One of the last of her friends to get married, thirty-two year old Meadow finds herself engaged to Danny, a doctor who decides to go on sabbatical for a year rather than tie the knot. He makes her promise to wait for him but when she meets Ben suddenly her promise becomes challenging at best. Her girlfriends Diamond and Georgia encourage her to keep the lines of communication open with Danny and Ben rather than leaving her significant others in the dark.
Excerpt:
I raise from the table to get dressed. I can work on my resume at Diamond’s. At this point dad is beginning his usual rant, “I don’t see why she doesn’t want to have her own place for a year before she gets married anyway!”
Mom speaks in a loud whisper, “Don’t let her hear you. She’ll be living with Danny before you know it. If she spends another year with us, it will give her more time to save money!”
“Ya,” Nick complains. “I know, but it pisses me off, that of all the people in the world she can fall in love with, she choses the son of Chase Hart who’s had his beady little eyes on you since day one. He liked you since you were a resident at the General. That son-of-a-bitch is living vicariously through his own son Danny; he can’t have you so at least his son is going to get your daughter!”
“You are being ridiculous, his little crush on me was so many years ago, get over it. Bradley was the one who was hot for me. We almost never happened because of Bradley. Chase wasn’t a threat to you.”
“After Meadow goes out, I’m going to **** your brains out so you forget Bradley and Chase ever existed!”
“I don’t know if you’ll manage that dear,” Chanel teased, “Chase and Bradley are fit men in their late fifties. Neither of them have your dickydo.”
“Dickydo?”
“Ya, it’s when your stomach hangs out more than your **** does. Honestly Nick, we should splurge on that home gym you were thinking of getting last year.”
“How droll!” his voice drips of sarcasm. “You better watch what you say,” he warns. “You know how much it turns me on to give that not so tight *** of yours a good spanking now and then.”
There is second of silence and a giggle before I hear my father slobbering over my mom. I look back and find them kissing passionately. My dad’s hand on her butt and his other hand supports her neck for his larger than life kiss.
Oh my god, no child should make their kids witness half the stuff I’ve seen, it’s not normal. Mom giggles like a schoolgirl after the kiss and then he muffles her again by kissing her. I grab the bannister running up the rest of the stairs quickly and shut the door behind me once I’m in my room.
Leaning my back against the door, I reflect on how my parents are approaching retirement and yet they’re still madly in love. Their behaviour embarrasses me and yet I’m jealous at the same time. I can only imagine Danny and me reaching their age and being like them.
When the four of us go out, Danny and I act more mature than they do. Mom and dad are like adolescent teens kissing in restaurants and finding dark corners to grope each other.
They were best friends with benefits and even though they were tied up in other relationships they always managed to gravitate back to each other. Nobody stood a chance interfering with that. The only one who came close was Bradley the twin brother of Chase who runs the hospital.
Dad left Aria at the altar to be with my mom, and she left Chase’s brother Bradley to be with dad.
Chase has always been captivated by mom, but since his brother claimed her first, he never had the opportunity to seriously pursue her. He would blatantly hit on her right in front of his own brother and my father, ungluing both of them. I discussed it with mom on more than one occasion, and her response was always the same: ‘A little bit of jealousy is good for a relationship, it prevents dad from taking me for granted or straying!’
~-~-~
I buzz up to their apartment and wait for them to answer. When they do, I find them lazing on the black faux leather sofa watching television.
Their eyes don’t leave the set, except to look at the clock and make a point of commenting how late I am, “We thought you weren’t coming. We left the Apple on do you can work on your Resume.”
I spot the computer on the kitchen counter but I don’t go to it right away. I’m still upset over what happened at home and want to tell them about it, “I got into an argument with my parents.”
Georgia turns to me out of concern, “Over what? I thought you guys are tighter than a lug nut and washer!”
“I thought so too, but that doesn’t stop them from throwing me out.” Diamond shrugs her shoulders, “You ARE thirty, its sort of understandable.” Georgia snickers, “Especially after the story you told us last week!”
“You should have seen them getting into it with each other this afternoon. Mom started going on about Chase and Bradley, then dad threatens to spank her. Eww! I can’t there to come here fast enough.”
Georgia winks, “I think that old coot still likes your mom, I saw them together last week leaving his office and he was all smitten with her, very hands on if you know what I mean.”
“You saw mom and Chase together?”
“Yup, and your father nowhere to be found. He was practically groping her.”
Diamond starts laughing, “I can’t imagine YOUR mom ever having an affair with Dr. Hart. You description of how your parents are when they’re with each other is too hot! It’s hard to believe that your parents being doctors and all that even act the way they do!”
I shoot her a look of disgust, “They’re worse than teenagers! Mom would never cheat on dad though, she was probably just going over wedding ideas with Dr. Hart.”
Georgia interrupts, “So what was the fight all about?”
I walk over to their fridge to see if they have any extra Palm Bays, they know I like them so they usually keep a few on hand for me when I come over.
“Dad said and I quote, ‘You have your PHD for **** sakes, you find a job.’ They also insinuated that Danny might find another woman on his sabbatical, the engagement is all in my imagination’”
Diamond tucks her legs underneath her, “Get me one too, please. They seriously accused you of imagining Danny proposing to you?”
“Pretty much.”
Diamond commented, “They don’t think he’s going to marry you when he gets back or their beef is that they don’t want you living with them so long?”
“All my parents are concerned with is getting me out of their house, yesterday.”
