What was he saying? Why me? What about Nick?
“I know, I know,” he continued . “I hardly know you. You hardly know me. I know it sounds nuts, but I see you. I see your kind and generous heart. I see your sense of humor. I don’t really know myself why I feel so strongly. I just know that I do. I also think that you don’t judge me. I mean, how you handled the Alexis situation…I just knew that I was in love with you right then.”
The Alexis situation. What did he mean?
He continued on. “I mean, you didn’t come over and demand that I pay attention to you when I was talking to her at the park. You somehow understood that Alexis had to sit in the front seat last night, and that I had to drop you off first. I don’t know, you somehow understood the whole situation. I couldn’t believe how good you were about everything. Most women would have pitched a holy hell bitch about that situation, rightly so. Not you. You understood.”
Well, I’m glad that I have you fooled, because I didn’t really understand. I just didn’t know how else to react .
“Then when I just now told you about my drug problem, you didn’t bat an eyelash about it.” He hesitated. “Actually, after I calmed down the Alexis situation last night, I had some time to think, and that was when I realized that I wanted to marry you. I just couldn’t imagine another woman who would be so calm about what was going down.”
Whoa, whoa, whoa. Marry me? I could feel my breath heaving, my heart beating.
“Well, it w asn’t just the Alexis situation,” he continued. “That was what capped it off. It’s…I don’t know, I just feel comfortable around you. Like I’ve known you all my life.”
I took a deep breath. “Uh, how much have you been d rinking?” A rude question, I knew, after all he had just told me, but I figured that most of this was alcohol talking.
Then again in vino veritas – “in wine, there is truth.”
“I had a couple of beers at the 810 Zone.” The 810 Zone is a bar down the street . “And a couple of Dewar’s and water.”
I nodded. How long was he gone from the apartment – about three hours? He probably drank a lot in those few hours and he’s loaded now and babbling at the mouth. Still, he didn’t look that drunk. His eyes were not bleary, his speech was fine, and he didn’t stumble. However, I remembered my Uncle Jack. That man could literally drink all night long and never slur a word. So Ryan might be drunk, and just not showing it.
He looked at me, his face wounded . “I know you think that I don’t know what I am saying, but I do. I think I loved you the first time I saw you.” Then he started humming a tune, then singing a familiar Randy Newman song, Marie. “I loved you the first time I saw you, and I always will love you, Marie.” His voice was actually very melodic and nice, unlike mine. Is there anything this man can’t do?
He smiled. “My mother used to sing that to me when I was a little boy. But she used the name Ryan instead of Marie, of course.” He looked wistful.
“That’s very sweet.”
“Yeah.” He looked up at me, and for some reason, I thought of him as a little boy . “She, uh, wasn’t in my life much. My father, uh, and she divorced when I was ten. I lost contact with her altogether until just recently.”
I nodded. I wondered if he was going to tell me about her opera career.
He did hint a little. “She was a very good singer. I always loved that song.”
“So, did you have a mother figure growing up?”
“Not really. Benjamin never remarried. He was too focused on his career, I guess. Although my best friend’s mother, uh, kinda was a female role model for me. She was a very kind person, like my mother.”
He didn’t elaborate further.
My heart was pounding and my head was swimming. It was so much to take in all at once. He loves me, or is in love with me, he has a crazy, yet strikingly beautiful, ex-wife, he is a heroin addict. All of these
“I know, I know,” he continued . “I hardly know you. You hardly know me. I know it sounds nuts, but I see you. I see your kind and generous heart. I see your sense of humor. I don’t really know myself why I feel so strongly. I just know that I do. I also think that you don’t judge me. I mean, how you handled the Alexis situation…I just knew that I was in love with you right then.”
The Alexis situation. What did he mean?
He continued on. “I mean, you didn’t come over and demand that I pay attention to you when I was talking to her at the park. You somehow understood that Alexis had to sit in the front seat last night, and that I had to drop you off first. I don’t know, you somehow understood the whole situation. I couldn’t believe how good you were about everything. Most women would have pitched a holy hell bitch about that situation, rightly so. Not you. You understood.”
Well, I’m glad that I have you fooled, because I didn’t really understand. I just didn’t know how else to react .
“Then when I just now told you about my drug problem, you didn’t bat an eyelash about it.” He hesitated. “Actually, after I calmed down the Alexis situation last night, I had some time to think, and that was when I realized that I wanted to marry you. I just couldn’t imagine another woman who would be so calm about what was going down.”
Whoa, whoa, whoa. Marry me? I could feel my breath heaving, my heart beating.
“Well, it w asn’t just the Alexis situation,” he continued. “That was what capped it off. It’s…I don’t know, I just feel comfortable around you. Like I’ve known you all my life.”
I took a deep breath. “Uh, how much have you been d rinking?” A rude question, I knew, after all he had just told me, but I figured that most of this was alcohol talking.
Then again in vino veritas – “in wine, there is truth.”
“I had a couple of beers at the 810 Zone.” The 810 Zone is a bar down the street . “And a couple of Dewar’s and water.”
I nodded. How long was he gone from the apartment – about three hours? He probably drank a lot in those few hours and he’s loaded now and babbling at the mouth. Still, he didn’t look that drunk. His eyes were not bleary, his speech was fine, and he didn’t stumble. However, I remembered my Uncle Jack. That man could literally drink all night long and never slur a word. So Ryan might be drunk, and just not showing it.
He looked at me, his face wounded . “I know you think that I don’t know what I am saying, but I do. I think I loved you the first time I saw you.” Then he started humming a tune, then singing a familiar Randy Newman song, Marie. “I loved you the first time I saw you, and I always will love you, Marie.” His voice was actually very melodic and nice, unlike mine. Is there anything this man can’t do?
He smiled. “My mother used to sing that to me when I was a little boy. But she used the name Ryan instead of Marie, of course.” He looked wistful.
“That’s very sweet.”
“Yeah.” He looked up at me, and for some reason, I thought of him as a little boy . “She, uh, wasn’t in my life much. My father, uh, and she divorced when I was ten. I lost contact with her altogether until just recently.”
I nodded. I wondered if he was going to tell me about her opera career.
He did hint a little. “She was a very good singer. I always loved that song.”
“So, did you have a mother figure growing up?”
“Not really. Benjamin never remarried. He was too focused on his career, I guess. Although my best friend’s mother, uh, kinda was a female role model for me. She was a very kind person, like my mother.”
He didn’t elaborate further.
My heart was pounding and my head was swimming. It was so much to take in all at once. He loves me, or is in love with me, he has a crazy, yet strikingly beautiful, ex-wife, he is a heroin addict. All of these
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