”
Tami looked pissed.
“You did that without asking me first?”
Wait a minute. This was my life she was talking about.
“Hey!” I complained.
She gave me a look that left the rest on the tip of my tongue.
“You gave me control of your dating. Let me hear her out before this goes any further.”
Jennie explained what was happening. Tami asked several very good questions that I’d neglected to ask. Tami could see that she had me over a barrel if I wanted to go.
“Jennie, give me a few minutes with David.”
Jennie winked at me, and I realized that Tami had set this up. She didn’t hold as many cards as she thought she did. She started her opening gambit.
“David, I don’t think it’s a good idea for you to go out with Jennie again.”
I played along.
“Come on, Tami, what’s wrong with me seeing Jennie?”
“Were you not the one who wasn’t looking to date until after football? I think that’s still a valid reason for you not to date.”
I looked dejected.
“Okay, you know best.”
She was caught completely off guard. I could see the wheels turning.
“I’ll go get her so you can tell her. Just let her down gently.”
Tami knew I was the biggest wuss when it came to hurting girls’ feelings. She opened the door and asked Jennie back in. Jennie looked at me and saw my dejected face, and Tami’s was unreadable. I decided to put her out of her misery.
“Tami and I talked, and she has some good points about me waiting to date until after football is over. We decided that it’d be okay if I took you as a friend. I’ll even make it look good so that your mother and Alistair think it’s a real date.”
Tami rolled her eyes when Jennie gave her a big hug. She beat a hasty retreat before Tami could change her mind.
“Okay, you little shit. Now you have to help me out,” Tami said after Jennie left.
“Let me guess: Thanksgiving.”
“You got it on the first try. That, and I need more guys for the Christmas Dance. Can you get Luke’s brother Mike and Tim Foresee to come also?”
“Of course, I’ll talk to them at lunch and send you a text to confirm. Can I also ask Jeff?”
Her face lit up.
“That’s a great idea. I have the perfect girl for him.”
I changed the subject.
“How are you doing?”
“You know I miss you like crazy,” she sighed. “It’s just not the same without being there to see you every day. It broke my heart when I wasn’t there for you when Tracy lost her mind. If it wasn’t for our video chats, I think I’d go nuts.”
“In a strange way, you going off to Wesleyan has been good for me.”
“How’s that?” she asked, as she cocked an eyebrow.
“I’ve been learning to look out for my own best interest. When the going got hard, I was so used to going to you to decide what to do that I never learned to stand up for myself. One of Tracy’s friends set me straight the day she ‘lost her mind.’ Hell, I’m still terrible at it. Tracy acts like nothing happened. She even got me to take her to the Halloween Dance. Suzanne had me in the sack less than 24 hours after she cheated on me. The one that surprised me was Cindy. I’ve been able to hold firm with her.”
“What makes her different?”
“I think it’s because she was sleeping with Greg while Angie was pregnant. I understand they were just doing the friends-with-benefits thing, but Kyle would be a game changer for me. If I were dating someone who got pregnant, I wouldn’t be hooking up with someone else just to relieve some stress. I’d be exploring what the next step is.”
Tami bit her lip.
“Do you think Greg and Angie are going to get married?”
I thought about this for a moment before responding.
“When Angie first had Kyle, I could see Greg was deeply in love with both of them. Earlier today, Kara came over. Granted, Kara is beyond gorgeous. He couldn’t resist hitting on her.”
She smirked at me.
“We’ll talk about Kara before we sign off, but tell me more about Greg and Angie.”
“I’m wondering if Greg being a serial dater is going to ruin any chance for a meaningful relationship with Angie. One of my brother’s rules is if you’re dating someone, you don’t date someone else. I mean, he’s pounded that into me. From what I understand, he lasted a little over a month when Angie was shipped off to her aunt and uncle’s before he hooked up with Cindy. Now Angie’s actually back for exactly a week, and he’s hitting on another girl,” I said, and let my shoulders sag. “I lost a lot of respect for Greg today. I’ve never known him to cheat. Not even a whisper, and we both know if he ever did, word would have gotten out.”
“Let me ask you something, David: are you worried about yourself becoming like Greg?”
That set me back on my heels. I got up and paced around the room. My mind raced. Was it possible that I couldn’t be with just one girl? If I wanted a quick roll in the hay, I could call any number of women. Was I any better than Greg? When I dated Tracy, I spent time with Alice Phillips and my chaperone. Even though Tracy gave me a free pass for the weekend, it was up to me to decide if I used it. Then there were Cindy and Suzanne. I knew for a fact that if either asked, I would sleep with them regardless of whether I was with Tracy.
Finally, there was Tami. If she ever asked, I’d drop everything to be with her. The question was, would I still sleep around on her?
“Tami, do you consider me a bad guy?”
Tami knew me well enough to help talk me through this.
“Define ‘bad guy.’”
“I hold Greg to a higher standard than I do myself. I’ve had sex with Suzanne while I was with Tracy, but I have a problem with Greg having sex with Cindy while his pregnant girlfriend was exiled. If I think Greg is a bad guy for what he did, doesn’t it hold that I’m a bad guy also?”
“You need to answer a critical question before you pass judgment: were you in a committed relationship with Tracy when you had sex with Suzanne?”
“Yes.”
“David, search your heart. Were you and Tracy in a committed relationship?”
We were right back to the Tracy’s ‘not together’ mantra. I remembered thinking that she could go out with someone else, and it wouldn’t be a problem for me, but was I honest with myself? Did I feel committed to Tracy? The answer was ‘yes,’ I was committed to Tracy.