to stare at.”
“Oh, stop it,” I say, but he’s gotten me to laugh a little bit.
“You know, Tasha,” he says. “Melissa may be my girlfriend, but you’ve been my best friend practically my whole life. You’re the most important person in the world to me.”
That might be true now, but once he marries Melissa, I get the feeling that my role in his life is going to be significantly diminished.
I guess that’s something I’m just going to have to deal with.
I spend most of the week feeling depressed about Lydia. I’m glad Nana called me to give me a warning, because I don’t think I could have dealt with Lydia popping the news on me like that, all excited and full of wedding plans. Despite our age difference, Lydia and I always had a bit of a rivalry. I think she always sort of resented my being the pretty one and getting relegated to being the smart one, especially since she wasn’t terribly smart. This is her moment to finally stick it to me that she managed to get hitched before I did.
I’m going to be a bridesmaid. Not the maid of honor, which is being given to Lydia’s chubby friend Erica. But I still get to walk down the aisle in a puffy, lacy pink dress, which I am going to have to fly out to Pittsburgh to get fitted for, then have to pay for myself. I can’t wait for this damn thing to be over.
***
Larry takes me out to dinner the next Saturday night, and he can tell something isn’t right. I spend a lot of time moping, and since Larry isn’t the most talkative guy in the world (to put it mildly), it’s pretty weird that he’s carrying the conversation.
“Tasha,” he finally says, “are you okay?”
“Yes,” I say mopily.
“You seem upset about something.”
“Really.”
“Yes,” Larry says. “You know, if something is upsetting you, you can tell me about it.”
“Can I?”
“Of course,” Larry says, missing the sarcasm in my voice.
I know that whining about being single is the best man repellent, but I don’t even care anymore. “My baby sister is getting married.”
Larry’s face lights up. “ Mazel tov !” he says. Then he frowns. “So what’s wrong?”
“That’s it,” I say. “She’s five years younger than me and she’s getting married.”
“Oh,” Larry says. He still doesn’t get it.
“Look,” I say, “it’s not like I want to get married or anything. But . . . it just makes me feel lousy about myself that she’s so much younger, yet she’s getting married first.”
“Oh,” Larry says again. “Well, you shouldn’t feel bad. My younger brother and sister are both married.”
“Yeah, well. . . .” I say. “It’s different for men.”
“It is?” He seems mystified.
I look at Larry and wonder if I’m talking to the wrong person. Actually, I’m definitely talking to the wrong person. Whether he cares about getting married or not, I’m sure no woman is going to be jumping to tie the knot with a guy like Larry.
***
Because he knows I love it, Jason suggests we go out to karaoke the next weekend. I would have preferred it be the two of us alone, but somehow it ends up being all four of us on a double date. It’s actually my fault, because when I mention karaoke to Larry, he somehow gets all excited and says he wants to go. I can’t say no to him because he’s practically never been excited about anything before ever, so Jason invites Melissa too.
The karaoke bar is a small place in the village that Jason and I have been going to for years. I don’t think he’s ever taken Melissa here, because she shows up looking really overdressed in a tight black dress and sexy pumps. In contract, I’m wearing jeans and a tank top. But she doesn’t seem at all upset at being the most dressed up person at the bar. In fact, when she sees me, she flashes me a big smile for perhaps the first time ever.
The smile disturbs me so much that I anxiously search her fingers for sign of an engagement ring. I breathe a sigh of relief when I see
“Oh, stop it,” I say, but he’s gotten me to laugh a little bit.
“You know, Tasha,” he says. “Melissa may be my girlfriend, but you’ve been my best friend practically my whole life. You’re the most important person in the world to me.”
That might be true now, but once he marries Melissa, I get the feeling that my role in his life is going to be significantly diminished.
I guess that’s something I’m just going to have to deal with.
I spend most of the week feeling depressed about Lydia. I’m glad Nana called me to give me a warning, because I don’t think I could have dealt with Lydia popping the news on me like that, all excited and full of wedding plans. Despite our age difference, Lydia and I always had a bit of a rivalry. I think she always sort of resented my being the pretty one and getting relegated to being the smart one, especially since she wasn’t terribly smart. This is her moment to finally stick it to me that she managed to get hitched before I did.
I’m going to be a bridesmaid. Not the maid of honor, which is being given to Lydia’s chubby friend Erica. But I still get to walk down the aisle in a puffy, lacy pink dress, which I am going to have to fly out to Pittsburgh to get fitted for, then have to pay for myself. I can’t wait for this damn thing to be over.
***
Larry takes me out to dinner the next Saturday night, and he can tell something isn’t right. I spend a lot of time moping, and since Larry isn’t the most talkative guy in the world (to put it mildly), it’s pretty weird that he’s carrying the conversation.
“Tasha,” he finally says, “are you okay?”
“Yes,” I say mopily.
“You seem upset about something.”
“Really.”
“Yes,” Larry says. “You know, if something is upsetting you, you can tell me about it.”
“Can I?”
“Of course,” Larry says, missing the sarcasm in my voice.
I know that whining about being single is the best man repellent, but I don’t even care anymore. “My baby sister is getting married.”
Larry’s face lights up. “ Mazel tov !” he says. Then he frowns. “So what’s wrong?”
“That’s it,” I say. “She’s five years younger than me and she’s getting married.”
“Oh,” Larry says. He still doesn’t get it.
“Look,” I say, “it’s not like I want to get married or anything. But . . . it just makes me feel lousy about myself that she’s so much younger, yet she’s getting married first.”
“Oh,” Larry says again. “Well, you shouldn’t feel bad. My younger brother and sister are both married.”
“Yeah, well. . . .” I say. “It’s different for men.”
“It is?” He seems mystified.
I look at Larry and wonder if I’m talking to the wrong person. Actually, I’m definitely talking to the wrong person. Whether he cares about getting married or not, I’m sure no woman is going to be jumping to tie the knot with a guy like Larry.
***
Because he knows I love it, Jason suggests we go out to karaoke the next weekend. I would have preferred it be the two of us alone, but somehow it ends up being all four of us on a double date. It’s actually my fault, because when I mention karaoke to Larry, he somehow gets all excited and says he wants to go. I can’t say no to him because he’s practically never been excited about anything before ever, so Jason invites Melissa too.
The karaoke bar is a small place in the village that Jason and I have been going to for years. I don’t think he’s ever taken Melissa here, because she shows up looking really overdressed in a tight black dress and sexy pumps. In contract, I’m wearing jeans and a tank top. But she doesn’t seem at all upset at being the most dressed up person at the bar. In fact, when she sees me, she flashes me a big smile for perhaps the first time ever.
The smile disturbs me so much that I anxiously search her fingers for sign of an engagement ring. I breathe a sigh of relief when I see
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